House panel backs moves to shorten student testing time
The House Education Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to advance a bill permitting some steps that Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz proposed last week.
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House plan gives Evansville IU med school $36 million
A spending plan released Monday by Indiana House Republicans includes nearly twice as much money as Gov. Mike Pence proposed for a medical school campus in downtown Evansville.
State budget proposal shifts aid toward wealthy schools
IPS would see a 6-percent reduction in state tuition aid by 2017 despite being one of the state’s poorest districts, with more than 75 percent of children coming from families that are poor enough to qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
Ritz supporters rally against bills costing her authority
Hundreds of teachers, parents and students gathered at the Indiana Statehouse on Monday in support of Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz, who could lose control of the State Board of Education under bills advancing through the Legislature.
House approves ethics bill requiring more financial disclosure
The Indiana Housed passed ethics legislation Monday that would require lawmakers to be more transparent about their finances and strengthen laws meant to keep elected officials from using state resources for political gain.
House GOP budget plan calls for school spending boost
The planned school spending increase is more than double the $201 million hike that Republican Gov. Mike Pence proposed in January.
GOP pushes to repeal public project wages law
The move could set off a new battle with labor unions three years after Republicans pushed through the state’s right-to-work law, which drew thousands of union protesters.
Big-ticket item cut from Pence’s tax-simplification plan
The proposal to extend a sales-tax exemption to equipment purchases by manufacturers was expected to cost Indiana as much as $240 million per year in tax revenue.
Senate panel sidelines proposal to end straight-ticket voting
The Senate Elections Committee voted Monday to request that the issue be assigned to a study committee for review. A similar bill is awaiting a vote in the full House.
Ritz supporters plan Statehouse rally Monday afternoon
Organizers of the rally are targeting bills moving through the Statehouse that would shift some authority from state schools Superintendent Glenda Ritz.
Budget proposal to push school funding past Pence’s pitch
The leader of the Indiana House says a state budget proposal set for release Monday will include a larger funding increase for public schools than Gov. Mike Pence sought in his spending plan.
Lawmakers aim to restrict access to meth ingredients
The leaders of Indiana communities hit hard by methamphetamine are arguing for a state law requiring prescriptions to buy cold and allergy pills.
Fiscal analysis: Soccer venue ticket tax would generate meager revenue
The Legislative Services Agency estimates a ticket tax at the proposed venue would generate no more than $519,000 a year for debt repayment.
Ritz says ISTEP testing time can be cut by 3 hours
Indiana’s schools superintendent says a plan is in the works to cut about three hours from the maximum time that students will take the state’s standardized tests.
Long, Bosma say they’ll do what’s needed to shorten ISTEP
Indiana legislative leaders said they’re prepared to ram through legislation to make the state’s ISTEP test shorter, but they won’t consider Superintendent Glenda Ritz’s proposal to pause the school grading system for one year.
UPDATE: Panel backs inland moves, live dealers for casinos
A legislative committee has endorsed a proposal to allow Indiana's riverboat casinos to move inland. It also would allow live dealers for table games at Hoosier Park in Anderson and Indiana Grand in Shelbyville.
Solar industry plots cooperative strategy
Imagine seeing the price of gas drop 50 percent, then finding out you couldn’t take advantage because of a law that excluded drivers who lease their vehicles or whose fuel tank is on the wrong side.
Report: States could help prevent natural gas explosions
Three powerful accidents in recent years highlight weaknesses in oversight of how natural gas providers maintain their largest pipelines, the National Transportation Safety Board reported.
House panel OKs much-revised Sunday alcohol sales bill
The proposal to legalize Sunday carry-out alcohol sales in Indiana now could force grocery stores and pharmacies to follow the same regulations as liquor stores.
Ritz proposes 1-year freeze on school accountability grades
The State Board of Education will consider a proposal to suspend accountability grades and scrap portions of the ISTEP+ exam as it grapples with concerns about increased testing time for students.