Indiana Career Council gets final legislative nod
Gov. Mike Pence will lead the 16-member panel, which is supposed to prepare a plan for matching Indiana's workforce training programs and available jobs.
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Indiana House turns aside school guns proposal
The Indiana House on Thursday pulled a proposal to have the state's public schools consider having employees, including teachers and principals, carry guns during school hours.
FEIGENBAUM: GOP stranglehold hasn’t squelched debate
For a Legislature dominated by a Republican super-majority and with a Republican governor doing more now than just watching from the cheap seats, you should be surprised by the uncertainty over the shape—and even the fate—of several significant bills this late in the process.
Indiana pension shifts to international bonds
The Indiana Public Retirement System recently issued a request for proposals from international fixed-income managers and received 16 responses by the April 5 deadline. The $27.1 billion retirement system will hire two managers to oversee $900 million.
Fiscal tug-of-war stalls Indiana voucher expansion
A plan to make vouchers more widely available to families has met a roadblock: So despite the momentum, lawmakers say they want more time to look at the voucher program approved two years ago.
Bill to handle abandoned homes still on track
State Sen. Jim Merritt wanted to help an eastside Indianapolis church gain possession of some long-abandoned, derelict houses, tear them down and establish a park. The difficulty in doing so led to a bill that would make such improvements easier.
Change gives Rockport gasification plant better odds
Rep. Matt Ubelhor, R-Bloomfield, successfully pushed an amendment Wednesday that would shield the southern Indiana project from the review sought by the plant's opponents, who contend it could saddle ratepayers with higher bills.
Welfare recipient drug testing clears Indiana Senate
The bill would require all applicants for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families to complete a written screening test for possible drug abuse problems.
Looser superintendent rules advance on tiebreaker
A proposal to no longer require Indiana's local school superintendents to hold a state superintendent's or teacher's license passed the state Senate after Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann cast her first tie-breaking vote.
Lawmaker seeks relief for fed-up water customers
As citizens of Zionsville, residents of the Royal Run subdivision have had little recourse against the Whitestown-owned water utility that charges them 78 percent more than its customers to the north.
Senate passes new criminal sentencing rules
Supporters hope changes to sentencing laws will direct more people convicted of low-level felonies to work release and other local programs. It also would require those convicted of the most-serious crimes to spend more time in prison.
Limited school voucher expansion approved by Senate
The Senate proposal would allow siblings of students already receiving vouchers to qualify for the program, raise the value of each voucher by $200 and eliminate a one-year waiting period in public schools for students who attend "failing" schools.
House Speaker Bosma returns to podium after surgery
Brian Bosma missed all of last week’s action in the Statehouse due to a serious infection developed from an artificial knee replacement.
Indianapolis controller leaving for education group
The city will lose its controller a few months before the 2014 budget is due to be presented to the City-County Council.
Indiana law change allows younger children as referees
A southern Indiana boy has successfully spurred a change in state law that will allow sports leagues to hire youngsters like him as referees.
Ohio competition sends Indiana casino revenues down
Indiana's riverboat casino revenues fell 4.4 percent in March, dragged down by declines at two southeastern Indiana venues that faced their first month of head-to-head competition with a Cincinnati casino.
Indiana Senate approves $30B budget, partial tax cut
The plan keeps much of the additional education spending that House Republicans added to their budget proposal in February. But the Senate package also includes a $150 million cut to personal income taxes.
School guns mandate dropped from House bill
An Indiana legislative committee has dropped a proposed requirement that all public and charter schools have a gun-carrying employee during school hours.
Plan would shift money from horse racing to auto racing
The move—debated Monday in the Indiana House Ways and Means Committee—is meant to subsidize upgrades at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and make low-interest loans available to other auto tracks and businesses across the state.
Revenue forecast could swing Pence’s tax-cut hopes
The state revenue forecast due out April 16 will influence the next two-year budget and possibly help Gov. Mike Pence sell lawmakers on his proposed 10-percent income-tax cut. Experts predict the numbers won’t be much different from those in the last forecast.