Articles

Senate panel advances bill allowing more guns in church

An Indiana Senate panel has advanced a bill that would allow churches to let people to carry guns in more circumstances. The measure by Republican Sen. Jack Sandlin of Indianapolis was approved 5-2 Wednesday by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Read More

Civil forfeiture reform bill passes Senate

A bill that would overhaul Indiana’s civil forfeiture framework has passed the Indiana Senate. The legislation is in response to a federal court ruling that struck down part of Indiana’s civil forfeiture statute as unconstitutional.

Read More

Justices hear plea modification case as Senate acts on similar bill

Before 2014, it was a cut-and-dry issue: fixed-sentence plea agreements meant an offender would serve out the terms of their plea, with no chance to change it. But after 2014 legislation and a 2016 Indiana Court of Appeals decision, the Indiana Supreme Court must now decide whether such agreements may be modified.

Read More

Holcomb extends CBD oil order through legislative session

Gov. Eric Holcomb on Friday extended the moratorium on seizures of CBD oil from retailers’ shelves — as well Indiana State Excise Police’s education period on products derived from cannabis — while lawmakers consider bills regulating those products.

Read More

Senate committee advances civil forfeiture bill

A long-discussed civil forfeiture reform bill has cleared its first hurdle in the Indiana statehouse. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday passed Senate Bill 99, which tightens due process procedures when prosecutors seek to confiscate property allegedly connected with crimes.

Read More

Fixed plea modifications at heart of legislation, Supreme Court case

When a court accepts a fixed-sentence plea agreement, prosecutors and defenders alike say the long-standing practice has been for courts to uphold the exact terms of that sentence, absent an agreement between the parties. A recent Indiana Court of Appeals ruling, however, has seemingly put an end to that practice, leading to both a legislative and judicial review of the sentencing issue.

Read More

Full Senate passes Sunday sales bill

Indiana’s historic Sunday sales legislation has cleared the Senate with a 39-10 vote.
Sen. Ron Alting, R-Lafayette, brought Senate Bill 1 before the full Senate for third reading on Monday, telling his Senate colleagues the measure is a clean bill that simply allows for Sunday carryout alcohol sales from noon to 8 p.m.

Read More

Indiana Senate panel backs redistricting ‘baby step’

An Indiana Senate panel has advanced a bill what would set criteria for redrawing electoral districts. But the measure approved on an 8-0 vote Monday fell far short of a comprehensive redistricting overhaul that good government groups have sought for years.

Read More

Bill would allow whistleblower complaints against state

Rep. Ed DeLaney, D-Indianapolis, has filed a bill that would extend whistleblower protections to state employees who speak up about government misdeeds or fiscal malfeasance. The legislation is in response to a split decision from the Indiana Supreme Court, which found the state whistleblower statute did not include workers in the public sector.

Read More