The elected state superintendent of public instruction would lose authority over several areas of education policy under Republican-backed proposals approved Thursday by an Indiana House committee.
House Bill 1638 would give significant new powers to the State Board of Education to intervene in schools earning a D or F grade for at least four straight years—even creating new schools within a school district.
Bill sponsor Rep. Robert Morris, R-Fort Wayne, said it was created to give Indiana's Amish population more access to outside businesses such as banks and pharmacies that require a state-issued ID.
An Indiana House committee has endorsed tighter rules on the conduct of lawmakers in the wake of an ethics investigation of former House Speaker Pro Tem Eric Turner and other issues.
A bill that would let companies pull money out of employee paychecks for uniforms, education and other expenses could receive a vote next week in the House Judiciary Committee.
Bills aiming to reduce Indiana’s methamphetamine problem by requiring prescriptions for some cold medicines probably won’t be considered in House or Senate committees this session, key lawmakers said.
House Public Policy Committee Chairman Tom Dermody of LaPorte has authored the bill that would allow Indiana groceries, pharmacies and liquor stores to sell alcohol on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
A bill sponsored by three Republican senators calls for the State Board of Education to revise Indiana's K-12 academic standards and select a nationally recognized set of exams for testing students by July 2016.
The state auditing agency would hire about 100 more field examiners to review spending by local governments and school districts under a plan being considered by Indiana lawmakers.
A fund for public transportation could be debated before the House Ways and Means Committee after Rep. Randy Truitt filed a bill that would provide about $20 million more per year than Gov. Mike Pence proposed.
The legislation would require the State Board of Funeral and Cemetery Service to adopt rules for alkaline hydrolysis. The process is legal in 11 other states.
Indiana legislators would face more financial disclosure requirements and elected officials would be expressly prohibited from using state resources for political purposes under a proposed overhaul of ethics laws introduced Thursday.
Senate Bill 352 would allow those adopted from 1941 through 1993 to access their records unless their birth parents sign a form prohibiting it.
Senate Bill 173, authored by Sen. R. Michael Young, R-Indianapolis, requires the Indiana Department of Correction to establish a specialized vocational program to train minimum-security inmates in trades.
Senate Bill 249, if passed into law, would ban communities from adopting an ordinance preventing the construction of livestock facilities.
Last year, a new law scuttled Indiana’s program for reducing energy use statewide. Gov. Mike Pence’s alternative would allow energy companies to set their own targets.
Consumers of e-cigarettes, smokers seeking employment, and Indiana gamblers could experience changes if proposed legislation is made into law.
The minority leader in the Indiana House said Monday the Legislature should discuss whether to legalize marijuana in Indiana for medical purposes.
A central Indiana lawmaker wants to provide better access to healthy food to inner-city Hoosiers with legislation to promote urban farms, food-co-ops and farmer’s markets
The proposed legislation would allow small businesses, including bakeries, caterers, florists, and wedding chapels, to refuse services to gay couples based on the owner's religious beliefs.
