Influential GOP lawmaker calls for medical marijuana study
One of the most powerful Republicans in the Indiana House of Representatives says the Legislature should study the possibility of legalizing medical marijuana.
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Longtime Indiana Statehouse leader to retire
Rep. Bill Friend of Macy, the speaker pro tempore, said he will finish out his term, but won't run again in 2018.
Indiana House GOP wants small townships to consolidate
Nearly a third of Indiana's 1,005 townships would be consolidated with others under a plan proposed by House Republicans.
Key lawmakers, governor skeptical about chance for redistricting reform this year
Despite strong support from influential Republicans and fired-up grassroots activists, redistricting reform legislation faces several significant hurdles in the short session.
Tax, education, broadband bills top legislative priorities for tech industry
Gov. Eric Holcomb is asking lawmakers to clarify that the state’s sales tax doesn’t apply to software provided on the cloud. But that’s not the only tech-related legislation introduced at the General Assembly.
Democratic leader questions GOP ‘secrecy’ on child agency
Statehouse Democrats say they are troubled by Republican "secrecy" as Gov. Eric Holcomb and the GOP majority scramble to contain fallout from a burgeoning crisis in Indiana's child welfare agency.
Indiana bill would tap savings to fix $11.8M school-funding shortfall
Indiana lawmakers have a proposal to shuffle state money around to cover an $11.8 million shortfall in school funding that emerged late last year.
Judge orders IBM to post $25M bond in Indiana welfare case
IBM Corp. must the bond as it appeals a $78 million judgment in a long-running case that stems from the company’s failed effort to automate much of Indiana’s welfare services, a judge has ruled.
Indiana GOP lawmakers don’t plan to act on child services crisis
The two most powerful Republicans in the Indiana Legislature said they do not plan to take major action to address a growing crisis in the Department of Child Services during this year's session, which kicked off Wednesday.
Indiana lawmakers return for possibly contentious session
The General Assembly could be an intense 10 weeks dominated by pet issues, social issues, and an effort to repeal Indiana’s prohibition-era ban on retail Sunday alcohol sales.
Bill seeks tax credits for boosting minimum-wage worker pay
State Sen. John Ruckelshaus has introduced a bill that would provide a state tax credit to employers that give minimum-wage workers a pay raise after they complete a training program.
Federal court agrees to hear Monarch affiliate’s case
The decision gives new life to efforts by Monarch, the state’s largest beer and wine distributor, to sell liquor in Indiana—efforts that have been shot down repeatedly by the Legislature and have led to several other lawsuits.
Indiana senator pushes for CBD oil legalization
The proposed legislation clarifies that cannabis oil is not included under the term "controlled substance" in Indiana, making the products legal.
Professor: Indiana should review sexual harassment statute
A professor at IU's Robert H. McKinney School of Law says it's time for the state to change a statute that keeps sexual harassment victims from having their day in court, including a provision that requires an employer to give their consent before being sued.
With no overarching issue on GOP agenda, contentious topics may get airing
Indiana's Republican supermajorities are returning to the Statehouse without a major legislative goal to accomplish—a reality that may leave a vacuum that some plan to fill with divisive debates that GOP leaders have in the past sought to contain.
Terre Haute lawmaker to propose sports betting legislation
Republican Rep. Alan Morrison's measure is sure to face opposition from the Indianapolis-based NCAA, which opposes all forms of sports gambling.
Republicans pick two for top Indiana Senate positions
Republicans who control the Indiana Senate have elevated two lawmakers to top leadership posts that were recently vacated by retiring Sen. Brandt Hershman.
Holcomb calls for ‘complete assessment’ of child agency, appoints new director
The announcement Thursday comes in the wake of a scathing resignation letter from Gov. Eric Holcomb’s outgoing Department of Child Services director.
Indiana’s struggling child welfare system to test Holcomb
The number of children placed in foster care because their addict parents can't care for them has surged across the nation. But the problem is particularly acute in a handful of states, including Indiana.
Powerful state senator resigns to take D.C. law job
Republican Brandt Hershman, chairman of the Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee, says he will be joining Barnes & Thornburg’s Washington D.C. office.