Business, health leaders call for lawmakers to triple cigarette tax
A coalition of business and health professionals launched a campaign Thursday calling for Indiana lawmakers to increase the state’s cigarette tax by $2 per pack.
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Proposed Statehouse sexual harassment guidelines ‘shockingly dated,’ says law professor
An Indiana employment law professor said the proposed guidelines to combat sexual harassment at the Indiana Statehouse appear to be designed to insulate lawmakers from liability.
Indiana Chamber to back state hate-crimes legislation
The Indiana Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday announced it would support the passage of a state law against bias crimes, marking the first time the organization has taken an official position on the issue.
State programs aimed at cutting energy usage aren’t enough, critics say
Indiana, one of the largest per-capita energy consumers in the nation, ranks 40th among states for energy efficiency, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.
Raising teacher pay likely to be hot topic for Indiana lawmakers in 2019
As top lawmakers—Republicans and Democrats—prepare to craft the next two-year state budget, they have been in talks about how money could be set aside for teachers and other educators.
Indiana attorney general gets national post amid allegations
Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill has been named vice chairman of the national Republican Attorneys General Association even as he resists calls from the state’s GOP governor and legislative leaders to resign.
Survey finds more support for marijuana in Indiana than sports betting
Ball State University’s annual Hoosier Survey, released Tuesday, found only 37 percent of Hoosiers favor legalizing sports betting as a revenue source while 50 percent oppose the idea.
Credit agency Moody’s lauds Indiana balanced budget mandate
Indiana’s measure was the only state finance-related ballot measure to earn a “positive” indication in Moody’s post-election roundup, The Times of Northwest Indiana reported.
Indiana Republicans hang on to supermajority status in House
Republicans will maintain their supermajority status in the Indiana General Assembly after votes were finally tallied Friday in Porter County, three days after the election.
House Democrats pick new leader as GOP supermajority remains uncertain
Republicans won 66 of the chamber’s 100 seats on Tuesday, one short of the two-thirds majority that has rendered Democrats totally without power. But the results of one race remain unknown.
GOP statewide officeholders all win re-election
Republicans will maintain control over Indiana’s statewide elected offices, as the GOP on Tuesday easily swept races for secretary of state, treasurer and auditor.
J.D. Ford defeats incumbent state Sen. Mike Delph in district that straddles Marion, Hamilton counties
With two-thirds of precincts reporting, Ford held a 57 percent to 43 percent lead over Delph.
Indiana voters OK balanced budget amendment
Voters have approved an amendment to the Indiana Constitution obligating the General Assembly to adopt balanced budgets unless two-thirds of the members of both chambers vote to suspend the requirement.
Local officials mum amid reports Amazon zeroing in on D.C. for HQ2
Amazon is approaching its end-of-year deadline for deciding where it will locate the $5 billion campus, and two national newspapers reported over the weekend that an area in northern Virginia is far along in negotiations.
IBJ Podcast: Anti-semitism, hate crimes and Indiana, a conversation with Dennis and Sandy Sasso
Rabbis Dennis and Sandy Sasso discuss the local impact of the massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue, what it might mean for proposed hate-crimes legislation in Indiana, and why they continually return to the question of proper leadership.
State: $2.5B coal-to-diesel project won’t harm air quality
According to the air permit application, the plant would have annual emissions of about 2.2 million tons of carbon dioxide, 225 tons of carbon monoxide and 120 tons of sulfur dioxide.
Indiana legislators push for school bus cameras after crash
The cameras would be mounted to the outside of buses and would take pictures of drivers who pass when the stop arm is deployed. Law enforcement agencies could then use the pictures to issue charges or citations.
House Ways & Means chair at home recovering from motorcycle accident
Rep. Tim Brown, R-Crawfordsville, was critically injured in a motorcycle accident Sept. 12 near the Mackinac Bridge in Michigan.
Report reveals drunken behavior, additional complaints about AG Curtis Hill
“Multiple eyewitnesses provided statements that Hill’s conduct was inappropriate, ‘creepy,’ unwelcome, and made many of the women at the party uncomfortable,” the report from the Indiana Inspector General’s Office stated.
Women who accuse attorney general of groping to file civil lawsuit
Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill allegedly groped a state lawmaker and three legislative staffers at an Indianapolis bar during a March 15 party to mark the end of the legislative session.