Indiana Legal Services raises concerns about ‘squatter’ legislation
Some advocates warn Senate Bill 157—which would require police to remove “squatters” within 48 hours—would allow landlords to skip the court, chipping away at tenants’ rights.
Legislature
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Large law firms say lobbying is a key element to providing full array of services
Bose Public Affairs and Taft Stettinius & Hollister have the largest lobbying presence of any law firms or independent multi-client lobbying practices this year at the Indiana General Assembly, which kicked off its 2025 legislative session last week. See our list of the top 10.
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April Jay: Legislature puts renewed focus on fiscal responsibility
It appears from the flurry of proposed bills filed before the start of the Indiana General Assembly, lawmakers will be focused on trying to improve fiscal responsibility in 2025.
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Web exclusive: Dentons conference helps attorneys prepare for 2025 legislative session
On Dec. 18, Dentons 33rd Annual Legislative Conference will help lobbyists, policymakers and others prepare for the financial push and pull that every budget-writing legislative session brings.
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More parents objecting to books in school libraries under new process, librarians say
School librarians say they are facing more community challenges to books in their collections since a new state law that took effect in January required local school systems to set up a process to field such complaints.
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Articles
Indiana House Republicans’ agenda includes effort to absorb disgruntled Illinois counties
House Republicans also introduced a slew of bills addressing trademark issues such as education, housing and health care.
Berkshire, Brown, Garver: A look at the Indiana Legislature’s big-ticket items
Beyond the issues, the political dynamics will also be interesting to watch, as Gov. Mike Braun navigates his first session from the second floor of the Statehouse.
Proposal would ease primary election candidates’ path to landing poll watchers
Lawmakers want to make it easier for candidates in primary elections to name election observers, also known as poll watchers.
Lawmakers propose transparency measures for Indiana Economic Development Corp.
After a year of public scrutiny of the Indiana Economic Development Corp.’s operations, state lawmakers have filed bills seeking to increase transparency and oversight at the agency.
Indiana bill would ban social media accounts for Hoosiers under age 16 without parental consent
One year after Indiana policymakers enacted a law requiring pornography websites to verify users’ ages, a new bill seeks to further restrict Hoosiers under age 16 from creating social media accounts without “verified” parental permission.
Senate Republicans name property taxes, Medicaid, water regulation among top priorities
Property tax reform, Medicaid adjustments and water withdrawals are among the top priorities of the Indiana Senate Republicans’ 2025 platform, party leaders announced Wednesday.
Indiana lawmakers kick off legislative session
More than 400 pieces of legislation had been filed so far as the Indiana General Assembly launched its annual legislative session on Wednesday.
Legislation would dissolve IPS, four other school districts. Then charters take over
The four other school districts that would be disbanded are: Gary Community Schools, Tri-Township Consolidated Schools in LaPorte County, Union Schools southeast of Muncie, and Cannelton City Schools near the Kentucky border in Perry County.
State lawmakers expected to debate a slew of education-related proposals
State legislators are expected to spend the next four months hashing out how much money to make available for K-12 base funding, as well as allocations that could affect teacher pay, summer school and math and literacy tutoring.
Breaking down the fiscal issues that will dominate 2025 legislative session
Lawmakers will convene Wednesday to begin drafting the state’s next two-year budget, determining how to spend approximately $44 billion dollars to fund government services such as schools, health insurance programs and infrastructure as well as tackling other fiscal issues.
Weaver: All I want for the New Year is more government disclosure
When it comes to government transparency laws, Indiana often ranks near the bottom in terms of what it requires public officials and political activists to disclose.
Medicaid, prior authorization to be major topics for Legislature in 2025
What little new revenue is expected over the next two years likely will be swallowed up by Medicaid costs as lawmakers work to craft the state’s next budget.
Schoolhouse Rock, Indiana edition: How a bill becomes a law
A biennial budget of more than $40 billion is on the line come January, alongside hundreds of other proposals from Indiana lawmakers. Just a fraction become law. How do we get there?
Indiana lawmakers face tough decisions on education funding
Indiana lawmakers are preparing to write the next state budget, and as an economic surplus winds down, they face difficult decisions about what education programs to fund and how much to give them.
Senate Democrats elect new minority leader after second round of sexual harassment accusations
After Sen. Greg Taylor of Indianapolis denied three new sexual harassment allegations, he was replaced as Senate minority leader by Sen. Shelli Yoder of Bloomington.
Hoosier Survey says safety, health care are top policy concerns for 2025
Notably, the study found the priorities are shared across political affiliations, according to Dr. Kevin Smith, interim director of the Bowen Center and associate dean of Ball State’s College of Sciences and Humanities.
Dems decline to pursue a recount in a tight central Indiana race
Incumbent Republican Rep. Becky Cash of Zionsville barely kept her seat earlier this month, winning by 64 votes.
Tax collections lag, bringing revenues below projections
Indiana’s revenues are down as tax collections continue to lag behind estimates, according to November’s state revenue report. Projections are based on analysis from December 2023 and due for an update next month.
Statehouse leaders plan to prioritize balanced budget over policy overhauls
Indiana Statehouse leaders said Monday that their legislative economic and business priorities during the upcoming General Assembly will be fixed on the budget.