Committee deadline fatal for many bills
Indiana’s House and Senate both face committee deadlines this week, so any bill that doesn’t advance to the respective chamber is dead for the year.
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Senate passes bill requiring schools notify parents of transgender student requests
Indiana senators on Monday approved a controversial bill mandating that schools notify parents when a student asks for name or pronoun changes, as well as banning human sexuality instruction to the youngest students.
How will the state pay for 988 services?
Nearly every stakeholder agrees that Indiana needs to improve its mental health supports — as demonstrated by the emotional testimony last week for Senate Bill 1, which seeks to shore up ongoing initiatives and formalize the 988 crisis response system.
Doctor non-competes, anti-union bills failed to clear committee; back on calendars
A supermajority doesn’t automatically ensure success. Case in point, two GOP bills — one a Senate priority — failed to get through committee this week.
Conservative groups push for ‘compassionate release’ of elderly, terminally ill inmates
A House bill that would ease Indiana’s process for the “compassionate release” of inmates with health issues won’t get a hearing in the Senate, according to a crucial committee chair – but advocates say they’re not done pushing the measure.
Senate strikes parental consent requirement from bill targeting student pronouns in schools
A controversial “parental rights” bill was pared down by Indiana senators on Thursday to remove a provision that would have required schools get consent from parents if a student requests to change their name or pronouns.
Lawmakers rewrite, advance anti-ESG pension investment bill
Lawmakers on Wednesday stripped long sections out of a controversial bill cracking down on the state’s pension investment managers, inserting a simplified structure that would reduce the fiscal impact to zero, according to the proposal’s author.
4 attorneys assigned to abortion-related litigation resign from Indiana AG’s office; Rokita says departures unrelated to Bernard case
With key hearings scheduled in licensing and civil litigation against Indianapolis OB-GYN Dr. Caitlin Bernard this month, the Indiana Attorney General’s Office will be down four attorneys who worked on the case but have now resigned.
Social Security trustees predict benefit cuts in 2033 without congressional action
Social Security will no longer be able to pay full benefits in 2033, a year earlier than previously expected, according to a new report.
Hesitation continues around GOP plan to boost pre-grad training for Indiana high schoolers
Indiana lawmakers are adamant to “reinvent” Hoosier high school curriculum as the state tries to reverse its dismal college-going and credentialing rates, stymie other academic impacts following the COVID-19 pandemic and help fill open jobs around the state.
Constitutional right-to-bail change narrowly scrapes through committee
A constitutional change letting judges deny bail to anyone they deem a “substantial risk” squeaked through an Indiana House committee Wednesday after several edits and detailed discussion.
Mixed beverage bill could impact prices for consumers
A bill letting beer wholesalers cash in on lucrative liquor-based drinks would “expand their monopolistic advantage” and raise prices for consumers, argues a leading wine and liquor organization.
Bipartisan former members of Congress call for boost in funding to secure elections
A bipartisan group of former U.S. lawmakers on the National Council on Election Integrity called on Congress on Friday to spend $400 million on election integrity to insulate the system from foreign interference.
State’s poorest renters hurt most by affordable housing shortage, report says
Sixty-one percent of Hoosiers in extremely low-income households can’t find an affordable rental, instead spending more than half of their income on housing with little left for food or other necessities, according to a newly released analysis.
White Claw, Truly and more: wholesalers battle over bill on mixed beverages
Mixed alcoholic beverages like White Claw and Truly hard seltzers have in recent years exploded in popularity, and wholesalers — the middlemen between manufacturers and retailers — all want a piece of the pie.
Indiana lawmakers move bill to prevent spending on sex reassignment surgery for inmates
State and federal dollars could not be used for gender-affirming sexual reassignment surgery for offenders imprisoned in Indiana, under a bill passed by a Senate panel Tuesday.
Lawmakers push controversial military trial rights bill through to governor
The Indiana Senate on Thursday passed a much-disputed proposal barring Indiana National Guard members from demanding a military trial — or court-martial — in lieu of non-judicial punishment.
Indiana bill seeks to separate school transcripts, vaccination records
A debate over Hoosier students’ vaccination records ensued at the Indiana Statehouse Wednesday as lawmakers weighed a bill that seeks to prohibit schools from coupling health and academic documents.
Numerous Indiana lawmakers do private consulting. But who are they working for?
A little more than a month after Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston’s high-profile departure last year from a six-figure role at the College Board, the Republican leader quietly started his own private consulting firm, according to new financial disclosure records.
Indiana’s third-party testing on toxic train-derailment waste comes back clear
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb announced late Wednesday that results from third-party testing on the hazardous waste coming from East Palestine, Ohio, show no harmful levels of dioxins.