Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb dropped a planned criminal penalty from the statewide face mask mandate that he signed Friday after objections from some law enforcement officials and conservative legislators.
Controversy over Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb’s statewide mask mandate has spilled over into the race for attorney general, with Democratic candidate Jonathan Weinzapfel accusing Republican candidateTodd Rokita of purposefully declining to stand with the governor.
Gov. Eric Holcomb on Friday issued an executive order requiring the wearing of face coverings in public as Indiana coronavirus cases continue at near-record levels. The order does not include potential criminal penalties, which Attorney General Curtis Hill had said Holcomb lacked the authority to enforce.
Gov. Eric Holcomb said Thursday he is confident he has the legal authority to impose a statewide mask mandate, telling reporters after an event in Lafayette that “we do our research before we speak.” His comments came after fellow Republican Attorney General Curtis Hill issued an opinion saying Holcomb lacked the authority to enforce a mask order.
Two of the state senators who asked the attorney general for a legal opinion about whether Gov. Eric Holcomb has the authority to enforce a statewide mask mandate say they do not plan to file a lawsuit to challenge the measure.
The Indiana State Department of Health on Thursday reported 954 new COVID-19 cases, an all-time daily high for positive cases.
Gov. Eric Holcomb lacks the authority to enforce the statewide mask mandate he announced on Wednesday and should call a special session if he wants to implement the requirement, Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill said late Wednesday.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb on Wednesday said he would pass a statewide mask mandate because of a recent rise in the COVID-19 positivity rate.
Legislative Democrats want Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb to bring the General Assembly back in a special session as concerns over racial injustice and rising coronavirus cases have created what they say is an immediate need for legislators to reconvene.
Plunging tax collections caused by the coronavirus pandemic have delivered an $850 million hit to Indiana’s state budget reserves, and a top state official said Thursday he anticipates possibly steep spending cuts in the coming years.
Indiana’s current limits on crowd sizes for restaurants, bars and public events will remain in place until at least the end of July as the state faces a growing number of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, Gov. Eric Holcomb said Wednesday.
More Indiana cities have decided to impose mask mandates as health officials reported Monday the state’s most hospitalizations of people with coronavirus-related illnesses in nearly a month.
An injunction prohibiting the state government from prosecuting certain uses of smokable hemp has been lifted after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals found the prohibition was overbroad. But when the smoke clears, the appellate panel said a revised injunction may still be appropriate.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb defended the state’s Department of Natural Resources on Wednesday amid criticism that the agency’s conservation officers did not adequately respond to the reported assault of a Black man by a group of white men at a southern Indiana lake last weekend.
Indiana’s Republican delegates are casting ballots as the time nears to select who will run for state attorney general in November.
A Black man says a group of white men assaulted him and threatened to “get a noose” after claiming that he and his friends had trespassed on private property as they gathered at an Indiana lake over the Fourth of July weekend.
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett and Marion County Public Health Department officials said Thursday that they’re mandating that face masks be worn in public in Marion County.
The next Indiana Court of Appeals judge will be a woman, as three women have been selected as finalists to fill an upcoming vacancy following two rounds of interviews with the Judicial Nominating Commission. Their applications will now go to the governor for final consideration.
Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Wednesday morning that Joe Hoage, who has been general counsel for the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles since 2017, will become commissioner of the Indiana Department of Labor on July 13.
Using a handheld cellphone while driving will become illegal on Indiana roads under a new state law taking effect Wednesday.