Alcohol bills move to full House for consideration after changes
State lawmakers on Wednesday made changes to two major bills addressing alcohol issues before moving both pieces of legislation to the full House for consideration.
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House approves bill to lift light-rail ban in central Indiana
A bill that would end the prohibition on light-rail construction in Marion and six other central Indiana counties passed the Indiana House on Tuesday.
Bill sought by child sex abuse survivors rerouted for study
Individuals who were sexually abused as children will have to keep waiting for justice, now that a bill that could potentially give them more time to sue their abusers has been routed for further study.
No action coming on Indiana attorney general removal bill
Legislative Republicans are not going to take any action on a proposal that aims to make it easier to remove some state officeholders from their positions, which was filed by an Indiana legislator who says she was groped by Attorney General Curtis Hill.
Lake Michigan public access bill advances; SCOTUS to confer on appeal
A bill that defines the shore of Lake Michigan as belonging to the public and spells out public recreational uses of the shoreline has moved to the full Indiana Senate. Meanwhile, a petition seeking to privatize Indiana’s Great Lakes beaches will be before justices of the Supreme Court of the United States this week.
Gun training for teachers among Indiana GOP firearms bills
Indiana school districts would be able to seek state money to provide gun training for teachers under a bill endorsed by a legislative committee.
Election panel won’t probe Bosma’s use of campaign funds
A state election panel won’t investigate Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma’s use of campaign funds to collect information on a woman who says she performed oral sex on the married Republican lawmaker when she was a legislative intern in 1992.
Bill: Public servants who steal would repay from pensions
The House Committee on Courts and Criminal Code on Wednesday unanimously stripped a proposed bill of language that would have required Indiana public officials to serve prison time for theft of taxpayer dollars. In its place, the committee added a provision to recoup any monetary losses from the pension funds of officials convicted of theft.
State, national groups support Indiana public defense reform
Leaders of state and national criminal justice organizations are declaring their support for the Indiana Public Defender Commission’s reform initiative, which the commission is presenting to the Indiana General Assembly this year in an effort to secure additional funds to expand and improve indigent defense services statewide.
Indiana GOP seeks abortion ban blocked in 7 other states
Indiana Republicans eager for a rare legal victory in their efforts to restrict abortion rights are seeking to outlaw a second-trimester procedure, hopeful an increasingly conservative U.S. Supreme Court will back a ban that courts have blocked in seven other states.
Indiana Senate panel backs easier ballot access for parties
Smaller political parties would face lower requirements to get their candidates on Indiana's ballot under a bill backed by a legislative panel.
The woe of Roe: 46 years later, abortion debate still boils
To mark the 46th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision, two groups rallied at the Indiana Statehouse Jan. 22, and showed that of the divisions among Americans, the gulf over abortion rights remains among the widest.
Indiana appeals 18-hour ultrasound injunction to U.S. Supreme Court
Indiana is again appealing to the Supreme Court of the United States to overturn a preliminary injunction blocking a state abortion law, this one requiring women to get an ultrasound at least 18 hours before the procedure. The provision was included in House Enrolled Act 1337, which was signed into law by then-Gov. Mike Pence in 2016.
Creation of agency settlement fund rankles Indiana AG
Indiana’s attorneys general have long participated in and even led multistate settlement work, but statutory language quietly slipped into the biennial budget during the 2017 legislative session has changed where the state’s portion of the money goes. And Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill’s office says the switch has curtailed the investigations it can now pursue.
Counties could be required to have paper trail for voting by 2024
A bill that would require counties using electronic voting systems to also maintain a paper trail is moving forward at the Indiana General Assembly.
Indiana, Kentucky join Planned Parenthood’s western alliance
Planned Parenthood’s affiliate overseeing Hawaii and three western states announced Friday that it was adding Indiana and Kentucky, a first-of-its-kind consolidation based not on geography but on reallocating resources to fight new abortion restrictions in the Midwest and South. The arrangement places Indiana and Kentucky under a Seattle-based affiliate that currently oversees clinics in Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho and Washington.
Pursuit of happiness can’t blunt man’s marijuana conviction
A man arrested for smoking a blunt in Indianapolis failed to convince the Indiana Court of Appeals that his misdemeanor conviction violated his constitutional rights to liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The appeal also raised the issue of the Hoosier State now being among a minority of states that have yet to legalize marijuana in some form.
Senator decides to send child labor law bill to summer committee
A state senator accused of having a conflict of interest over a bill he filed that seeks to eliminate the state’s child labor laws has essentially withdrawn the proposal from consideration this year.
Noblesville school shooter’s parents deny responsibility
The parents of a 13-year-old boy who opened fire in a Noblesville West Middle School classroom last year say they could not foresee his actions and deny any responsibility for them.
Lawmakers considering property tax amnesty period
Indiana legislators are considering creating an amnesty period for homeowners and businesses to pay overdue property taxes without the penalty fees and interest.