Articles

Abortion procedure ban latest to be halted

In the same day a federal judge blocked an Indiana law that would have banned a second-trimester abortion procedure, a conservative United States Supreme Court justice agreed not to hear a similar case from another state.

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New laws take aim at those who post ‘revenge porn’

Two new Indiana laws are taking aim at people who post intimate images from previous or current relationships online without consent. The laws separately provide criminal charges against those who post “revenge porn” and civil remedies for those victimized by it.

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Judge blocks Indiana law banning second-trimester abortion procedure

A federal judge late Friday issued an injunction blocking a new Indiana law from taking effect that would have prohibited the most common procedure used to perform second-trimester abortions. Senior Judge Sarah Evans Barker’s 53-page order blocks enactment of House Enrolled Act 1211, which she noted banned “an abortion procedure known to medicine as ‘dilation and evacuation’… and referred to by its political opponents as ‘dismemberment abortion.’” 

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AG Hill accusers file harassment, retaliation lawsuit against him, state

Another chapter has been opened in the ongoing saga surrounding allegations that Attorney General Curtis Hill drunkenly groped four women at a bar more than a year ago. The four women, who up to this point have pursued action within the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, have now taken their complaint to the Southern Indiana District Court.

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New laws for 2019

The following enrolled acts, followed in parentheses by their corresponding public law numbers, take effect July 1 unless otherwise noted below.

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Zipping into statutes: Overview of new laws for 2019

Although the $34 billion budget dominated the session, legislators introduced and considered more than 600 bills each in both the Senate and the House. The ones they passed covered a variety of matters, including hate crimes, hemp, gambling, foster parents, electricity generation and, of course, electric scooters.

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Introduced, debated but not passed in the General Assembly

Not every bill introduced gains the traction needed to get to the governor’s desk. Many times, a proposed new law fails to get a committee hearing, or it stalls once it reaches the floor. Other times, as a measure progresses through the Statehouse, it ignites disagreements that are ultimately too much to overcome.

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After years, administrative law reform clears Statehouse

The idea of revamping the state’s administrative law system has been floating around the Statehouse for years, but during the 2019 session, the reform effort finally gained broad support that has resulted in a new law proponents say will bring independence and transparency to the proceedings.

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COA allows transgender women to seal name-change records

Two transgender individuals seeking to keep private their name and gender marker change actions will be able to seal their case records after the Indiana Court of Appeals reversed trial court rulings requiring the transgender women to publish notice of the changes.

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Report: Indiana opioid prescriptions fell by 35% since 2013

A national report says opioid prescriptions in Indiana have decreased by 35.1 percent over five years. The American Medical Association Opioid Task Force 2019 Progress Report shows Indiana’s reduction in opioid prescriptions from 2013 to 2018 is two percentage points higher than the national average of 33 percent.

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Neighbors ask for rehearing on Right to Farm Act dispute

Supporters and opponents are mobilizing after the neighbors of an 8,000-hog farm in Hendricks County asked the Indiana Court of Appeals to reconsider its earlier ruling that found their nuisance claim based on the “noxious odors” from the farming operation was barred under Indiana’s Right to Farm Act.

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Judge blocks Fort Wayne ‘pay to play’ ordinance

An Allen County judge has enjoined Fort Wayne from enforcing an ordinance designed to curb “pay-to-play” arrangements that allegedly led to city contracts for businesses that contribute to local candidates’ campaigns.

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