Indiana deaths jumped by 18% during 2020 amid pandemic
A larger surge of coronavirus deaths in Indiana during December than was initially reported contributed to an 18% jump in the state’s overall deaths during 2020.
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Democrats propose $1,400 payments as part of Biden virus relief
House Democrats proposed an additional $1,400 in direct payments to individuals as Congress began piecing together a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package that tracks President Joe Biden’s plan for battling the pandemic and reviving a still staggering economy.
Legislature overrides Holcomb veto of housing measure
Nearing the mid-point of the 2021 legislative session, the Indiana Senate overrode Gov. Eric Holcomb’s veto of a bill that housing advocates claimed would put more Hoosier tenants at risk of eviction. Democrats harshly criticized the override as the work of a Republican supermajority “drunk on power.”
Project to place overdose antidote kits in every Indiana county
Indiana is partnering with the nonprofit Overdose Lifeline Inc. to expand access to the opioid overdose antidote naloxone through exterior dispensers available at all hours.
Biden pressed to end federal death penalty
Joe Biden, the first sitting U.S. president to openly oppose the death penalty, has discussed the possibility of instructing the Department of Justice to stop scheduling new executions, officials have told The Associated Press. But it remains unclear whether Biden may take broader action to halt the federal death penalty.
Analysis: Federal executions likely a COVID superspreader
As the Trump administration was nearing the end of an unprecedented string of executions in Terre Haute, 70% of death row inmates were sick with COVID-19. Guards were ill. Traveling prison staff on the execution team had the virus. So did media witnesses, who may have unknowingly infected others when they returned home because they were never told about the spreading cases.
Justices: California can’t enforce indoor church service ban
The United States Supreme Court is telling California that it can’t bar indoor church services because of the coronavirus pandemic, but it can keep for now a ban on singing and chanting indoors.
Indiana lawmakers propose using cigarette tax for Medicaid
A House committee made significant changes Thursday to the way Indiana would spend proceeds from a proposal to hike the state’s cigarette tax https://www.theindianalawyer.com/articles/indiana-lawmakers-discuss-doubling-cigarette-tax-rate for the first time in more than a decade and impose a new state tax on vaping liquids.
Senate approves budget bill as Harris casts tie-breaking vote
The Senate early Friday approved a budget that would allow fast-track passage of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan without support from Republicans. Vice President Kamala Harris was in the chair to cast the tie-breaking vote, her first.
State lawmakers consider new emergency session rules
State lawmakers have significantly amended a bill that would give the Legislature the authority to weigh in on policies made during a public emergency. The bill cleared a committee and now heads to the full House for consideration.
Biden discussing COVID-19 aid with Dems, wants fast action
President Joe Biden panned a Republican alternative to his $1.9 trillion COVID rescue plan as insufficient as Senate Democrats pushed ahead, voting to launch a process that could approve his sweeping rescue package on their own, if Republicans refuse to support it.
Remote advantage: Business attorneys have discovered some unexpected benefits to virtual hearings
While the jury is still out on how increased use of remote technology will impact litigation in the future, business lawyers have seen a decrease in expenses and an increase in efficiency that is likely to benefit clients and productivity.
Indiana House approves COVID-19 liability protection bill
The Indiana House has approved legislation that would protect businesses from COVID-19-related lawsuits. The measure slightly differs from a liability protection measure passed last week by the state Senate.
Indiana Republicans differ over governor’s COVID-19 powers
Indiana is nearing a year under the coronavirus public health emergency issued by Gov. Eric Holcomb as some of his fellow Republicans in the state Legislature aren’t letting up on attempts to rein in the authority he’s used to impose mask rules and restrictions on businesses and crowds.
Biden to meet with GOP lawmakers to discuss virus relief
President Joe Biden is set to meet Monday with a group of 10 Republican senators, including Indiana’s Todd Young, who have proposed spending about one-third of the $1.9 trillion he is seeking in coronavirus aid, though congressional Democrats are poised to move ahead without Republican support.
Virus aid package tests whether Biden, Congress can deliver
More than a sweeping national rescue plan, President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package presents a first political test — of his new administration, of Democratic control of Congress and of the role of Republicans in a post-Trump political landscape.
New Biden health care orders begin to unspool Trump policies
President Joe Biden will act Thursday to get more people health insurance in the middle of the raging coronavirus pandemic, a down payment on his pledge to push the U.S. toward coverage for all.
Feds withheld info on virus cases after Terre Haute executions
At least two journalists tested positive for coronavirus after witnessing the Trump administration’s final three federal executions, but the Bureau of Prisons knowingly withheld the diagnoses from other media witnesses and did not perform any contact tracing, The Associated Press has learned.
Holcomb relaxing coronavirus limits on crowd sizes
Indiana’s crowd size limits will be relaxed starting next week after recent improvements in the statewide COVID-19 infection and hospitalization rates, the governor announced Wednesday.
COVID liability immunity bills advance, but questions of scope remain
Legislation in the Indiana Senate that would protect businesses from COVID-related liability is one step closer to becoming law, having reached the full Senate floor for a successful vote on an amendment offered by the bill’s author. Meanwhile, companion legislation in the Indiana House passed out of committee this week.