Indiana lawmakers have 400 bills at session’s halfway mark
Indiana lawmakers are entering the second half of the legislative session with more than 400 bills still alive, covering issues including teacher pay, gambling and hate crimes.
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Legislation aims to tame ‘Wild West’ nature of land contracts
A bill that passed through the Indiana House 82-14 and is now in the Senate would protect families from predatory land contracts. Provisions would require buyers be told the value of the property and how much they will ultimately pay for it if they complete the terms of the agreement, among other protections.
Critics say Indiana redistricting bill doesn’t do enough
An Indiana bill that would change the state’s redistricting rules doesn’t do enough to end gerrymandering, critics say. The bill sponsored by Republican Sen. Greg Walker of Columbus would allow lawmakers to continue drawing the state’s legislative and congressional district maps for the foreseeable future.
Holcomb plans public appeal on Indiana hate crimes law
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said Wednesday he will try to build public support for a hate crimes law, a week after the Republican-dominated state Senate stripped out a list of specific protected traits he had supported to get Indiana off a list of five states without such a law.
Holcomb says he tried pot in college, opposes legalization
Gov. Eric Holcomb says he tried marijuana as a college student, but he doesn’t support efforts to allow medical or recreational marijuana use in Indiana.
Hemp bill’s chances growing with Senate passage
Farmers hoping to add a new crop to their rotation next planting season just moved closer to that dream, now that the Indiana Senate voted nearly unanimously to pass an agricultural hemp bill.
Lake Michigan public use bill advances to Indiana House
A bill establishing in state law the permitted public uses of the shore of Lake Michigan passed the Indiana Senate on Monday and now moves to the House for consideration.
House passes tighter rules on Indiana veterans fund grants
A bill aimed at tightening management of an Indiana grant program for struggling military veterans has been approved by the Indiana House after news reports that a state agency awarded grants to its own employees.
Indiana House passes $34.6B budget along party lines
The Indiana House on Monday passed a $34.6 billion two-year budget along party lines. The budget includes an increase of more than $550 million over two years for the Indiana Department of Child Services.
Bills for additional magistrates, judges move forward
Several counties looking for additional judicial help may get what they are hoping for, now that measures authorizing the positions are moving toward passage in the Indiana legislature.
Fertility fraud bill creating felony moves to House
Indiana doctors could face felony deception charges under legislation that follows the case in which a fertility doctor used his own sperm to impregnate perhaps dozens of women.
Senate backs study of juvenile justice system
Concerns surrounding the way Indiana adjudicates and rehabilitates its juvenile offenders has resulted in the proposal of a summer interim committee to address how adequately the juvenile justice system is governed.
Lake Michigan shoreline bills advance in Indiana Senate
Two pieces of legislation that would define public and recreational use of Lake Michigan’s shores and give jurisdiction of seawalls, beach grooming and land walls to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources have made advances in the Indiana Senate this week.
Indiana Senate approves stripped-down hate crimes bill
The Republican-dominated Indiana Senate passed a stripped-down hate crimes bill Thursday and sent the measure to the House, where Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb and others hope the legislation can still be strengthened. The Senate voted 39-10 in favor of the legislation that was changed two days earlier to remove a list of specifically protected characteristics, including sexual orientation, gender identity and race.
Senate Republicans strip hate crimes bill of victim categories
The Republican-majority Senate stripped a hate crimes bill Tuesday of language that specified the types of crimes it would apply to — those motivated by race, religion, sexual orientation, gender and other categories — despite emotional pleas by Democrats to leave the bill as written.
Indiana’s abortion cert petition relisted for 5th time
The petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a law restricting abortions in Indiana has been distributed for a fifth conference with the justices. Now the petition has been scheduled for consideration Feb. 22.
SCOTUS rejects appeal of Lake Michigan public access case
The Supreme Court of the United States will not hear an appeal that sought to restrict public access to the Indiana shore of Lake Michigan. Justices let stand an Indiana Supreme Court decision that found a public access right to the state’s 45 miles of Great Lakes beaches.
Restoring humanity and dignity to those wrongly convicted
Legislation in the Indiana General Assembly Bill would compensate people who have been exonerated after a wrongful conviction, but only if they don’t sue the state.
Indiana Senate backs tougher law on passing stopped buses
Indiana drivers could face tougher penalties for passing stopped school buses under a bill advancing in the Legislature.
Indiana Senate committee moves bias crimes bill forward
After more than three hours of testimony and discussion on Monday morning, the Senate Public Policy Committee voted to send a bias crimes bill to the full Senate for consideration. Senate Bill 12 would give judges the ability to consider whether a crime was committed out of hate or bias toward specific groups of individuals as an aggravating circumstance at sentencing.