Indiana panel backs ban on drivers using handheld phones
A state Senate committee voted 8-1 Tuesday to endorse the bill that only permits cellphone use with hands-free or voice-operated technology, except in emergencies.
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Ed Feigenbaum: Opposition doesn’t stop bill to protect coal plants
One senator says calls and emails from constituents have outnumbered contacts on any other bill this session.
Merritt shifts focus to poverty after mayoral run
Sen. Jim Merritt says his run last year for Indianapolis mayor has made him a better senator—one who’s more in touch with his constituents and who has seen the city’s poverty and crime problems firsthand.
Ed Feigenbaum: Two issues threaten to disrupt more mundane work
Each year, one item seems to arise unexpectedly—innocently or intentionally—that seems to consume, as Statehouse denizens observe, all the time and calories.
Embattled Rep. Forestal won’t seek re-election; city councilor to seek his House seat
State Rep. Dan Forestal, a Democrat facing charges of drunken driving and impersonating a public servant, said he will not seek re-election so that he can “focus on my mental health.”
Ed Feigenbaum: Lobbying groups’ tactics test patience, boundaries
Perhaps it is no surprise that Bosma decided to step down as speaker soon, then resign his House seat yet this spring.
IBJ Podcast: The session so far—health care, teacher evaluations and hands-free phone use
IBJ’s Statehouse reporter Lindsey Erdody breaks down what bills are moving, which ones already are dead and what’s about to hit Gov. Eric Holcomb’s desk.
Ed Feigenbaum: State is failing to look to the future on key issues
The demise of the promising Indiana Future Caucus is unfortunate, because no one else seems destined or determined to take the lead on issues critical to Hoosiers going forward.
Health care bills unlikely to remedy cost crisis
Republican leaders of the Indiana General Assembly and Gov. Eric Holcomb have made addressing high health care costs a top priority this year, but the bills proposed to do so are unlikely to have much direct impact.
Lawmakers consider bill to protect right to resell entertainment tickets
The legislation is meant to protect an individual’s right to sell or give his or her ticket to an event to someone else, should they choose to do so.
House panel approves bill that would prohibit utilities from shutting down coal-fired plants
The bill’s sponsor said coal mines around the nation are closing at an alarming rate, putting the reliability and stability of the electricity sector in question. Opponents say the measure would put handcuffs on Indiana utiltities, which preparing to shift to cleaner fuel sources.
Legislator seeking end of state’s U.S. Senate primaries
Sen. James Buck of Kokomo said delegates at a state party convention would select the best Senate candidates and that eliminating primary campaigns would make running for office less costly.
Ed Feigenbaum: Legislature will soon turn its attention to health bills
As the first two weeks of the session pass, expect a transition in legislative focus to health care concerns—raised in loud choruses to lawmakers in conversations back home. Unlike
GOP-backed bill to make professional licensing easier faces opposition
A top legislative priority for House Republicans faced some push back this week from the very professionals lawmakers believed they would be helping with the measure.
Holcomb announces $400M Fiat-Chrysler investment, teacher pay plan in speech
According to Gov. Eric Holcomb’s prepared remarks, Fiat-Chrysler will invest $400 million in its Kokomo facility and hinted that an announcement will be made on Friday from Toyota in Princeton.
Ed Feigenbaum: The session will move fast—pay attention or you might miss it
Legislators returned Jan. 6. Even though, as of that morning, only 11 House bills had been filed, committee hearings were underway in earnest (especially in the Senate, where the file list topped 200 bills).
GOP lawmakers differ slightly from governor on 2020 priorities (including on swine barn funding)
Like Gov. Eric Holcomb, Indiana Senate and House Republicans are focused on health care, education and spending one-time dollars on capital projects this year. But lawmakers have slightly different views on how those surplus dollars should be spent.
Indiana governor changes stance on teacher pay action
Republican Eric Holcomb has said he would wait for recommendations later this year from a teacher pay commission he appointed in February, but he told reporters Monday—on the first day of the legislative session—that might change with state tax revenues growing faster than expected.
Ed Feigenbaum: Health care, education, criminal justice will dominate Legislature
Much of the 2020 legislative work will be directed to helping shape (and immunize against) election debate and making a head start on some of the tougher, long-term issues that will be ripe for resolution in 16 months.
2019 YEAR IN REVIEW: Lawmakers OK funding plan for arena updates, soccer stadium
The law, which passed with bipartisan support in April, created funding plans for most of a $360 million renovation of Bankers Life Fieldhouse and the construction of a $150 million soccer stadium for the Indy Eleven by diverting millions of dollars in annual state tax revenue to the Capital Improvement Board.