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 General Assembly
Articles
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.
Pre-design funds approved for proposed Indiana judicial building
Proposals to construct a new building to house the state’s courts have been tossed around for decades – and was even a topic of controversy in the 1980s — but project plans have never developed enough to gain traction.
Lawmakers hint at road funding changes
It appears all funding options are on the table as budget heads and other lawmakers on Wednesday called on the Indiana General Assembly to boost transportation infrastructure investment at the state and local levels.
Education, health care highlight budget pitches for lawmakers
In the latest round of budget pitches, state agency heads detailed their funding requests before members of the General Assembly Monday, claiming victories and minimizing missteps over the last two-year budget cycle.
Seniors, disabled Hoosiers and children all on the state’s waiting list for services
Two separate waitlists overseen by the Family and Social Services Agency have been likened to crises by critics, delaying much-needed health and child care services to Hoosiers in need. And now FSSA has added a third waiting list for applicants seeking child care services under the Child Care Development Fund and On My Way Pre-K.
Campaign pledges to raise teacher pay face uncertain future at Statehouse
Campaign promises to raise teacher pay are facing an uncertain future on the floor of the Indiana Statehouse.
Prominent Republicans back ‘safe and regulated’ marijuana legalization group
A Republican-backed group pushing Indiana’s lawmakers to “adopt safe and regulated” marijuana policies launched on Wednesday.
Indiana’s HIV criminalization laws are ‘outdated,’ report says
Indiana laws criminalizing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission are “outdated” and largely unnecessary, asserts a report from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law.
Tutoring programs funded by feds face uncertain future in Indiana
The Indiana Department of Education has indicated it would evaluate the academic impact of tutoring programs such as summer labs and learning grants as it seeks state, philanthropic, and existing funds to sustain and expand the programs.
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.
Indiana Senate Democrats retain leader despite sexual harassment allegations
The Indiana Senate Democratic caucus on Monday reelected its leader, Sen. Greg Taylor of Indianapolis — just hours after the Indianapolis Star reported three woman have accused Taylor of sexual harassment.
State’s courts seek additional $12M over next two years for improved security, technology
One proposal would fund a jail management system that would help simplify jail placements and releases that are now run on about 20 different systems and can lead to communication breakdowns.
Democrat spending on legislative races pales in comparison to Republicans
Republicans are pouring financial resources into a handful of legislative races around the state, recognizing potentially tight margins with an aim to protect the party’s supermajority hold in the General Assembly.
More moms are serving as Indiana legislators — but far fewer than should be, new report says
The number of Indiana lawmakers who are also moms of minor-aged children has boosted significantly since 2022, but family and women’s advocates maintain there’s still plenty of room for improvement.
Lawmakers scrutinize “black box of state PBM spending”
A review of five years of data from the state’s major pharmacy benefit managers cataloged more than 63 million claims and nearly $6.7 billion paid to the entities across state-sponsored plans — including Medicaid and the health plan for state employees, according to an analysis presented before lawmakers on Tuesday.
State panel recommends judicial reallocation from low- to high-need counties
Some Indiana counties have more than double the judicial officers needed to handle court cases, while others are understaffed, according to the state’s most recent weighted caseload report.
FSSA provides update on growing waitlist, hears about provider issues under managed care
Two committees tasked with studying and addressing issues related to aging met Thursday, concluding that Medicaid waitlist progress was “barely treading water” and dissecting ongoing provider issues with the transition to managed care.
Hogsett prepares to again seek changes to state road-funding formula
Mayor Joe Hogsett’s administration again will ask the Legislature next year to change the state’s road-funding formula so it stops favoring rural areas over Indianapolis and other densely populated cities.