Electric-vehicle subscription service launched in Indianapolis market
The service started by the parent company of Indianapolis Power & Light offers monthly subscriptions that cover use of a car, plus all insurance and maintenance costs.
Legislature
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Judge dismisses women’s lawsuit accusing Curtis Hill of sexual harassment
U.S. District Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson said that because the women—a state lawmaker and three legislative staffers—didn’t work for Hill, they can’t sue him under federal laws meant to prevent workplace discrimination and retaliation.
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Senate passes bill to prevent companies from requiring employees to be microchipped
A bill that would prohibit businesses from using the implantation of some type of tracking or identification device as a condition of employment is headed to the governor.
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Merritt shifts focus to poverty after mayoral run
Sen. Jim Merritt says his run last year for Indianapolis mayor has made him a better senator—one who’s more in touch with his constituents and who has seen the city’s poverty and crime problems firsthand.
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Health care bills unlikely to remedy cost crisis
Republican leaders of the Indiana General Assembly and Gov. Eric Holcomb have made addressing high health care costs a top priority this year, but the bills proposed to do so are unlikely to have much direct impact.
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Articles
Governor, House speaker say they’re committed to fully funding schools
But the leader of the Indiana Senate doubles down on his statement that he can’t guarantee full funding for schools that don’t offer an in-person option for students.
Holcomb says he remains confident he can impose mask mandate, despite AG’s opinion otherwise
The Republican governor’s comments came a day after he announced the requirement, which is to take effect Monday, and less than a day after Attorney General Curtis Hill said the governor did not have the authority to enforce a mandate.
Lawmakers start debating possibilities for a virtual or hybrid 2020 legislative session
At issue is how to meet obligations under the Indiana Constitution that lawmakers hold a session in 2021—and meet at the capitol building—as well as the need to let the public participate in the process.
Two senators who asked for AG opinion say they won’t sue to stop Holcomb’s mask mandate
Attorney General Curtis Hill said in an advisory opinion—requested by five Republican senators—that state law doesn’t give the governor specific authority to require face coverings or to create penalties for failing to wear a mask. The opinion came just a few hours after Holcomb said a statewide mask mandate would take effect on Monday.
State could see $3B-$4B revenue shortfall in two-year budget—about 10% of what it planned to spend
Tax revenues for fiscal year 2020 were already off by $1.2 billion by the end of May, an amount that is expected to grow to $1.7 billion to $1.8 billion before the fiscal year ends June 30.
Union-connected PAC spends thousands to defeat candidate who represents non-union contractors
Believe in Indiana, a political action committee connected to the Indiana State Building & Construction Trades Council, has spent more than $51,000 to run TV commercials that criticize JR Gaylor, CEO of the Associated Builders and Contractors of Indiana and Kentucky, who is running against Scott Baldwin in the Senate District 20 primary.
Holcomb signs coal, panhandling and teacher evaluation bills into law
The governor also signed legislation that will eventually put more money into the state’s unemployment trust fund, a move that comes as the coronavirus outbreak has led to a jump in unemployment claims.
Short session was packed with activity
Indiana lawmakers were only at the Statehouse for 10 weeks, but they debated plenty of topics.
Effects of pandemic will slam state, local tax receipts
A former Senate budget writer said the hit to the state budget could be bigger than during the Great Recession, when state revenue dropped 15% over two years.
Ed Feigenbaum: How would General Assembly meet during times of crisis?
It was a fortuitous decision by legislative leaders heading into January to seek adjournment sine die by March 11 or 12.
Legislature passes controversial bill to block new Indy landlord-tenant rules
The provision emerged at the Statehouse last month as a last-minute attempt to block the Indianapolis City-County Council from implementing two ordinances designed to protect tenants from predatory landlords.
Legislature proves it’s unafraid to meddle in Indianapolis affairs
Just in the past month or so, lawmakers have debated proposals to prohibit cities from regulating landlord-tenant relations, allow the attorney general to step in when a local prosecutor decides not to pursue a case, and cut funding to IndyGo—which might stop construction of future bus rapid-transit lines.
Indiana Senate approves bill that could cut IndyGo funding
House Bill 1279, authored by Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, initially only addressed a regional development group in northwest Indiana. But an amendment sought to put teeth in a 2014 state law that required IndyGo to raise private dollars to help finance its mass transit operations.
Indiana House supports language that could remove AG Hill from office
Indiana lawmakers are trying to send a message to Republican Attorney General Curtis Hill: If he loses his law license, even through a temporary suspension, he could be forced out of office and prevented from seeking re-election.
Ed Feigenbaum: State’s longest-serving House speaker prepares to turn over gavel
House Speaker Brian Bosma is turning control over to Rep. Todd Huston, who isn’t wedded to policies of the past simply because they were justified when enacted and once worked.
Bill could strip IndyGo of millions of dollars, halt future work on Purple, Blue lines
Sen. Aaron Freeman, the Indianapolis Republican and former city councilor who authored the legislation, said his goal is not to cripple the bus system’s operations but to hold IndyGo accountable to a 2014 law that required it to fund some of its operations with private funds.
Indiana panel backs ban on drivers using handheld phones
A state Senate committee voted 8-1 Tuesday to endorse the bill that only permits cellphone use with hands-free or voice-operated technology, except in emergencies.
Ed Feigenbaum: Opposition doesn’t stop bill to protect coal plants
One senator says calls and emails from constituents have outnumbered contacts on any other bill this session.
Ed Feigenbaum: Two issues threaten to disrupt more mundane work
Each year, one item seems to arise unexpectedly—innocently or intentionally—that seems to consume, as Statehouse denizens observe, all the time and calories.