Indiana lawmakers came roaring into their 2012 session with a battle over right-to-work legislation. Now they are leaving quietly with a new statewide smoking ban, changes to the state's education system and rules giving homeowners the right to forcibly keep police from entering their homes.
The Indiana House voted Thursday night to approve a statewide smoking ban bill, setting up a vote Friday in the state Senate on whether the restrictions will be on their way to becoming law.
Legislators finished work Wednesday without an agreement yet on just how comprehensive a statewide smoking ban they might adopt and without the support of a major police group for a proposal laying out when residents might be legally justified in using force against police officers.
Indiana lawmakers are working toward final agreement on several tax and spending issues in the last days of this year's legislative session.
The Indiana House has given final legislative approval to a proposal toughening state laws that prohibit businesses from selling synthetic stimulants nicknamed "bath salts" or other drugs that mimic marijuana.
The governors of Indiana and Kentucky on Monday agreed to use tolls to pay for two new Ohio River bridges and a revamped Interstate 65 bridge over the river, all in the Louisville metropolitan area.
Legislators began negotiations Monday toward a compromise on proposed statewide smoking restrictions, with a leading supporter of a comprehensive ban saying the bill shouldn't prevent cities and counties from adopting tougher ordinances.
The loss of hundreds of years of experience in the House, including the top Republican and Democratic budget writers, has some worried that paid lobbyists could gain an even heftier role within the General Assembly.
Gov. Mitch Daniels said Friday he will accept a weakened smoking ban if that’s what it takes to get some sort of smoke-free measure approved in his final year as governor.
Legislators have approved changing Indiana law to shield people from arrest on alcohol charges if they seek out medical help for someone who is intoxicated.
Indiana senators fearing a backlash from conservatives scuttled an expansive education proposal this week after it was amended to grant in-state tuition to illegal immigrants already enrolled in state schools.
The Indiana Senate voted 41-5 Thursday in favor of the bill giving the state Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission the power to regulate stages and other temporary structures.
For all the bluster a statewide smoking ban sparked at the beginning of the 2012 legislative session, the version Indiana lawmakers may end up approving seems little more than a wisp of smoke.
State senators allocated more state money for victims of the Indiana State Fair stage collapse and full-day kindergarten as part of a broad spending plan approved Wednesday.
Indiana senators are ready to begin tinkering with a proposal to ban smoking statewide in some private establishments.
All large, temporary outdoor stages like the one in last summer's deadly Indiana State Fair collapse would face temporary state inspection standards under a bill approved Monday by the Indiana House.
Parents across Indiana weary of paying sometimes-hefty fees for their children to attend full-day kindergarten classes could soon catch a break.
The House Transportation Committee discussed a resolution Wednesday that would have urged the federal government to hold hearings on switching the entire state from eastern time to central time.
International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 says a suit being filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Hammond claims the right-to-work law violates the federal and state constitutions.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 6-3 Wednesday in favor of the bill that would give judges discretion on whether to order the person filing a frivolous lawsuit to pay the farm’s court costs and attorney fees.
