Lawmakers spent hours in session this week passing several dozen lingering bills, including the budget and property tax reform, before the first-half deadline Thursday.
The state of Indiana receives more than $20 billion from the federal government annually, or 44% of its budget, and is the third-most reliant state on federal dollars.
In Tuesday’s committee hearing, conservative lawmakers defended the plan to add red tape and bureaucracy to the program against Hoosiers who were worried they’d lose their health coverage.
Gov. Mike Braun’s new initiative borrows from Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” slogan, which Kennedy, the U.S. health secretary, borrowed from President Donald Trump’s campaign.
The body opted to accept just three changes to House Bill 1001. Another 60-plus amendments, mostly from the chamber’s 10-member Democratic caucus, were rejected.
Gov. Mike Braun was joined by top Trump health officials Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Mehmet Oz as he introduced nine executive orders signed under his “Make Indiana Healthy Again” initiative Tuesday.
Hoosiers getting insurance under the Healthy Indiana Plan would need to log at least 20 work or volunteer hours a week with the state, a move that supporters hope will curb the program’s enrollment numbers.
The new budget proposal provides more funding for operations and business-promotion support for the Indiana Economic Development Corp., but cuts five funds and programs totaling $35 million.
The Indiana Legislature approved a pared-down $46.2 billion state budget bill early Friday morning that will triple the state’s cigarette tax and cut funding for a wide swath of entities and programs.
More than $7 million earmarked to support PBS and NPR affiliates across Indiana, including WFYI in Indianapolis, did not survive late changes to the state budget.
Around 1:20 a.m. Friday, Indiana lawmakers approved the last bill of the session: the 2026-27 state budget. Here’s what happened with some of the bills we’ve watched this session.
Gov. Mike Braun signed 243 bills into law during this year, including more than 60 on Tuesday. Here’s a rundown of some of the most significant pieces of legislation that made it through this year’s General Assembly.
