Many new Indiana laws take effect today
Several new state laws take effect Monday, from a required high school state government test to allowing wrongfully incarcerated individuals to collect $50,000 a year.
Gov. Eric Holcomb
Articles
Judge blocks Indiana law banning second-trimester abortion procedure
A federal judge late Friday issued an injunction blocking a new Indiana law from taking effect that would have prohibited the most common procedure used to perform second-trimester abortions. Senior Judge Sarah Evans Barker’s 53-page order blocks enactment of House Enrolled Act 1211, which she noted banned “an abortion procedure known to medicine as ‘dilation and evacuation’… and referred to by its political opponents as ‘dismemberment abortion.’”
Holcomb appoints new Lake Superior Judge
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb has announced the appointment of a magistrate judge to fill a trial court vacancy in Lake County.
DCS lawsuit details harm to children
An 81-page lawsuit filed Tuesday against the Indiana Department of Child Services claims the agency is failing to protect children and further inflicting trauma by placing foster children in inappropriate, unstable or overly restrictive facilities and not providing the necessary medical and mental health care.
New laws for 2019
The following enrolled acts, followed in parentheses by their corresponding public law numbers, take effect July 1 unless otherwise noted below.
Zipping into statutes: Overview of new laws for 2019
Although the $34 billion budget dominated the session, legislators introduced and considered more than 600 bills each in both the Senate and the House. The ones they passed covered a variety of matters, including hate crimes, hemp, gambling, foster parents, electricity generation and, of course, electric scooters.
After years, administrative law reform clears Statehouse
The idea of revamping the state’s administrative law system has been floating around the Statehouse for years, but during the 2019 session, the reform effort finally gained broad support that has resulted in a new law proponents say will bring independence and transparency to the proceedings.
New DCS laws bringing changes to agency, foster parent system
Holding her infant foster daughter, attorney Kiamesha Colom explained in simple terms a 13-page bill that revamps parts of Indiana’s foster care system. Come July 1, she and her husband, like other long-term foster parents around the state, will be able to have more of a say in the care and protection of their baby.
Judge: DOC must pay $538K in ‘egregious’ death penalty records case
The Indiana Department of Correction’s refusal to disclose to the public information concerning the means it would use to execute a condemned criminal will cost taxpayers more than a half-million dollars in attorney fees, a judge has ruled.
Application period open for Lawrence Circuit Court judgeship
Attorneys who want to be the next Lawrence Circuit Court judge have about three weeks to let Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb know. The application window for those interested as serving on the trial court bench in Bedford is open until June 28.
Holcomb ceremonially signs victims rights bill
A victims rights bill inspired by a mother attempting to protect her underage daughter from a sexual predator’s grooming tactics was ceremonially signed Wednesday by Gov. Eric Holcomb, with support from the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council.
Holcomb signs bill that loosens car dealership rules on document-prep fees
Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a bill this week that loosens the rules under which car dealerships can charge consumers document fees, a practice that a flurry of recent class-action lawsuits have alleged is unfair.
Holcomb signs bill to legalize sports betting, allow Terre Haute casino
Gov. Eric Holcomb signed gambling legislation into law Wednesday — the last day the bill was eligible for action — bringing significant changes to Indiana’s casino industry this year.
Magistrate judges are finalists for Lake Superior vacancy
Three Lake County magistrate judges have been selected as finalists to fill a vacancy on the northwestern Indiana county’s superior court bench.
What lawmakers did — and didn’t do — in the 2019 session
The 2019 legislative session ended April 24 — five days ahead of the statutory deadline — with hundreds of bills sent to Gov. Eric Holcomb for his consideration. Here’s a look at some of the top issues.
Local car dealers hit with flurry of lawsuits over document-prep fees
Indiana auto dealership owners are being hit with a slew of lawsuits from customers who say they have been charged exorbitant document-preparation fees in the car-buying process just as the rules for charging such fees are poised to loosen under a change in state law.
General Assembly passes DCS reforms
As Senate Enrolled Act 1 was heading for its third and final reading in the Indiana House of Representatives, Rep. Vanessa Summers reminded her colleagues that their work in helping reform the Department of Child Services is not finished.
ACLU sues to block latest Indiana abortion law
The American Civil Liberties Union has once again filed a federal lawsuit challenging an Indiana abortion law, this time filing a complaint against recently signed legislation that would place new restrictions on second-trimester abortions.
Ex-Sen. Lugar honored at Indianapolis ceremony
Dozens of Indianapolis political and civic leaders joined a tribute for former U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar outside the building where he served as the city’s mayor before winning the first of his six Senate terms. Democratic Mayor Joe Hogsett called Lugar an “American statesman” during Monday’s ceremony a day after he died at age 87.
Holcomb signs bill strengthening ‘stand your ground’ law
The National Rifle Association praised Gov. Eric Holcomb for signing legislation strengthening Indiana’s “stand your ground” laws and removing the fee for certain firearm carry permits.