Lawmakers eye bonds for debt relief
State lawmakers are exploring the idea of paying back more than $2 billion in federal debt for unemployment insurance by issuing tax-exempt bonds.
Legislature
Articles
Lawmakers start work on teacher merit pay bill
Indiana lawmakers have started work on one of the more controversial aspects of Gov. Mitch Daniels' sweeping education agenda: a plan to tie teacher pay to student performance.
Indiana panel OKs early-graduation scholarship
A proposal to give Indiana high school seniors a $3,500 college scholarship if they graduate a year early has cleared its first legislative hurdle.
Panel backs Indiana immigration crackdown bill
An Indiana Senate committee approved a bill Wednesday night that its sponsor says would lead to an Arizona-style crackdown on illegal immigration in the state.
UPDATE: Bill hikes marriage fees unless couples take class
Under the bill, couples who complete premarital classes would pay the standard $18 fee for a marriage license and certificate. But couples that don't take a course would pay $72.
Indiana teachers rally against GOP education plan
More than 1,000 Indiana teachers swarmed the Indiana Statehouse Tuesday for a rowdy rally denouncing the sweeping education proposals moving through the Republican-dominated state House and Senate.
House passes bill to expand charter schools
The House approved the proposal Tuesday on a 59-37 mostly party-line vote following hours of debate. Republicans say the bill would mean more options for families, while Democrats contend that it will erode funding for traditional schools.
Nuclear power bill at statehouse conjures up ghosts
A controversial bill in the Indiana Senate would make it easier for utilities to quickly bill ratepayers for proposed nuclear and other clean-energy projects.
Lawmakers eye cutting corporate taxes
Legislators are moving ahead with a plan to cut Indiana's corporate income tax by about 40 percent while holding off on phasing out the state inheritance tax.
‘Clean energy financing districts’ face tough sell at Statehouse
Districts would finance solar panels and other clean-energy projects through special tax levies on participating properties.
Indiana teachers to rally at Statehouse
Indiana teachers are planning a rally at the Statehouse to support public education and denounce proposals backed by Republicans who control the House and Senate.
Lawmakers pass bill to expand vote centers
The Indiana General Assembly has passed its first bill of the 2011 legislative session: a proposal to allow any Indiana county to use centralized vote centers instead of neighborhood polling precincts.
Indiana House budget leader expects plan next week
The House Ways and Means Committee began taking public testimony Monday about the two-year state budget plan after four weeks of hearings with state agencies and universities.
UPDATE: Lawmakers again seek gay marriage amendment
Republican and Democrat lawmakers in Indiana are resuming their push for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.
Indiana’s promised scholarships caught in budget bind
The growing popularity of the 21st Century Scholars program and the state’s recession-driven budget bind has state officials looking to tighten up both the academic and financial requirements.
Indiana lawmaker pushes Sunday sales of alcohol, cars
Indiana shoppers would be able to buy a six-pack of beer or a new car on Sundays if state Sen. Phil Boots is successful in rolling back two of the few remaining blue laws still in effect in Indiana.
Bill would expand powers of campus police officers
Police officers at Indiana colleges and universities could have the same authority as city and county officers under a bill introduced in the General Assembly.
Panel OKs criminal checks on medical workers
Physicians, dentists, nurses, veterinarians, pharmacists and other medical workers would have to pay for a national criminal background check when applying for a state license under a bill pending with the Indiana Senate.
Tighter rules for scholarship program advance
Indiana's popular 21st Century Scholars program that provides full college scholarships to needy students who stay out of trouble would have stiffer requirements under a proposal approved Thursday by a legislative committee.
Tax credit would benefit public school foundations
Ellettsville Democrat Vi Simpson wants to create an income-tax credit for gifts to public-school foundations, which could compete with one that’s already available for private-school scholarships.