Indiana lawmakers return to Statehouse ahead of 2019 session
Indiana lawmakers returned to the Statehouse on Tuesday for the ceremonial start to the new legislative session.
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Subcommittee silently makes sexual harassment recommendations; Legislative Council must act
Legislature should respond to complaints of sexual harassment by legislative employees, but it’s still unclear whether the Legislative Council will meet next week’s statutorily-mandated deadline to officially adopt the recommendations.
Trump signs bill streamlining hydropower plant permits
President Donald Trump has signed into law a bill from a Virginia congressman that streamlines the permitting process for certain hydropower plants, including a kind Dominion Energy is considering building.
Prosecutors cite ethics rules to Hill in abortion lawsuit
Three Indiana prosecutors are renewing their calls for Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill to concede on their behalf the merits of lawsuit that blocked a 2018 abortion law and told the AG's staff in an email that Hill is obligated under the Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct to follow their directive as his clients. Hill, however, maintains he is authorized to defend the statute on behalf of his "ultimate client:" the people of Indiana.
Legislative panel focuses on idle alcohol permits
When the Indiana Alcohol Code Revision Commission heard public testimony for the first time ahead of the 2019 legislative session on Friday, members of the Indiana legal and business community came forward to discuss the topic that has emerged as one of the most important for the commission to grapple with: how long alcohol permits can be held in escrow before being revoked.
Indiana lawmakers consider expanding industrial hemp market
Indiana lawmakers are considering allowing farmers to grow industrial hemp. Members of the Interim Study Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources heard from farmers and state leaders in support of the new crop during a committee meeting on Monday.
New Indiana law could help hold down prescription drug costs
An Indiana lawmaker says a new state law promises to be an important step toward helping hold down Hoosiers’ prescription drug costs.
Despite Holcomb’s support, hate crimes bill lacks unity
Even as Indiana lawmakers from both parties continue to echo Gov. Eric Holcomb’s call for hate crime legislation, the deep divisions that foiled previous attempts to pass a bias-motivated crime bill appear to still be entrenched.
Gov. Holcomb advocates for hate crime law after synagogue vandalism
Republican Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb is calling on the General Assembly to pass a hate crimes bill after someone spray-painted anti-Semitic graffiti at a suburban Indianapolis synagogue. Holcomb said Monday he’ll meet with lawmakers, legal experts, corporate leaders and “citizens of all stripes who are seeking to find consensus on this issue so that, once and for all, we can move forward as a state."
New Indiana laws ban eyeball tattoos, protect renting rights
Indiana lawmakers entered this year’s session with limited ambitions when compared to years past. They still passed dozens of new laws. And while many of the most attention-grabbing ideas — like legal Sunday retail alcohol sales — were already enacted, more took effect Sunday.
New laws for 2018
The Indiana General Assembly this year adopted new laws on matters from Sunday carryout sales to designating Say’s Firefly as the official state insect. Here is the complete list of enrolled acts signed into law this year.
House Speaker opposes Republican marriage platform changes
Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma is the latest powerful GOP leader who doesn’t want to change the state Republican Party’s platform that favors “marriage between a man and a woman.”
Changing times: Fewer call for laws on the books
With the Indiana Code accessible and searchable online, fewer and fewer volumes of the printed versions are being produced each year, and DVDs once supplied to county clerks around the state to update their statute records have gone the way of the floppy disc.
Indiana Senate Republicans pick Bray to lead after special session
Indiana Senate Republicans selected a new leader to replace outgoing President Pro Temp David Long. The decision came after lawmakers concluded a one-day special session by sending a handful of bills to Gov. Eric Holcomb.
Indiana lawmakers returning to clean up session’s mess
Indiana lawmakers will be back at the Statehouse on Monday for a special session called to take action on a handful of bills that died in March when the year’s regular legislative session came to a chaotic close.
Marion, Lake, Monroe prosecutors won’t defend abortion law
Three Indiana prosecutors in counties with Planned Parenthood facilities have announced they will not defend the state in a recently filed lawsuit challenging a 2018 abortion law.
Special session to debate school safety, tax changes
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Friday that he is calling lawmakers back to the Statehouse for a special session that will begin May 14.
Expansion of DNA database could help catch Delphi teens’ killer
A broader DNA database is helping police find suspects to unsolved crimes. Perhaps soon it might mean finding the man who killed Delphi teens Libby German and Abby Williams.
Kennedy-King historic honor granted for Indianapolis park
The Indianapolis park where Robert Kennedy called for peace and unity just hours after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. has officially been designated a National Historic Site. The designation comes as events at the park mark the 50th anniversary of King’s death.
Law limiting short-term rental regulations by cities may face test from Carmel, others
As the popularity of short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb and VRBO has increased, local governments across the country have stepped in to regulate when and where their residents can lease their homes to temporary guests. Indiana cities have been no exception, but the 2018 General Assembly limited the extent to which municipalities can regulate the local short-term rental industry.