Holcomb again extends public health emergency in Indiana
Gov. Eric Holcomb on Wednesday signed executive orders extending Indiana’s public health emergency for the 21st time.
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Lawmakers formally file legislation to limit business vaccine mandates
More than 50 Indiana House Republicans have signed on to a bill filed for the 2022 legislative session that would restrict employer COVID-19 vaccine mandates and put in place actions to end the statewide public health emergency order.
Indiana lawmakers won’t return for one-day session on COVID-19 legislation
Republican legislative leaders have decided against bringing state lawmakers back for a one-day session on Monday to vote on a bill that would have restricted employer COVID-19 vaccine mandates and put in place actions to end the statewide public health emergency order.
For many, expedited bill to weaken vaccine mandates either goes too far or not far enough
A group of nurses who say they were suspended from Ascension St. Vincent for refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19 told Indiana lawmakers they hope new legislation will help them get their jobs back.
Indiana GOP bill stymies workplace COVID-19 vaccine mandates
Indiana’s governor held back Monday from supporting a proposal by fellow Republicans that would force businesses to grant COVID-19 vaccination requirement exemptions without any questions and block similar immunization rules set by state universities.
State lawmakers preview priorities at Chamber legislative event
Business tax cuts and nixing government-imposed vaccine mandates will be among the legislative priorities for Indiana Chamber of Commerce next year, and top GOP lawmakers mostly appear to be on the same page.
Could 2022 be the year for marijuana legalization in Indiana?
Eyes will once again be on Indiana next year to see if lawmakers will loosen the state’s marijuana laws as neighboring states continue to cash in on legal weed.
‘A blaring siren’ for Democrats after ruling halts DACA
Immigrants and advocates are urging Democrats and President Joe Biden to quickly act on legislation to protect young immigrants after a federal judge in Texas on Friday ruled illegal an Obama-era program that prevents the deportation of thousands of them brought into the U.S. as children.
DOJ offers states model for crafting ‘red flag’ legislation
In an effort to take control of the country’s gun violence problem, the U.S. Department of Justice has proposed a model for how states can craft “red flag” legislation to temporarily keep firearms out of the hands of people believed to be a danger to themselves or others.
Law enforcement struggles to recruit since killing of Floyd
Law enforcement agencies across the country experienced a wave of retirements and departures and are struggling to recruit the next generation of police officers in the year since George Floyd was killed by a cop.
Families urge legal changes to prevent more police killings
Parents and siblings of Black men killed by police urged people during a discussion in the city where George Floyd was killed a year ago to join them in pursuing legal changes they say can make similar deaths less likely in the future.
Census Bureau: 70% of voters cast ballots early or by mail
More than two-thirds of all U.S. citizens of the voting age population participated in the 2020 presidential election, according to a new U.S. Census Bureau report, and 69% of those cast ballots by mail or early in-person voting — methods that Republicans in some states are curtailing.
Biden’s declaration: America’s democracy ‘is rising anew’
President Joe Biden declared that “America is rising anew” as he called for an expansion of federal programs to drive the economy past the coronavirus pandemic and broadly extend the social safety net on a scale not seen in decades.
Red flags on Indiana’s red flag law
A mass shooting at an Indianapolis FedEx Ground facility earlier this month that killed eight employees and wounded five raised questions about whether more could have been done under Indiana’s red flag law to prevent the gunman from obtaining additional weapons after he had a firearm removed from his possession just over a year before.
Last-minute Statehouse gun reform efforts fail
With the Republicans having a supermajority, the Legislature has been consistent in passing bills that weaken restrictions on firearms. Legislation that Moms Demand Action and other organizations consider common sense, such as universal background checks and safe storage, face an uphill battle in the Indiana Statehouse.
Congressional panel votes to advance bill on slavery reparations
A United States House panel advanced a decades-long effort to pay reparations to the descendants of slaves by approving legislation Wednesday that would create a commission to study the issue.
Indiana House sends Lake, St. Joe judicial selection bill to Holcomb
Despite final pleas from Lake County Democratic lawmakers to kill a controversial judicial selection bill that one said treats their county and St. Joseph County “as stepchildren,” the Indiana House voted Wednesday to agree to Senate amendments, sending House Bill 1453 to Gov. Eric Holcomb.
IndyBar: Bill Watch Report for April 9 Now Available
Thanks to the help of Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, the IndyBar Legislative Committee is currently monitoring various legislation that could impact areas of practice or the practice of law. These reports can be viewed at indybar.org/billwatch.
Indiana Legislature OKs religious activities as essential
The Indiana Senate approved a bill Thursday that designates religious activities as essential services and prohibits any restrictions on them during a declared emergency.
Indiana panel drops contentious requirement from voting bill
A legislative committee has overhauled a contentious proposal to require Indiana voters to submit identification numbers with mail-in ballot applications.