Lawmakers weigh freezing property assessments after successful appeals
Indiana lawmakers are considering legislation that would freeze property tax assessments for four years when a property owner wins an appeal.
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Attorney General Rokita gives up private-sector job after scrutiny
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, who drew criticism last month over his decision to retain employment with a health care benefits business while serving in his elected position, says he has “concluded” the private-sector job.
Indiana governor gets virus shot at state’s first mass clinic
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb sat wearing a face mask in the front passenger seat of an SUV while getting the shot in his right arm of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine being given during the drive-through clinic.
Senate begins considering Democrats’ $1.9T virus relief bill
Democratic leaders made more than a dozen late changes in their package, reflecting their need to cement unanimous support from all Democratic senators—plus Vice President Kamala Harris’ tie-breaking vote—to succeed in the 50-50 chamber.
Area projects land $11M in second round of state’s Next Level Trails program
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources on Thursday announced nearly $30 million in trail-development grants to 18 statewide recipients, with more than a third of that money going to projects in Marion, Hamilton, Boone, Hendricks and Hancock counties.
Todd Young announces Senate reelection bid
Young, 48, had widely been expected to seek another term and made it official on Twitter on Tuesday morning, saying “more work remains” to be done.
Fed dialing up pressure on Wall Street to ditch LIBOR
Banks have less than a year before the Fed has indicated it will stop allowing them to enter into new contracts pegged to LIBOR, a bedrock of the financial system being phased out by global policy makers.
Biden team readies wider economic package after virus relief
During the presidential campaign, Joe Biden pledged to deploy $2 trillion on infrastructure and clean energy, but the White House has not ruled out an even higher price tag.
Fraud overwhelms pandemic-related unemployment programs
In Indiana, Kentucky and Maryland, officials have said that for certain weeks in the new year, at least two-thirds of the claims they received were classified as suspicious due to problems verifying identities.
Democratic leaders explore penalties on businesses paying below $15 an hour
Democrats are searching for a way to revive their derailed drive to boost the minimum wage as part of the proposed $1.9 trillion package aimed at helping the country rebuild from the pandemic.
State seeks to regulate pharmacy benefit managers
Three bills advancing through the Indiana General Assembly would provide tighter regulation of pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs).
U.S. consumers boost spending 2.4% as income jumps
Friday’s report from the Commerce Department also showed that personal incomes, which provide the fuel for spending, jumped 10% last month, boosted by cash payments most Americans received from the government.
Finding consensus, struggling with conflict at legislative halfway mark
General Assembly has avoided COVID outbreak, but debated the budget and gubernatorial powers as tempers flared over racial issues.
Biden to order a review of U.S. supply chains for vital goods
The executive order will cover U.S. supply chains for large-capacity batteries, pharmaceuticals, critical minerals and semiconductors that power cars, phones, military equipment and other goods.
Tech firms say there’s little doubt Russia behind major hack
In the first congressional hearing on the breach, representatives of technology companies involved in the response described a hack of almost breathtaking precision, ambition and scope.
Black Indiana lawmakers seek reprimands after confrontations
The Indiana Black Legislative Caucus called Tuesday for lawmakers who sparked confrontations with Black legislators last week to face reprimands and for all lawmakers to undergo mandatory anti-bias training.
Indiana Senate passes bill to strip IndyGo funding, prevent rapid bus line expansion
Senate Bill 141 would withhold 10% of local income tax revenue from IndyGo until it meets a private fundraising threshold established in a 2014 law. It also would prevent IndyGo from moving forward with expansion projects, like the Blue and Purple lines, until it secures private funding.
EPA changes stand, sides with ethanol industry in court case
The federal government announced Monday that it will support the ethanol industry in a lawsuit over biofuel waivers granted to oil refineries under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Indianapolis planning to spend $190M to update public facilities
Each project would range from $7 million to as much as $40 million, with funding coming from bonds tied to an expiring pension levy.
Massive breach fuels calls for U.S. action on cybersecurity
The hackers, as yet unidentified but described by officials as “likely Russian,” had unfettered access to the data and email of at least nine U.S. government agencies and about 100 private companies, with the full extent of the compromise still unknown.