Indiana Republicans show no signs of moving for gas tax cut
Indiana Republicans aren’t showing signs of putting the brakes on rising state gasoline taxes even as the state government continues its streak of fast-growing tax collections.
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New law expands victim compensation program
House Enrolled Act 1292, authored by Rep. Sharon Negele, R-Attica, and signed by Gov. Eric Holcomb on March 11, aims to provide better relief to victims of violent crime. Starting July 1, HEA 1292 will modify the laws concerning compensation to victims of violent crimes in Indiana, expanding the list of eligible expenses for compensation and the definition of a claimant.
Indiana Public Defender Council offering juvenile competency training as part of juvenile justice reform efforts
The Indiana Public Defender Council is offering training next month on juvenile competency assessment and attainment programming as part of a collective effort to reform the Hoosier State’s juvenile justice system.
Paper trail: Indiana’s push to create a paper backup for electronic voting machines drawing opposition
Groups that advocate for paper ballots and verifiable paper trails lobbied against the bill, HEA 1116, that calls for Indiana touch-screen voting machines to be retrofitted with devices that produce a paper printout.
Morey: Curtis Hill suddenly cares about women’s bodies
Disgraced former Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill has an opinion on women’s bodies. He should keep his thoughts, like his hands, to himself.
Work in progress: Juvenile justice mental health, safety concerns addressed in new law
Concerns about the safety and well-being of Hoosier youth housed in juvenile justice facilities across the state have drawn attention from the U.S. Department of Justice on multiple occasions. Action was taken to remedy those concerns, but the root of the problem facing Indiana’s juvenile justice system is still wound in a tangled mess that lawmakers and juvenile advocates are trying to unravel.
Fight over special session bill arrives at Indiana Supreme Court
The Indiana Supreme Court looked closely at the state’s constitution, peppered attorneys with questions and, at times, appeared skeptical of the answers during an hourlong oral argument as the justices waded into the Statehouse feud over who has the authority to call the Indiana Legislature into special session.
Indiana Supreme Court clears calendar for Holcomb’s lawsuit against General Assembly
Gov. Eric Holcomb’s battle with the Indiana General Assembly over who has the power to call a special session reaches the Indiana Supreme Court this week as the only oral arguments the justices will hear this month.
‘No means no’ law updated: Rape law still lags on defining consent, rape by fraud
A new change expanding Indiana’s more than 200-year-old rape statute has garnered praise from advocates of sexual assault survivors and prosecutors alike for spelling out different ways that “no means no.” But even some proponents of the change say the law still lacks an explicit definition of “consent.”
New law gives Hoosier tenants some relief from eviction stigma
With the signing of House Enrolled Act 1214 into law, Hoosiers who have been evicted then struggled to overcome the stigma now have a way to scrub the “Scarlet E” from their records.
Will Holcomb’s recent veto affect his Republican Party standing?
Several Indiana Republicans have lined up against GOP Gov. Eric Holcomb after he vetoed a bill that would have barred transgender females from joining girls’ sports teams.
Indiana GOP governor faces pushback over trans sports veto
Indiana’s governor is facing criticism from fellow Republicans and calls for an override of his veto on legislation banning transgender females from competing in girls’ school sports, a decision that puts him at odds with a conservative cause that has led to similar state laws across the country.
Here’s what survived the Legislature and what didn’t
Tax cuts, employer vaccine mandates and various social issues dominated the 2022 Indiana General Assembly.
Indiana governor signs gradual income tax cut plan into law
A plan for gradually cutting Indiana’s individual income tax rate over the next seven years has been signed into law by Gov. Eric Holcomb, the governor’s office announced Wednesday.
Holcomb signs bill limiting charitable bail
A bill limiting charitable bail organizations’ ability to bail out indigent Hoosiers has received the final signature of approval from Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb.
Holcomb vetoes state agency rulemaking bill
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb issued his first veto of this year’s legislative session on a bill that would have put some restrictions on state agency rulemaking procedures, the governor’s office announced Wednesday.
St. Pierre: Employers grappling with religious exemptions to COVID vaccine
Previous versions of HEA 1001 provided that any worker could be granted a religious exemption to a vaccine mandate without employers inquiring into the validity of the employees’ claims. Had that version of the bill passed through the General Assembly and been signed by Holcomb, Indiana employers would have clear marching orders when it came to religious exemptions from vaccine mandates. But that provision was hotly contested and, ultimately, removed from the version of the bill that is now law in Indiana. So the question remains: What should Indiana employers do when they receive a request for religious exemption from a COVID-19 vaccine mandate?
Bill repealing handgun permit requirement awaits decision from Holcomb
A highly contested bill that would allow Hoosiers to carry a handgun in public without a permit is headed to the governor’s desk for final consideration after Republican lawmakers successfully revived the measure in spite of criticism from law enforcement and other stakeholders.
Legislature ends session by cutting income taxes, not business personal property tax
Indiana lawmakers gave final approval early Wednesday morning to a Republican tax-cut package that would gradually reduce state income taxes over the next seven years, but they failed to reach agreement on cutting the business personal property tax.
Indiana senators cheer, laugh for rare unanimous ‘no’ vote against special education bill
An advocate for children with disabilities says she believes Indiana state senators never took seriously a bill they defeated in a rare 0-50 vote that would have changed the handling of special education disputes between families and schools.