Indiana lawmakers won’t return for one-day session on COVID-19 legislation
Legislative leaders said they now will plan to address COVID-19 vaccine mandates and the public health emergency during the regular session in January.
State Government
Articles
For many, expedited bill to weaken vaccine mandates either goes too far or not far enough
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.
Indiana GOP bill stymies workplace COVID-19 vaccine mandates
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.
Indiana lawmakers to reconvene Nov. 29, look to end COVID-19 orders
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.
Indiana Governor’s Office suite undergoing privately funded renovations
The Holcomb administration hasn’t provided information on contributors to the project or to which entity that money was being given.
Renewed Indiana pot legalization push faces GOP opposition
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.
Indiana to land $8.8 billion from U.S. infrastructure bill
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 governor, GOP lawmakers look to end COVID-19 orders
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.
State higher education chief Teresa Lubbers stepping down
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.
State lawmakers preview priorities at Chamber legislative event
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.
Indiana BMV keeps license bureau wait times offline for now
The decision to not resume the posting of wait times comes as the agency is still looking to fill staff vacancies that contributed to numerous temporary branch closures around the state during September and October.
Indiana governor says ‘we shall see’ on possible tax cuts
Indiana’s surging state tax collections have the governor in discussions on whether tax cuts should be considered during the upcoming legislative session.
Delta-8 derivative gaining popularity at hemp and CBD shops across Indiana
Despite the state’s long-standing refusal to legalize marijuana, the Delta-8 THC derivative is being sold thanks to a legal gray area that many state officials would rather not talk about.
Q&A: Mike Leppert talks about his debut political thriller
Mike Leppert, a former lobbyist, has written a novel, “Flipping the Circle,” that tells a fictionalized version of efforts at the Indiana General Assembly to create a monopoly for e-liquid vaping products.
Indiana goes on offense to capture evolution of electric-vehicle industry
Using tax incentives , an EV commission and membership in a regional network promoting EV infrastructure, the Holcomb administration is looking to increase EV manufacturing statewide.
GOP state officials push back on employer vaccine mandate
Republican governors or attorneys general in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma and South Dakota said Thursday they would file lawsuits against the mandate.
Former House Speaker Bosma registers as a lobbyist
Following his retirement from the Indiana House last year, Brian Bosma joined political consulting firm 1816 Public Affairs as a senior consultant, but he couldn’t register as a lobbyist until observing a one-year “cooling-off period.”
INDOT awards $101M in road-project grants to cities, towns, counties
The funding is part of the Community Crossings grant program, which provides matching state dollars for local road and bridge construction projects.
Both sides ask Indiana high court to decide on emergency law
Indiana’s attorney general continues to criticize Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb for trying to block a new law that gives state legislators more power to intervene during public health emergencies, even while agreeing that the state Supreme Court should take up the dispute.
City planning $10.1M initiative in Mars Hill to remove 650 parcels from flood zone
Indianapolis’ Department of Public Works is proposing a list of strategies to shrink federal floodplain boundaries, as well as to decrease the severity of water damage in the flood-prone neighborhood.