Literacy overhaul bill—with third grade retention requirement—heads to Indiana governor
Indiana senators gave final approval Thursday for a literacy overhaul bill that will require reading-deficient third graders to be held back a year in school.
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Senate axes 13th check bid in favor of long-term plan
Senators also approved legislation prioritizing “intellectual diversity” in higher education institutions, alongside controversial election security and cosmetology bills. But they encountered a stumbling block on a prison proposal.
Q&A: Indy’s new DMD director talks about housing, downtown and more
Megan Vukusich, who previously worked in city planning in Fishers, said one of her priorities will be creating a resiliency strategy for the Indianapolis downtown.
Indiana Legislature approves bill adding additional verification steps to voter registration
The bill’s Republican sponsor state Sen. Mike Gaskill called it a “commonsense bill” that adds protections against fraud, but voting advocates have blasted the changes as new hurdles for people seeking to legally cast their ballots.
John Rust files court petition to supersede state election commission
Rust, who earlier this week was denied access to Indiana’s GOP primary ballot, is appealing the decision in Marion County court, in hopes of continuing his run for U.S. Senate.
State bill threatening IndyGo’s Blue Line project curbed for session
Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, announced Thursday that the House would not consider a bill that officials with IndyGo say would kill the planned Blue Line bus rapid-transit line.
Still no harvest: Marijuana bills continue to stall in Indiana General Assembly
This year, there were 10 marijuana-related bills filed in the Indiana House and Senate. None made it out of committee.
Madison County prosecutor considering challenge to Attorney General Todd Rokita
Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings is exploring a possible bid at the Indiana Republican Party’s state convention in June.
McConnell to step down as Senate Republican leader in November after record run
The 82-year-old Kentucky lawmaker is the longest-serving Senate leader in history.
Reading bill clears Indiana House; controversial tenure bill also approved
Lawmakers voted Tuesday to approve two contentious education bills—one would require school corporations to retain students who fail to pass the IREAD exam and another would push state universities to include more politically diverse instruction.
House panel weakens bill limiting Indiana governor’s executive powers
Despite the changes, bill author Sen. Chris Garten, R-Charlestown, said he was “supportive of the bill moving” and professed “trust” in the legislative process.
Appeals court lifts injunction that allowed gender-transition procedures for minors in Indiana
In his ruling, the judge emphasized that each side agreed about the need for more research on the long-term effects of gender-transition procedures.
Indiana Election Commission, state high court rule against John Rust, removing him from ballot
Rust, running to succeed U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, was seeking to challenge Congressman Jim Banks for the GOP nomination in the May 2024 primary.
Indiana’s absenteeism bill could bar students from extracurriculars, ban parents from campus
A revised bill targeting absenteeism would require schools to prohibit habitually truant students from extracurricular activities, and would also impose a penalty on parents who make unproven allegations against teachers.
Blue Line ‘on life support’ after transit bill advances in Indiana House
Senate Bill 52, a Republican-authored bill that leaders of Indianapolis’ public transit agency say could kill the planned Blue Line, advanced out of committee to the full Indiana House on Tuesday.
House keeps retention mandate in literacy overhaul bill, tweaks higher ed measures
A mandate to require reading-deficient third graders in Indiana to be held back a year in school withstood challenges from Democrats on Monday—although some Republican lawmakers joined in opposing stricter retention.
Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry says he has late-stage stomach cancer
Henry, 72, was elected to his fifth term as mayor of the city of about 270,000 residents in November.
Supreme Court casts doubt on GOP-led states’ efforts to regulate social media platforms
In nearly four hours of arguments, several justices questioned aspects of laws adopted by Republican-dominated legislatures and signed by Republican governors in Florida and Texas in 2021. But they seemed wary of a broad ruling.
Indiana’s bills on civics education get major changes in final weeks of session
One bill has been stripped of language on civics education to instead focus on allowing chaplains in public schools.
Manufacturer-friendly ‘forever chemicals’ bill abandoned by Indiana Senate committee
The proposal sought to proactively exempt the chemicals in case state or federal regulators try to ban them in the future.