Republican legislators are poised to direct only about two-thirds of the money that Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb sought toward tackling the state’s poor national rankings in areas such as obesity, smoking and life expectancy and improving local emergency services.
Indiana’s lawmakers are nearing the end of a grueling nearly four-month legislative session, but three of their biggest priorities—aside from the budget—remain unresolved.
Employers, lawmakers and business leaders together have crafted legislation that encourages people to stay in high school and pursue postsecondary education or to revisit educational opportunities later in life.
A projected $1.5 billion in new revenue will add new drama to the final week of this year’s legislative session as the Indiana General Assembly grapples with how much to raise funding for public health, education and debt obligations.
The governor signed a flurry of bills into law on Thursday, bringing the total number of bills to reach his desk to 93. Even as he finished, lawmakers finalized another handful of bills as they near the legislative deadline.
Indiana lawmakers removed controversial language from a bill that would have effectively stripped protections for certain wetlands, but Republican leadership in both the House and Senate expressed support for reviving the language.
Lawmakers are still hashing out other proposals to require financial literacy education and decrease health care costs
State lawmakers have $1.5 billion more to work with than expected in the next two-year budget, according to revenue figures released by the Indiana State Budget Agency on Wednesday. But it’s unclear where that money will be directed.
The proposed version of the budget doesn’t include any expansion of school vouchers, which House Speaker Todd Huston has personally pushed for, nor does it finalize funding for mental health and public health commitments.
Supporters have said the 40 hours of optional training would help teachers learn how to defend themselves and students if needed, especially in situations with an active shooter.
House Public Health Committee Chairman Brad Barrett urged support for the proposal, saying that county health programs are “strapped” for resources and those troubles were magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Indiana’s state and local governments wouldn’t be able to require the public disclosure of not-for-profit donor data in many cases under a proposal that is nearing law.
The Indiana Secretary of State is investigating multiple complaints it has received against Roger Dobrovodsky and/or his business entities, which include EDU Financial Strategies, EDU Holding Trust, EDU Trust Services LLC and EDU Wealth Advisors LLC.
A Republican state lawmaker is trying to prevent Indianapolis from adopting no-turn-on-red regulations, just as the Democrat-controlled City-County Council is considering a measure that would prohibit such turns throughout downtown.
The controversial bill would give state utilities the right of first refusal to build, own and operate new transmission lines in their service area, avoiding competitive bidding from outside companies.
The most glaring contrast between the Senate and House proposals is the way in which they intend to expand funding to charter schools.
Legislation related to Kratom, picketing, birth control and speed limits appear to be among the casualties of this session, although some of the language could be revived in so-called “zombie bills.”
Discussion about a higher cigarette tax came as the House Ways and Means Committee, the powerful budget-drafters of the chamber, considered bills that address mental health and public health.
The Indiana House bill is key to providing women quicker access to contraceptives, bill sponsor Republican Sen. Sue Glick said Tuesday, especially in areas where they struggle to receive primary care.
A bill that would allow Indiana tech parks to capture a larger share of tax revenue is poised to become law after the Senate voted unanimously Monday to advance the legislation to the governor’s office.
