Medicaid, prior authorization to be major topics for Legislature in 2025
What little new revenue is expected over the next two years likely will be swallowed up by Medicaid costs as lawmakers work to craft the state’s next budget.
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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 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.
Senate Democrats elect new minority leader after second round of sexual harassment accusations
After Sen. Greg Taylor of Indianapolis denied three new sexual harassment allegations, he was replaced as Senate minority leader by Sen. Shelli Yoder of Bloomington.
Hoosier Survey says safety, health care are top policy concerns for 2025
Notably, the study found the priorities are shared across political affiliations, according to Dr. Kevin Smith, interim director of the Bowen Center and associate dean of Ball State’s College of Sciences and Humanities.
Dems decline to pursue a recount in a tight central Indiana race
Incumbent Republican Rep. Becky Cash of Zionsville barely kept her seat earlier this month, winning by 64 votes.
Web exclusive: Dentons conference helps attorneys prepare for 2025 legislative session
On Dec. 18, Dentons 33rd Annual Legislative Conference will help lobbyists, policymakers and others prepare for the financial push and pull that every budget-writing legislative session brings.
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 Republicans reelect legislative leadership following Election Day victories
Indiana Senate Republicans re-elected Sen. Rodric Bray of Martinsville as Senate president pro tempore. Separately, Indiana House Republicans stuck with Rep. Todd Huston of Fishers to serve a second full term as speaker.
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.
Statehouse races to watch around Indianapolis, suburbs
A handful of competitive races could change who represents Indianapolis metropolitan residents at the Indiana Statehouse.
Push to end statute of limitations for sex crimes brings support, hesitancy
In Indiana, the majority of sex crimes have a five-year statute of limitation, with exceptions granted for newly discovered DNA evidence, a recording or a confession.
More parents objecting to books in school libraries under new process, librarians say
School librarians say they are facing more community challenges to books in their collections since a new state law that took effect in January required local school systems to set up a process to field such complaints.
‘Delinquent’ public pension stewards present improvement plans to lawmakers
Two units of local government with “delinquent” pension plans told lawmakers Monday that they’d find ways to bridge the shortfalls. The Fort Wayne Public Transportation Corporation, known as Citilink, and Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office both had to state their cases.
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.
Interim panel hears testimony on signal jammers with ‘terrorism’ potential
Until June, Vanderburgh County Sheriff Noah Robinson hadn’t considered the kind of havoc signal jammers could wreak upon law enforcement operations.
13th checks distributed to more than 160,000 public retirees
The Indiana Public Retirement System last week finished disbursing almost $60 million to more than 160,000 retired former public employees.
ACLU files new lawsuit over SEA 202, citing policies at Purdue, IU
The ACLU of Indiana filed a new lawsuit over SEA 202, a law requiring professors to be disciplined for not fostering “a culture of free inquiry, free expression, and intellectual diversity,” citing policies recently enacted at Purdue University and Indiana University.