In 2018, 7.3 out of every 1,000 babies born in Indiana died in their first year of life, one of the highest rates in the nation. Last year, the rate dipped to 6.8 per 1,000.
The bill would undo a landmark Indiana Supreme Court ruling that affirmed that the shoreline of Lake Michigan is unquestionably owned by the state and held in trust for use by all residents.
A top legislative priority for House Republicans faced some push back this week from the very professionals lawmakers believed they would be helping with the measure.
A Democratic proposal to immediately boost Indiana teacher pay by $100 million a year by stretching out payments to a teacher pension fund was rejected Thursday by a Republican-controlled committee.
New state campaign finance reports filed Wednesday show Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb raised nearly $2 million in the last six months of 2019, leaving him with about $7.25 million in the bank for his 2020 re-election bid.
The discussion comes as state lawmakers try to strike a balance between growing the unemployment trust fund, which is used to pay benefits to unemployed Hoosiers, to comply with updated standards from the U.S. Labor Department while at the same time not burdening businesses with higher tax rates.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb is expected to talk during his annual State of the State speech Tuesday about a possible additional boost in school funding—just not one that would happen this year.
The vote came Monday after several failed attempts by House Democrats to amend the legislation and use the money for teacher pay bonuses and other “human capital” proposals, such as pre-kindergarten education and school safety.
Department of Revenue Commissioner Adam Krupp said he would bring “leadership, integrity and results” to the job as Indiana’s top lawyer. Incumbent and fellow Republican Curtis Hill has been accused of unethical conduct.
Adam Krupp—who has served in the gubernatorial administrations of Eric Holcomb, Mike Pence and Mitch Daniels—wants to replace embattled Republican incumbent Curtis Hill.
Legislators returned Jan. 6. Even though, as of that morning, only 11 House bills had been filed, committee hearings were underway in earnest (especially in the Senate, where the file list topped 200 bills).
Congress’ decision last month to raise the legal age to 21 has made opposing it on a state level moot, and Republican leaders of the Indiana House and Senate are endorsing proposals with tougher penalties.
Sen. Eddie Melton of Gary announced his candidacy in October, becoming the third Democrat to seek the party’s nomination to challenge Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb.
Like Gov. Eric Holcomb, Indiana Senate and House Republicans are focused on health care, education and spending one-time dollars on capital projects this year. But lawmakers have slightly different views on how those surplus dollars should be spent.
Republican Eric Holcomb has said he would wait for recommendations later this year from a teacher pay commission he appointed in February, but he told reporters Monday—on the first day of the legislative session—that might change with state tax revenues growing faster than expected.
The state’s lead economic development agency announced Monday that it secured nearly 300 development deals in 2019 that are expected to result in more than 27,000 new jobs.
