Senate backs bill to improve handling of rape evidence
A bill aimed at improving the way authorities handle sexual assault evidence has won Indiana Senate approval after an audit found more than 2,500 untested rape kits across the state.
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Indiana House passes bill to overhaul high school diplomas
The Indiana House on Monday approved a bill that would overhaul the types of high school diplomas offered to students.
Civil forfeiture reform advances, but concerns remain
The Indiana Senate has approved a bill that would reform many aspects of Indiana’s civil forfeiture framework, a move local attorneys who practice such cases say is a step in the right direction. However, concerns remain about whether the legislation provides criminal defendants sufficient due process.
‘End of life options’ a nonstarter at Statehouse
For the second year in a row, a legislative push for an End of Life Options Act failed to gain traction in the Indiana Legislature, disheartening advocates. Opponents argue such legislation would create a slippery slope toward euthanasia.
Senate Republicans split as hate crime bill yanked from vote
Fourteen days after rallying on the third floor of the Indiana Statehouse to cheer, applaud and push the Legislature into passing a hate crime bill this session, advocates were stunned the measure failed last week to even get a committee vote.
IndyBar: Weekly Bill Watch Reports — Keep up with Legislation that Matters to You
The IndyBar Legislative Committee, co-chaired this year by Lawren Mills of Ice Miller LLP and Mindy Westrick of Faegre Baker Daniels LLP, provides weekly Bill Watch reports throughout the session, which highlight progress and recent actions taken on bills being monitored by the association.
Senate advances CBD legalization bill
Hoosiers are one step closer to having unrestricted access to cannabidiol, or CBD, oil after the Indiana Senate passed a bill that would allow CBD use by all Indiana residents, not just those with certain illnesses.
Indiana House approves bill to fix rifle hunting mistake
A mistake included in a law approved last year prohibiting deer hunters from using rifles on public property would be fixed under a bill approved by the Indiana House.
Indiana House backs bill eliminating handgun licensing fee
The fees for Indiana’s lifetime handgun permits would be eliminated under a proposal endorsed by the Indiana House.
Senate joins House in passing Indiana cannabis oil bill
The Indiana Legislature is poised to allow anyone to purchase and use a cannabis-derived extract believed to have therapeutic benefits, following a key vote by the state Senate on Monday.
Township merger bill fails without legislative vote
A proposal that would have forced government mergers on about 300 small Indiana townships has died in the Legislature without a vote.
Push for merging small Indiana townships nears House vote
Hundreds of Indiana’s least-populated townships face forced mergers with their neighbors in what would be the most significant overhaul of the local governments since a gubernatorial commission called for their elimination a decade ago.
Senate panel advances bill allowing more guns in church
An Indiana Senate panel has advanced a bill that would allow churches to let people to carry guns in more circumstances. The measure by Republican Sen. Jack Sandlin of Indianapolis was approved 5-2 Wednesday by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Civil forfeiture reform bill passes Senate
A bill that would overhaul Indiana’s civil forfeiture framework has passed the Indiana Senate. The legislation is in response to a federal court ruling that struck down part of Indiana’s civil forfeiture statute as unconstitutional.
Bill would limit sex offenders’ access to churches on school property
Serious sex offenders who attend church on a property that also houses an educational institution would be restricted in the amount of time they can spend at that church through a bill that passed an Indiana Senate committee Tuesday.
Bill expanding AG’s standing in settlements divides committee
A bill expanding the Indiana Attorney General’s ability to intervene in certain settlements that do not involve constitutional issues cleared a Statehouse committee Monday on a party-line vote. The measure advances to the full Senate.
Eliminating Indiana handgun carry permit fee could cost $11M
An Indiana legislative report estimates state and local governments would lose nearly $11 million a year in revenue under the proposed elimination of fees for lifetime handgun permits.
Indiana House panel backs bill raising smoking age to 21
Indiana's legal age for buying tobacco products would increase from 18 to 21 under a bill backed by a House panel.
Justices hear plea modification case as Senate acts on similar bill
Before 2014, it was a cut-and-dry issue: fixed-sentence plea agreements meant an offender would serve out the terms of their plea, with no chance to change it. But after 2014 legislation and a 2016 Indiana Court of Appeals decision, the Indiana Supreme Court must now decide whether such agreements may be modified.
Holcomb extends CBD oil order through legislative session
Gov. Eric Holcomb on Friday extended the moratorium on seizures of CBD oil from retailers’ shelves — as well Indiana State Excise Police’s education period on products derived from cannabis — while lawmakers consider bills regulating those products.