Update: Document reveals ethics concerns before Indiana cabinet secretary resignation
Jennifer-Ruth Green called the allegations “baseless” and attributed the issues to “politically motivated leaks designed to assassinate my character.”
Jennifer-Ruth Green called the allegations “baseless” and attributed the issues to “politically motivated leaks designed to assassinate my character.”
In the past week, Braun has also accepted the resignation of his IEDC executive director and appointed a new leader of the Office of Utility Consumer Counselor.
Earlier this year, Gov. Mike Braun signed an executive order directing state leaders to establish a unified regional framework for economic and workforce development.
Jeff Blade has served as the Indiana Economic Development Corp.’s executive director for less than a year.
The state said it would have “incurred” those costs whether or not Braun had used the Indiana State Police helicopter, because those flight hours were necessary to meet federal requirements.
The Republican governor’s statements came on the heels of a string of shootings involving youth in the city’s core, including one on July 5 that killed two minors, and just before Indianapolis hosts WNBA All-Star Weekend.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management identified a handful of regulations that could clash with a gubernatorial order to eliminate “unduly burdensome” or costly rules, though nearly all of them appear to be relatively minor tweaks.
The Governor’s Office confirmed that agencies under both the education and commerce verticals announced staff reductions on Tuesday. The Indiana State Museum also let go of several employees last week.
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.
The bipartisan bill requires the IEDC to be more transparent when it makes large land purchases for major projects like the massive LEAP business park in Boone County.
Commerce Secretary David Adams announced last week that the state had frozen funds earmarked for Elevate Ventures, but he did not outline specific concerns about the nonprofit or its operations.
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.
The actions stem from growing concerns over how the state conducts economic development activities, how much it spends on those activities and how transparent it is about its business.
To further close the gap, leaders also said they would reduce planned spending for public health, higher education and government agencies.
Gov. Mike Braun told IBJ on Tuesday that his office was finalizing the details of an independent audit of the state’s economic development agency: “Hoosier taxpayers deserve clear accountability for how their dollars are spent.”
Gov. Mike Braun’s new executive orders require the state to develop a statewide water inventory and management plan, and establish a body that will spearhead efforts to reclaim rare earth elements from legacy coal byproducts.
An updated revenue forecast presented to the Budget Committee projected the state’s revenue will flatline from 2025 to 2027.
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.
The governor and legislative leaders have for weeks gone back and forth on the key components of Senate Bill 1.
The Governor’s Office singled out the Indiana Economic Development Foundation, which supports IEDC travel and business-attraction efforts, for failing to produce years of transparency reports.