Biden commutes roughly 1,500 sentences, pardons 39 people in biggest single-day act of clemency
The outgoing president said he would be taking more steps in the weeks ahead and would continue to review clemency petitions.
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Gov.-elect Braun selects pharmacy leader as health secretary
Dr. Gloria Sachdev will oversee four major state agencies: the Department of Health, the Family and Social Services Administration, the Department of Child Services and the Department of Veteran Affairs.
Holcomb, IEDC cap off year with record $39.1B in expected private investments
The investment total continues a trend of record-breaking years for the IEDC. The state has improved its annual total every year since Gov. Eric Holcomb took office (with the exception of 2020 due to the pandemic.)
FBI Director Wray says he intends to resign before Trump takes office in January
Christopher Wray said at a town hall meeting that he would be stepping down “after weeks of careful thought,” roughly three years short of the completion of a 10-year term.
Teacher pay, more funding top requests by Indiana’s largest teachers union
The Indiana State Teachers Association, which represents roughly 40,000 Hoosier educators, released a priority agenda on Tuesday—just weeks before state lawmakers are set to return to the Statehouse.
Judge blocks ‘right of first refusal’ law on electric transmission projects as MISO readies to OK bids
U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt ruled that an act signed into law by Gov. Eric Holcomb in 2023 that gives local utilities the right of first refusal on electric transmission projects discriminates against interstate commerce.
Biden threatens veto as House considers Young-backed bill to ease federal judge shortage
Republicans in the U.S. House say they will consider a bipartisan bill co-authored by U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-Indiana) to ease federal judicial shortages across the country, including in Indianapolis, but President Joe Biden is threatening to veto the measure.
Indiana’s Medicaid expansion ‘trigger’ law could affect coverage of 754K Hoosiers
Roughly two-thirds of Indiana’s total Medicaid budget is covered by the federal government. For the 2024 fiscal year, that amount came to nearly $13.5 billion, compared to the $3.7 billion from state coffers.
Gov.-elect Braun names secretary of energy and natural resources
Regional power grid leader Suzanne Jaworowski has been chosen to serve as Indiana Gov.-elect Mike Braun’s secretary of energy and natural resources.
Michigan Dems look to future that some hope includes ex-South Bend mayor Buttigieg
Pete Buttigieg, who moved to Traverse City, Michigan, soon after his unsuccessful presidential campaign in 2020, hasn’t ruled out the possibility of running for Michigan governor.
Nippon Steel clarifies spending pledge in effort to save U.S. deal
Nippon Steel is seeking to allay concerns over job security at plants that use traditional blast-furnace production from iron ore as part of its pending $14.1 billion takeover of U.S. Steel.
TikTok asks court to pause law that could shut down app next month
The company said the Supreme Court should have an opportunity to wade into the matter given it is an “exceptionally important case” that could force a shutdown of “one of the Nation’s most popular speech platforms.”
Indiana Gov.-elect Braun appoints public safety secretary
Jennifer-Ruth Green, a combat veteran and deputy commander of the 11th Operations Group at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, brings military and cybersecurity experience to the role.
Curtis Hill’s civil trial called off after parties agree to dismiss case
Dismissal of the case would appear to bring to a close more than six years of legal entanglements that former Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill has faced since a state lawmaker and three staffers accused him of inappropriately touching them at a party.
Rokita calls for changes to lawyer disciplinary rules in aftermath of conduct complaints
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is seeking new safeguards to protect himself and other lawyers from what he calls frivolous and politically-motivated disciplinary complaints.
Soaring Medicaid expenses foreshadow tough decisions but Braun says he won’t cut program access
Lawmakers are holding their collective breath in anticipation of Dec. 17 forecasts for tax receipts and Medicaid needs that will determine how they’ll proceed with writing the state’s next two-year budget and funding priorities like education.
Federal appeals court upholds law requiring sale or ban of TikTok in the U.S.
The U.S. has said it’s concerned about TikTok collecting vast swaths of user data that could fall into the hands of the Chinese government through coercion.
Policy agenda, secretary pick refine Braun’s vision for economic development
The governor-elect’s plans include creating a consolidated workforce development strategy and adding a new entrepreneurship office.
Hoosier Survey shows support for key policy areas across partisan divide
Ball State University’s 2024 Hoosier Survey revealed Indiana residents’ top three policy priorities headed into the new year: school safety, public safety and health care.
Gov.-elect Braun announces leadership picks for commerce, education
David Adams, a former state workforce development commissioner, will be Indiana’s next secretary of commerce in Indiana Gov.-elect Mike Braun’s administration, while current Secretary of Education Katie Jenner will continue to lead the state’s education system.