The Senate Ethics Committee unanimously passed an amendment to its internal ethics rules Monday, defining sexual harassment for the first time. The Senate and House will each draft their own ethics rules and conduct training for their respective lawmakers.
Current federal and state law generally defers to a parent’s judgment when it comes to grandparent visitation, with the United States Supreme Court ruling that the right to rear a child as desired is among the most fundamental rights of parents. But a bill filed this year in the Indiana Legislature would give both grandparents and great-grandparents another avenue to obtain standing to petition for visitation.
The requirement that alcohol permit holders live in the state where they do business is based on the simple notion that neighbors care more about the well-being of their communities than out-of-towners do. But a Tennessee case challenging that notion in the U.S. Supreme Court could spill over on similar Indiana laws.
The priorities for Indiana House Republicans this year align with Gov. Eric Holcomb’s agenda, but one significant issue did not make the list: a hate crimes bill.
Although Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma said he hopes to have the General Assembly’s sexual harassment policy finalized by the end of next week, he’s not sure if that’s possible.
In an effort to remove Indiana from a list of five states without hate crimes legislation, lawmakers have filed three separate bills so far in the Indiana General Assembly, but the latest measure does not specify the classes of individuals and groups who would be protected.
Indiana lawmakers are set to begin their four-month legislative session, facing a tight state budget picture and a possibly contentious debate over adopting a state hate crimes law.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb remains opposed to efforts by state lawmakers to allow medical or recreational marijuana in the state, even as such uses are becoming legal in a growing number of other states.
In an opinion interpreting a sentence modification statute, a divided panel of Indiana Court of Appeals ruled that a trial court lacked authority to modify a sentence that was entered pursuant to a fixed plea agreement. The majority’s ruling contrasts with the panel’s earlier decision in the same case, which was revisited on remand from the Indiana Supreme Court after a legislative amendment last year.
A trending topic discussed by state legislators across the nation is legalizing and incorporating sports wagering into casinos. This comes after a decision in May by the United States Supreme Court that struck down a federal law that barred states from offering legal sports gambling.
Indiana Lawyer’s top story of 2018 began inside an Indianapolis bar in the cool early-morning hours of Thursday, March 15. Attorney General Curtis Hill had had a few drinks. A few too many, several witnesses would later claim.
As scooter accidents mount, liability has become a significant issue for lawyers representing clients involved in crashes, and at least one lawmaker has proposed statewide regulations.
Among the biggest issues the 2019 General Assembly will have to contend with is the Department of Child Services, which is still reeling after a tumultuous year that saw a leader abruptly resign and a national group identify several shortcomings in the department’s operations. Gov. Eric Holcomb is calling on lawmakers to devote significant financial resources to the struggling department, and all four legislative leaders say their caucuses plan to make DCS a top priority.
Indiana lawyers who are members of Congress, senators or vice president no longer have to worry about meeting continuing legal education requirements under a rule adopted this week by the Indiana Supreme Court. The new rule also decreases CLE credits required for state lawmakers who are attorneys.
Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill spent Monday morning on cable television news channels applauding a federal court’s ruling that found the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional, but Republican leaders in Indiana remained silent.
Indiana’s efforts to eradicate wild industrial hemp will soon come to an end and cultivation of the plant could soon follow.
The spray-painting of a swastika outside a suburban Indianapolis synagogue this summer was the final straw for Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb, who quickly called for Indiana to join the 45 states that have hate crime laws.
A divided Indiana Court of Appeals has once again reversed a trial court ruling holding that a man sentenced pursuant to a fixed plea agreement could not seek a sentence modification, with the appellate court finding instead on remand that statutory amendments to laws governing fixed pleas are not applicable in this case.
In what the Indiana House Speaker said is likely to be an “extraordinarily difficult” budget session, Indiana’s legislative leaders plan to focus their efforts during this year’s legislative session on budget-impacting legislation, such as funding for the embattled Department of Child Services and increasing teacher pay.
While the Supreme Court of the United States has yet to agree to hear an abortion rights case this term, a petition from Indiana regarding its law regulating the disposal of fetal remains and prohibiting women from terminating their pregnancies based on race, sex or disability remains under consideration. Indiana filed a writ of certiorari after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a preliminary injunction against 2016's House Enrolled Act 1337.