Gov. Eric Holcomb said interest in the Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative, or READI, has surpassed the state’s expectations—so much so that the allotted $500 million in funding will fall far short of meeting every region’s vision.
That stance puts the Indiana senator at odds with many GOP state lawmakers who want to force Indiana businesses to accept broad vaccination exemptions from employees with religious or medical objections.
While proponents did not specify pending deals for which Michigan is vying, several told the House Government Operations Committee that Michigan must stay competitive in the auto industry.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said the pandemic remains a real threat and is taking lives, but he maintains that the state’s role is to provide vaccines and other resources, not impose vaccine requirements or mask mandates.
Curators cleared all of the artifacts from the Col. Eli Lilly Civil War Museum in 2018 after a leak in the Soldiers and Sailors Monument’s basement endangered the collection.
The controversial bill is scheduled for an unusual pre-session public hearing more than two weeks before the legislative session officially begins Jan. 4. The hearing will be the second attempt by House Republicans to expedite the legislation.
In an effort to address ongoing staffing woes, industry groups are seeking to ease some training and regulatory requirements.
The signing marks the 21st time Holcomb has extended the state’s COVID-19 public health emergency, which has been in place since March 2020.
The high court is hearing arguments Wednesday in which the justices are being asked to overrule the court’s historic 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion and its 1992 ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which reaffirmed Roe.
House Bill 1001 was the first bill filed for the legislative session that kicks off on Jan. 4, meaning it is likely a priority for GOP leadership.
Legislative leaders said they now will plan to address COVID-19 vaccine mandates and the public health emergency during the regular session in January.
Republican leaders are trying to speed legislation through the Indiana General Assembly that would effectively force private employers that mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for employees to allow for any medical or religious exemptions—no questions asked.
The bill is set on an extraordinary fast track for approval, with a single public hearing scheduled for Tuesday at the Statehouse followed by the House and Senate voting on final approval six days later.
Many conservatives have criticized Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb for continuing to extend the monthly public health order, which he has renewed 20 times, although he has signaled he might not to do so again.
The Holcomb administration hasn’t provided information on contributors to the project or to which entity that money was being given.
The Republican-dominated Legislature has not taken any action on bills submitted over the past decade for allowing medical marijuana or removing criminal penalties for possessing small amounts of the drug.
One Indiana project likely to be expedited as a result is widening interstates 65 and 70 to six lanes the full length and breadth of the state.
Indiana’s governor is facing pressure from fellow Republicans to end the statewide COVID-19 public health emergency order that’s been in place since March 2020 even as the state has seen a recent jump of infections and hospitalizations.
Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education Teresa Lubbers plans to leave her position at the end of the 2022 legislative session, ending a nearly 13-year run in the job, the governor’s office announced Tuesday morning.
Business tax cuts and nixing government-imposed vaccine mandates will be among the legislative priorities for Indiana Chamber of Commerce next year, and top GOP lawmakers mostly appear to be on the same page.
