![](https://www.ibj.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/BigPic_Republicans_100821-300x225.jpg)
Conservative lawmaker says leaders drew maps to oust him
Freshman Rep. John Jacob, himself a Republican, says Republican leaders “butchered” his legislative district and redrew it in a way that is designed to deny him re-election.
Freshman Rep. John Jacob, himself a Republican, says Republican leaders “butchered” his legislative district and redrew it in a way that is designed to deny him re-election.
Democrat Rep. Justin Moed and former Democratic Senate candidate Ashley Eason have both publicly announced interest in running for the Indiana Senate in a new downtown Indianapolis district.
The Crawfordsville Republican spent the past eight legislative sessions as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and suggests he will propose a tax cut for Hoosiers as he departs the legislature in 2022.
Violations will now result in four points against a driver’s license, BMV officials said.
In Indiana and other states, anger at perceived overreach by health officials has prompted legislative attempts to limit their authority, including new state laws that prevent the closure of businesses or allow lawmakers to rescind mask mandates.
The usual gerrymandering is expected this year as the Legislature embarks on the once-a-decade process of redistricting, though public scrutiny is expected to be much greater than in previous years.
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office got its day in court Wednesday to argue why it thinks Gov. Eric Holcomb shouldn’t have been allowed to hire his own attorneys to sue the Indiana General Assembly. A ruling isn’t expected for at least several weeks.
Republican lawmakers asked the governor to issue an executive order prohibiting any state university from mandating vaccines that don’t have full U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval.
As part of his battle with the Legislature over executive powers, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb is accusing Attorney General Todd Rokita of creating a legal fiction in order to expand the attorney general’s “authority beyond his statutory duties and powers.”
The Democratic-majority council’s vote—which passed 19-5 along party lines—keeps a citywide mask mandate and restaurant capacity limits in place in Indianapolis.
Gov. Eric Holcomb’s veto marks another pushback against fellow Republicans’ legislative efforts to weaken the powers of the governor or others during emergencies such as the pandemic.
Todd Rokita says that only he—or an attorney he authorizes—can file a lawsuit on behalf of the state. Plus, he argues that lawmakers can’t be sued during a legislative session.
State lawmakers came through in big ways for business and manufacturing interests this year.
The bill, which scales back protections on Indiana wetlands, had gained support from the Indiana Builders Association, but numerous environmental, conservation and civic groups opposed it.
Gov. Eric Holcomb on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the Indiana General Assembly and legislative leaders of his own party, challenging the constitutionality of a new law that weakens his emergency powers and was enacted by fellow Republicans over the governor’s veto.
Current and former state legislators and a former Indiana Supreme Court justice are raising concerns that a measure to extend rather than adjourn the 2021 legislative session blurs the separation of powers and could have “dangerous” implications for the future.
Two of the largest health organizations in Indiana are pleading with Gov. Eric Holcomb to veto a bill they say would hamper the ability of local health officials to respond to emergencies.
The IndyGo transit system will not have to pay millions of dollars for companies to relocate utility services to make way for new rapid bus lines. That’s because the state senator who proposed the requirement dropped it.
Much-debated legislation to boost wind and solar farms in Indiana was thwarted during this legislative session, but a key state lawmaker said Thursday he hopes to revive the issue next year to help meet the growing need for renewable energy.
With strong support from Republican lawmakers, Senate Bill 5 was characterized by them as a way to inject a system of “checks and balances” into the process of imposing restrictions on citizens and businesses during public health emergencies.