Indiana lawmaker blocking bill to count dead people’s votes
The Senate voted 45-2 last month in favor of the bill that requires election officials to count absentee ballots "marked and forwarded" by Indiana voters who then die before Election Day.
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Checking in with the Indiana legislative session at halftime
Indiana lawmakers have reached halftime in this year's legislative session, which has been marked more by plans deferred and legislation killed than major changes.
Indiana Senate joins House in passing cannabis oil measure
The Indiana Legislature is poised to allow anyone to purchase and use a cannabis-derived extract believed to have therapeutic benefits, following a key vote by the state Senate on Monday.
House passes bill to overhaul high school diplomas
Currently four different diplomas are offered. The bill would require the state board of education to create the “Indiana Diploma” as the state’s new baseline.
Indiana House backs bill eliminating handgun licensing fee
Under the proposal, anyone wanting to legally carry a handgun in public would still be required to undergo a background check before obtaining a state permit, but the lifetime licensing fees would be eliminated.
Last-minute proposal would let 10 percent of teachers be unlicensed
The measure, added during a Senate Education Committee meeting, would ostensibly let public schools be more competitive with charter schools at a time when many districts are having difficulty finding qualified teachers.
Trump’s endorsement puts ‘Right to Try’ drug bill on fast track
The initiative, championed by Vice President Mike Pence when he was governor of Indiana, has been embraced by members of both parties. The latest bill was written by U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly of Indiana.
Indiana House approves bill to lift Indy-area ban on light rail
Lawmakers are reconsidering the ban with hopes of landing Amazon’s second North American headquarters.
Indiana House Republicans kill bill to raise smoking age to 21
House Republicans justified the decision, stating that their calculations indicate the change would cost state government $14 million a year in lost cigarette tax revenue.
Push for hate crimes law fails again in Indiana Legislature
Indiana will remain one of just five states without a hate crimes law after a bill was sidelined in the Senate. Critics said the failure to pass such a law could hurt the state’s chances of landing Amazon’s planned second headquarters.
Indiana House calls for study of medical marijuana
The resolution was approved Thursday without opposition and comes after 29 other states have passed laws allowing medical marijuana in some form.
House panel advances ‘hillbilly venture capital’ legislation
An Indiana House committee on Wednesday advanced a bill that the payday loan industry says would create a longer-term, higher-value loan for people who have such bad credit scores that they can’t be helped by regular banks.
House panel votes to reverse Indianapolis-area ban on light rail
A proposal to reverse the ban that has precluded Marion County and surrounding suburbs from building or acquiring a light-rail mass-transit project passed an Indiana House committee Wednesday.
Indiana Senate panel delays vote on hate crime bill
The move by Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee Chairman Mike Young came after an emotionally charged hearing Tuesday.
Bill limiting short-term rental regulation advanced by House
The bill would guarantee homeowners the ability to rent out their primary residence on websites such as Airbnb.
Bill to strengthen school-district oversight draws criticism
Some Indiana school officials say a bill that would create a system to monitor school districts' financial health and punish struggling schools goes too far
House votes to avert federal shutdown, but Senate chances dim
A divided House on Thursday passed an eleventh-hour plan to keep the government running. But the measure faces gloomy prospects in the Senate, and it remains unclear whether lawmakers will be able to find a way to keep federal offices open past a Friday night deadline.
Bosma says Legislature might move on Amazon incentives this session
Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma said lawmakers could move an incentives bill “expeditiously” to attract Amazon’s proposed second headquarters, if necessary, but he wouldn’t be in favor of doing what Wisconsin did to lure Foxconn.
Future of CBD sales still unclear after hours of testimony
The future for cannabidiol, or CBD, oil in Indiana remains unclear after an Indiana senator declined to call for a vote on two bills that would legalize the sale of the substance if certain specifications are met.
Women rally at Statehouse for legislation against gender pay discrimination
Rep. Linda Lawson and Sen. Jean Breaux are working together this session to pass legislation that would hold employers accountable for permitting a wage gap between male and female workers.