Indiana one step closer to tax breaks for data centers
Sen. Mark Messmer, R-Jasper, who carried the bill on the Senate side, said it would make Indiana one of the top five states for tax policy on data centers.
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Professional leagues make pitch for official data in sports wagering
The House Public Policy Committee heard roughly five hours of testimony on Senate Bill 552—legislation that touches nearly every aspect of gambling in Indiana—during a hearing on Wednesday.
Legislation would increase physical therapists’ autonomy
A bill advancing through the General Assembly would allow PTs to be regulated by their peers, a move that would remove much of the medical hierarchy from the process.
Senate panel OKs compensation for wrongfully convicted
The legislation would generally permit people who are exonerated to receive $50,000 for each year they were wrongfully incarcerated.
Top Indiana companies are increasingly weighing in on the key issues of the day
In recent years, some of Indiana’s biggest companies and trade organizations, including the Indiana Chamber and the Indy Chamber, have publicly voiced opinions on a variety of social issues, including pre-kindergarten funding, gay rights, mass transportation and higher cigarette taxes.
Payday lending industry gains upper hand in Statehouse fight
A Senate bill addressing subprime lending, which had a 69-page strip-and-insert amendment released the night before passing out of committee, is headed to the House.
Demonstrators at teacher rally tell Holcomb to ‘come closer’
Hundreds of educators, administrators, students and community members flocked to the Indiana Statehouse on Saturday to show their frustration with Indiana’s treatment of public education.
Soccer stadium likely would find other uses—especially if it’s downtown
The Indy Eleven would likely need the $150 million soccer stadium proposed by owner Ersal Ozdemir for only about 20 matches a year.
Pacers, CIB talks could extend beyond legislative deadline
The president of the Capital Improvement Board said negotiations on a 25-year deal with the Indiana Pacers are progressing, but a final pact is likely months away.
IBJ Podcast: Can Indy win a Major League Soccer franchise?
A bill passed by the Indiana Senate would require the Indy Eleven to become an MLS franchise within three years to unlock tax money to build a stadium dedicated to soccer. But is that realistic? IBJ's Anthony Schoettle says it's an uphill climb — but by no means out of the question. He talks to […]
Here’s where six General Assembly issues stand at halfway mark
The first half of the legislative session was generally quiet (save an emotional debate about a hate-crimes bill) but that might just be the calm before the storm.
Top CEOs urge key lawmakers to overhaul bias-crimes legislation
More than 20 CEOs from some of the biggest companies in Indiana sent a letter to top Republican lawmakers Wednesday urging them to restore a list of victim characteristics in bias-crimes legislation being considered by the Indiana General Assembly.
Indy Eleven’s race to join Major League Soccer must clear many hurdles
Legislation passed by the Indiana Senate makes money for a soccer stadium available only if the city gains a Major League Soccer franchise—but that same legislation could make it more likely the MLS gives it a team.
Holcomb offers another hate crimes legislation option
Gov. Eric Holcomb says it’s too early to say whether he’d veto legislation without a list of victim categories.
Indiana Senate approves sports betting, casino moves
The legislation would legalize sports wagering, let horse-track casinos add table games this year as opposed to waiting until 2021 and allow two Gary casinos to move.
Indiana House passes $34.6B budget along party lines
The proposed budget includes an additional $286 million per year requested by the Indiana Department of Child Services and increases K-12 spending slightly more than suggested by Gov. Eric Holcomb.
IBJ Podcast: Hate crimes, gambling, teacher pay at the Legislature’s halfway point
IBJ’s Lindsey Erdody, The Journal Gazette’s Niki Kelly and TheStatehouseFile.com columnist Mary Beth Schneider talk about which issues are moving forward and which ones are fading away.
Senate approves hate crimes law without specific categories of victims
Critics of the latest version of the bill have charged that it would be ineffective without listing the personal characteristics—such as race, religion and gender identity—that it covers.
Senate panel votes to legalize sports betting, move Gary casino to Terre Haute
Spectacle Entertainment—a company founded by some of the same investors that operated Centaur before it was purchased by Caesars Entertainment—is in the process of buying Gary-based Majestic Star Casino I and Majestic Star Casino. It has said it wants to move one of the casinos to the Interstate 80/94 corridor and the other to Terre Haute.
Business leaders say they’ll fight for changes in what is now ‘not a hate crimes bill’
The Senate amended Senate Bill 12 so it no longer specifies that crimes motivated by bias based on race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and other categories are eligible for stronger penalties.