Bill roundup: Lawmakers wrap up budget, tackle final, thorny bills
Around 1:20 a.m. Friday, Indiana lawmakers approved the last bill of the session: the 2026-27 state budget. Here’s what happened with some of the bills we’ve watched this session.
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Public broadcasting support eliminated in newly passed Indiana budget
More than $7 million earmarked to support PBS and NPR affiliates across Indiana, including WFYI in Indianapolis, did not survive late changes to the state budget.
Indiana Legislature adopts tight budget with cigarette tax hike, widespread cuts
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.
Final legislative flurry includes bills on health care, absenteeism and school accountability
Thursday alone saw more than two dozen proposals sent to Gov. Mike Braun’s desk, including those dealing with education “deregulation,” pharmaceutical pricing and public retiree bonuses.
Last-minute budget addition gives Braun full control over IU board
The nine-member board serves as the governing body for the state’s largest postsecondary institution, overseeing major decisions related to policy, finances and leadership appointments.
Indiana lawmakers send hospital pricing legislation to Braun
The legislation threatens to strip the state’s largest hospital systems of their nonprofit status if their prices exceed state average prices.
Hamilton County to gain courts, Marion County to lose magistrates in bill headed to governor
The legislation is meant to reduce caseloads in some of the state’s fastest-growing counties.
Partisan school board bill narrowly avoids tie vote, goes to governor
Indiana is set to join the handful of states running partisan school board elections after a squeaker of a final vote Thursday—pending a decision from Republican Gov. Mike Braun.
Braun: State investigating possible ‘impropriety’ at IEDC, freezing venture capital funds
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.
Federal science cuts roil university labs, targeting bird feeder research, AI literacy work and more
Hundreds of university researchers had their National Science Foundation funding abruptly canceled Friday to comply with President Trump’s directives.
Slew of bills dealing with state contracts, health care, casinos and more head to governor
Among the bills sent to Indiana Gov. Mike Braun on Wednesday was a Senate Republican priority measure to increase transparency—and scrutiny—of state government contracts.
Lawmakers slash state economic development funding by 25% in budget compromise
The new budget proposal provides more funding for operations and business-promotion support for the Indiana Economic Development Corp., but cuts five funds and programs totaling $35 million.
Braun, Legislature plan to raise cigarette, tobacco taxes to fill budget gap
To further close the gap, leaders also said they would reduce planned spending for public health, higher education and government agencies.
Alexandria annexation bill signed into law
The legislation allows Alexandria to annex about 460 acres of noncontiguous land in Madison County, paving the way for an industrial park.
Stocks continue rally as China tariff cut considered
President Trump told reporters Tuesday that he planned to be “very nice” to China in any trade talks, and that tariffs would drop if the two nations were able to reach a deal.
Bill to boost energy generation, nuclear manufacturing moves to governor
The bill will expedite approval processes for large-load customers like data centers and create cost- recovery mechanisms for projects utilities take on to serve those big customers.
Governor signs 10 more bills into Indiana law
The legislation included a contentious parental rights proposal and one adding requirements for developers of long-haul water pipelines.
Trump says he has ‘no intention’ of firing Federal Reserve chief
The remarks marked a notable shift in tone from just a day earlier, when President Trump referred to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell as a “major loser” on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Musk says he’ll spend less time in Washington, more running Tesla after profit plunges
The electric vehicle maker reported a 71% drop in profit and a 9% decline in revenue for the first quarter.
Braun arranging for independent IEDC audit amid transparency concerns
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.”