Articles

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.

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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.

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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.

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Rallies at Statehouse show divide over Roe still wide after 46 years

On the 46th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, supporters and opponents scheduled rallies at the Indiana Statehouse, underscoring the deep divide over the ruling that remains more than four decades later. Advocates of reproductive rights gathered on the fourth floor of the Statehouse Tuesday to begin their push for Senate Bill 589, while Indiana Right to Life had a rally scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. 

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Legislature takes first step toward regional public defender offices

The Indiana General Assembly has taken the first step toward allowing Indiana counties to create regional public defenders’ offices, a change that has been championed as a means of reducing public defender caseloads and eliminating the appearance of judicial impropriety when appointing indigent defense.

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DCS still drawing numerous reform bills in Legislature

Legislators in 2018 introduced a slew of bills trying to bring more collaboration and modest adjustments to the Department of Child Services. Lawmakers this year have introduced at least 25 bills impacting CHINS, foster parents and DCS caseloads, among other things.

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Bill proposes notice for trains blocking crossings 10 minutes

After the Indiana Supreme Court struck down a state law allowing railroads to be fined for lengthy blockages of train crossings, legislation filed in the 2019 General Assembly seeks another avenue of relief for Hoosier motorists held up by trains, especially motorists driving emergency responders.

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Sexual harassment bills target public official misconduct

After sexual misconduct and harassment allegations were leveled at Attorney General Curtis Hill and House Speaker Brian Bosma, harassment-related legislation is again being considered by the General Assembly, this year taking specific aim at accused elected officials.

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House Ethics Committee to vote on sexual harassment policy

Indiana lawmakers will meet tomorrow to vote on proposed language that would make it an ethical violation for state representatives to commit sexual harassment, a move that comes as high-ranking elected officials are facing harassment allegations of their own. The House Statutory Committee on Ethics will vote on amended language of the House Code of Ethics upon adjournment of the House session on Tuesday.

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