Indiana lawmakers consider public camping ban
Indiana lawmakers are considering a ban on street camping, a move opponents say would criminalize homelessness and create additional barriers for those living unsheltered.
proposed legislation
-
‘On an island’: Legislators, advocates will continue push for marijuana reform at Statehouse in 2024
Lawmakers are hearing more and more from constituents about their desire to legalize marijuana use for adults in the state, rather than having to drive to Ohio, Michigan or any neighboring states.
Read More -
Medical marijuana struggles to gain foothold in Indiana: Another legislative session passes without legalization, establishment of state program
To Indiana medical marijuana supporters, it seems like popular opinion is on their side. Whatever public support exists, however, it didn’t result in the passage of any new bills in 2023.
Read More -
‘Veritable menu of options’: IU McKinney student’s report attracts housing advocates’ attention
Most school projects are produced for an audience of one: the professor who assigned the work. But Jacob Purcell, a 2L at Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, has just published a rental housing report that’s intended for a much wider audience.
Read More -
‘Blanket’ refusal, blanket solution? ‘Noncompliant prosecutor’ bills likely returning in 2023 session
At the conclusion of the 60-minute meeting at the Indiana Statehouse, members of the Prosecutorial Oversight Task Force reached no consensus on how to handle prosecutors who “blanketly” refuse to prosecute certain crimes.
Read More
Articles
Bill to establish family recovery court fund advances out of IN House judiciary committee
A bill that would establish a state family recovery court fund is heading to the floor of the Indiana House of Representatives after unanimously passing through committee Monday.
Republican leaders cast doubt on new state tax relief
Despite being a top priority for new Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, Republican leaders in the General Assembly seem to be taking a more cautious approach to new state tax relief in budget discussions.
Bill expanding corporation counsel eligibility advances out of IN Senate committee
The Indiana Senate’s Local Government Committee unanimously approved a bill Thursday that would expand the pool of attorneys eligible to serve as corporation counsel for Indiana counties.
Indiana House approves cremation alternative
Indiana’s House of Representatives on Thursday approved a water-based cremation alternative despite religious pushback.
Committee passes apprenticeship framework bill, strikes enrollment quota
Lawmakers this week advanced legislation that would require the state to establish a plan to develop stackable credentials for high school students—aligning with a similar effort outside the Indiana Statehouse to expand the ecosystem of apprenticeship opportunities.
Despite pushback, lawmakers advance bill to double inspections of Indiana’s confined animal farms
A bill to increase inspections of confined livestock farms advanced Monday despite pushback from multiple Indiana farming groups who argued that additional oversight requirements will come at a cost to producers.
Fort Wayne legislator makes case for hearing, passage of his anti-death penalty bill
A Republican legislator made a public plea Monday for his bill to abolish Indiana’s death penalty, arguing that the state’s execution process was flawed and didn’t serve as a deterrent for “heinous crimes.”
Legislative leaders talk post-moratorium gambling expansions, more bills reach halfway point
Just six months after a former Indiana lawmaker was sentenced to a year in federal prison for gambling-related corruption, industry expansion proposals are moving through the Legislature.
IPS board takes stand against bills that threaten district’s survival
The Indianapolis Public Schools board took a stand against bills at the Indiana Statehouse that could dismantle the district in a statement at its Thursday meeting, calling on the public to share their concerns with lawmakers.
Indiana casino relocation nixed without a vote
After two hours of testimony from roughly three dozen people, a committee chair opted not to advance a proposal to move a casino license from a southeastern Indiana community to a city 160 miles north—an idea that pitted neighbor against neighbor in the casino’s potential new home.
A-F grades set to return for Indiana schools as lawmakers consider new accountability system
After a multi-year hiatus, A-F grades are likely to be used again to measure the quality of Indiana’s schools. The return to a statewide letter grade system is outlined in Republican Rep. Bob Behning’s House Bill 1498, which unanimously passed out of the House Education Committee on Wednesday.
Hospitals take heat during dueling health care hearings
House lawmakers heard two bills on Tuesday that are priority legislation for Republicans, one that would potentially redefine nonprofit hospitals in Indiana and another, six-pronged effort that would make several changes to the health care landscape.
‘Access money you’ve already earned.’ Indiana lawmaker seeks regulations for early wages
With Hoosier employees increasingly using payment tools that let them tap earned wages before a regularly scheduled payday, an Indiana lawmaker is proposing a new framework to regulate the “earned wage access” industry.
Indiana bill would expand K-12 curricular material ban to include ‘pornographic material’
As part of an ongoing effort to eradicate “obscene” and “harmful” books or curricular material from Indiana schools, a new bill floated by Republican lawmakers seeks to expand that ban to include “pornographic” content, too.
Vaccine bills stack up in statehouses across the US
Vaccination bills are popping up in more than 15 states as lawmakers aim to potentially resurrect or create new religious exemptions from immunization mandates, establish state-level vaccine injury databases or dictate what providers must tell patients about the shots.
Indiana lawmaker targets ‘destructive’ minnow fishing
An Indiana bill up for debate intends to crack down on what some Hoosiers called “destructive” fishing practices that wreak havoc on minnow populations in the state’s rivers and streams.
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.
Lawmakers seek road-funding changes, hope to avoid fiscal cliff
While education dominates half of Indiana’s budget and Medicaid costs worry lawmakers, a projected transportation infrastructure funding shortfall creeps closer.