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.
Serious sex offenders who attend church on a property that also houses an educational institution would be restricted in the amount of time they can spend at that church through a bill that passed an Indiana Senate committee Tuesday.
A bill expanding the Indiana Attorney General’s ability to intervene in certain settlements that do not involve constitutional issues cleared a Statehouse committee Monday on a party-line vote. The measure advances to the full Senate.
An Indiana legislative report estimates state and local governments would lose nearly $11 million a year in revenue under the proposed elimination of fees for lifetime handgun permits.
Indiana's legal age for buying tobacco products would increase from 18 to 21 under a bill backed by a House panel.
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.
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.
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.
As judicial resources continue to be stretched thin across Hoosier courtrooms, the Indiana Senate has approved two measures that would provide relief for two Indiana counties.
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.
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.
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.
Indiana will likely remain the only state that restricts who can sell cold beer after a Senate panel voted Wednesday to uphold a closely guarded law that protects the interests of liquor stores.
The future of the sale of cannabidiol, or CBD, oil in Indiana remains unknown after an Indiana senator declined to call for a vote on two bills that would legalize the sale of the substance if certain specifications are met.
Emphasizing the economic as well as social benefits of hate crime laws, an energic and diverse crowd rallied inside the Indiana Statehouse Tuesday in support of two bills that would add penalties for crimes motivated by bias.
A bill that would change how Indiana’s courts treat out-of-state felonies during sentencing will come before the full Indiana House of Representatives for a vote Tuesday.
With two hate crime bills introduced in the Indiana Legislature this session, proponents are hoping the third time will be the charm for finally getting a measure to the governor’s desk. Advocates plan a rally at the Statehouse on Tuesday.
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.
A bill pending before an Indiana Senate committee would place additional requirements on the Department of Child Services before removing a child from long-term foster care, though DCS representatives object to the bill on the basis of court caseloads and child safety.
For the first time in Indiana history, a Senate committee has approved a bill allowing Sunday alcohol sales, moving the measure to the full Senate.