The successor to France Cordova, who is stepping down this summer when her contract expires, will have to tip-toe between two almost contradictory demands: Cut costs for students yet spend more to ramp up Purdue’s research enterprise.
Indiana lawmakers signed off on minor school changes at the close of the 2012 session while reining in broader efforts sought by state schools Superintendent Tony Bennett.
For his eighth and final session working with Indiana's General Assembly, Gov. Mitch Daniels finally honed a light touch for getting what he wanted out of the 150 lawmakers who mill about the floors directly above his Statehouse office.
The Indiana Senate has narrowly approved a statewide smoking ban proposal, sending it to the governor for his expected signature into law. The ban exempts Indiana's bars, casinos and private clubs such as veterans and fraternal organizations.
Indiana lawmakers came roaring into their 2012 session with a battle over right-to-work legislation. Now they are leaving quietly with a new statewide smoking ban, changes to the state's education system and rules giving homeowners the right to forcibly keep police from entering their homes.
The Indiana House voted Thursday night to approve a statewide smoking ban bill, setting up a vote Friday in the state Senate on whether the restrictions will be on their way to becoming law.
Legislators finished work Wednesday without an agreement yet on just how comprehensive a statewide smoking ban they might adopt and without the support of a major police group for a proposal laying out when residents might be legally justified in using force against police officers.
A few high-profile issues remain undecided ahead of Friday's planned adjournment of the 2012 legislative session.
Fixes to the state's historic preservation tax credit program pushed by Indiana Landmarks may have to wait another year after the Indiana Senate put the brakes on a bill that garnered unanimous support from the Indiana House.
Indiana lawmakers are working toward final agreement on several tax and spending issues in the last days of this year's legislative session.
The Indiana House has given final legislative approval to a proposal toughening state laws that prohibit businesses from selling synthetic stimulants nicknamed "bath salts" or other drugs that mimic marijuana.
The loss of hundreds of years of experience in the House, including the top Republican and Democratic budget writers, has some worried that paid lobbyists could gain an even heftier role within the General Assembly.
Gov. Mitch Daniels said Friday he will accept a weakened smoking ban if that’s what it takes to get some sort of smoke-free measure approved in his final year as governor.
Legislators have approved changing Indiana law to shield people from arrest on alcohol charges if they seek out medical help for someone who is intoxicated.
Indiana senators fearing a backlash from conservatives scuttled an expansive education proposal this week after it was amended to grant in-state tuition to illegal immigrants already enrolled in state schools.
The Indiana Senate voted 41-5 Thursday in favor of the bill giving the state Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission the power to regulate stages and other temporary structures.
For all the bluster a statewide smoking ban sparked at the beginning of the 2012 legislative session, the version Indiana lawmakers may end up approving seems little more than a wisp of smoke.
State senators allocated more state money for victims of the Indiana State Fair stage collapse and full-day kindergarten as part of a broad spending plan approved Wednesday.
The Indiana Senate has approved a severely weakened smoking ban with exemptions for bars, casinos, tobacco stores and many other businesses.
The Indiana House on Tuesday approved a 10-year phase-out of the state's inheritance tax that now brings in about $160 million a year.
