Lawmakers zeroing in on anti-meth plan
Bills would let pharmacists require prescriptions for suspicious customers trying to buy cold medicines with pseudoephedrine. But some drug store chains fear putting their pharmacists in danger.
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Senate panel plans changes to limits in police video bill
An Indiana Senate committee is considering an overhaul of a bill that would give Indiana police departments broad authority to withhold body camera video amid opposition from open-government advocates.
Dems object but Holcomb should be easily confirmed
Republicans don’t need Democrats’ help to confirm Eric Holcomb as lieutenant governor. They hold a huge majority in the Legislature—and it appears they support the governor’s choice to replace Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann.
Bill could put crimp in farm-to-table poultry trade
The bill’s sponsors say its purpose is consumer safety. Small poultry producers contend it would hamstring their ability to compete in a marketplace dominated by large producers.
State lawmakers warm to hate-crime bill
Although gay rights legislation is dead for this session, supporters of a hate crimes bill making its way through the Statehouse note that crimes committed based on a person’s LGBT status are included.
Charter school approval fuels new questions
When the private, evangelical Grace College & Seminary decided to authorize a public charter school 150 miles from its campus, it did so behind closed doors.
Indiana Senate’s Republican leader faces primary challenger
A Fort Wayne educator emerged Thursday as a GOP primary challenger to Senate President Pro Tem David Long, who has faced criticism for championing a bill that would have extended civil rights protections to lesbians, gays and bisexuals.
INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE: Bills would mean big bucks for local government
Indiana lawmakers are debating ways to give money back to local governments—money that already belongs to cities, towns and counties but the state has been holding in reserves.
Senate bets on fantasy sports, sends regulatory bill to House
The bill’s author, Sen. Jon Ford, R-Terre Haute, said his bill is about providing consumer protection and transparency to the tens of thousands of Hoosiers who spend money on the games.
Indiana business community fears fallout from gay rights failure
"Indiana's economic competitiveness and the Hoosier brand have potentially been compromised again," said Indiana Competes, a business coalition that includes Cummins Inc., Eli Lilly and Co. and the NCAA.
Lawmakers advance alcohol bills for Indy 500, suburban counties
The House passed legislation Tuesday that would provide more alcohol permits for Hamilton and Boone counties, while the Senate passed a bill to let the Indianapolis Motor Speedway sell carry-out bottles of commemorative booze.
Senate passes legislation to help farmers by cutting tax bills
Senate Bill 308, which is now headed to the House for consideration, would reduce the total assessed value on agricultural land by an estimated $4.2 billion for taxes paid in 2018 and $8.9 billion for 2019.
Bill to stop drug offenders from buying cold meds advances
Indiana drug offenders won't be able to buy cold medicine containing a common ingredient to make methamphetamine without a prescription under a bill passed by a Senate panel Thursday.
State seeks to regulate, not ban, fantasy sports betting
A bill moving through the Senate and another introduced in the House are designed to encourage fantasy wagering in Indiana.
Tax break in works for struggling farmers
Farmers across Indiana would get a big property tax cut under legislation moving through the General Assembly that would reduce their assessed land values an estimated $4.2 billion for taxes paid in 2018 and $8.9 billion for 2019.
Bosma cool to gay-rights bill
After a Senate committee advanced a civil rights bill that excluded transgender people and included several caveats, House Speaker Brian Bosma said Thursday that he has “yet to talk to someone who thinks the bill is a good idea.”
INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE: Required Work One visits move jobless off assistance
The Department of Workforce Development finds that 30 percent of people move off unemployment after they receive notice that they must visit a Work One center. In most cases, the worker finds a new job; in a few cases, the culprit is fraud.
Gay-rights bill that leaves out transgender protections advances
A Senate committee on Wednesday narrowly advanced a bill that would extend civil rights protections to gay and lesbian Hoosiers but punt the issue of transgender discrimination to a study committee, as well as offer religious exemptions for clergy and other groups.
‘Super RFRA’ bill dies; LGBT rights bills set for testimony
Sen. Mike Young, an Indianapolis Republican, said critics who “fear monger” had mischaracterized his proposal, which would have thrown out the state’s religious freedom law and replaced it with more robust protections for worship, speech and bearing arms.
Bill letting police withhold video clears Indiana House
A proposal giving Indiana law enforcement agencies broad authority to withhold police body camera video is advancing in the state Legislature.