Corporate income tax plan hinges on budget hurdles
A tight Indiana budget could thwart efforts in the Indiana General Assembly to improve the state economic climate by lowering the corporate income tax.
A tight Indiana budget could thwart efforts in the Indiana General Assembly to improve the state economic climate by lowering the corporate income tax.
Republicans believed they were thwarted for much of the past decade by Democrat-drawn House maps — and Democrats are braced for the worst in return now that the GOP has solid majorities in the House and Senate.
Indiana lawmakers plan to set aside more money in the next two-year budget to help deal with unfunded pension liabilities, but experts warn the amount needed to pay retirees will only grow in the next 15 years.
All school board elections across Indiana would be moved to the November ballot under bills advancing in the state Legislature.
A House session scheduled for Thursday morning never took place as Democratic leader Pat Bauer Republican leader Brian Bosma discussed fines the Dems received for walking out on their jobs.
The GOP-led House voted 56-42 on Wednesday in favor of the bill that would use taxpayer money to help some parents move their children from public schools to private schools.
The Indiana House has approved a Republican-backed state budget plan that would keep overall education funding at current levels while making major shifts in the way money is divvied up among individual school districts.
Republicans in the Indiana House on Wednesday pushed through three labor-related bills that had drawn protests from Democrats during their five-week legislative walkout.
Cities and counties across the state would be prohibited from setting higher minimum wages under a bill approved by the Indiana House.
Sen. Ron Alting, R-Lafayette, the chairman of an Indiana Senate committee, said he might call for a vote on the proposal at the Senate Public Policy Committee's April 6 meeting, but that he likely wouldn't allow any amendments.
House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, said the five week "vacation" by House Democrats means lawmakers may have to work on Fridays and Saturdays. He said representatives would go with little sleep and eat sandwiches and pizza while working at their desks if necessary to get work done.
Indiana's Republican leadership is pushing ahead with a proposal that would be the nation's broadest use of school vouchers, allowing even middle-class families to use taxpayer money to send their kids to private schools.
The Indiana Senate on Wednesday overwhelmingly OK’d a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would ban gay marriage and civil unions.
More than 330 proposed amendments to the state budget bill were listed online as of Monday night, and Republican House Speaker Brian Bosma said more are pending.
Legislators from both parties threw cold water Thursday on optimism about a breakthrough ending the month-long boycott by Indiana House Democrats.
A bill signed by Gov. Mitch Daniels will create a type of auction among rural communities for young entrepreneurs graduating from some universities in the state.
The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the amendment on a 7-3 party line vote Wednesday, with Republican senators rejecting arguments that language prohibiting civil unions could threaten the ability of employers to offer domestic partner benefits.
Indiana University researchers say there is no economic incentive for lawmakers to exclude off-track betting facilities from a smoking ban under consideration in the Indiana Legislature.
A legislative stalemate in Indiana reached a political milestone on Tuesday as House Democrats stayed away from their jobs for a 30th consecutive day in what now ranks among the longest Statehouse boycotts in recent U.S. history.
House Speaker Brian Bosma directed Republican committee chairmen to hold meetings starting this week to discuss Senate bills, even though no official action or votes can be taken until Democrats return and provide the quorum required by the state constitution.