Bill would ditch barriers for minors at small wineries
A reinterpreted Indiana statute has created headaches for artisan distilleries and farm wineries, as well as tourists with children. A new bill aims to fix the problem.
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Redistricting changes unlikely in Indiana this year
An effort to change who is responsible for drawing Indiana's election maps is unlikely to gain approval this year after a legislative panel declined to take a vote on the issue.
House GOP seeks hourly fee for public records searches
The Indiana House has passed a measure that would bill journalists and the public $20 per hour rate for records requests under open government laws if they take more than two hours to complete.
Indiana House OKs road-funding plan with tax increases
The Indiana House has approved a road-funding plan that would raise the gasoline tax by 10 cents and increase vehicle registration fees to fund improvements to the state's infrastructure.
Senate panel fails to advance Terre Haute casino bill
State Sen. Jon Ford’s bill would have moved gambling slots from the Rising Star casino near Cincinnati to Terre Haute, his district, and allowed for the construction of a new gaming facility.
UPDATE: House GOP budget raises cigarette tax while funding some of Holcomb’s wish list
Raising the cigarette tax by $1 per pack would help pay for Medicaid spending and tobacco-cessation programs—and would help patch the $300 million annual hole in the budget created by the House’s road-funding plan.
Indiana Senate votes to override two Pence vetoes
The Indiana Senate has followed the House’s lead and voted to override two bills that former Gov. Mike Pence vetoed last year. The Senate’s votes Tuesday mean the bills become law.
Lawmakers weigh letting governor select state schools chief
Indiana is one of 13 states where voters elect the schools chief. The other 37 allow either the governor or the board of education to select someone to fill the position.
Lawmakers vote to restrict local Airbnb bans
The bill comes on the heels of Carmel’s recent decision to send letters to 28 residents who rent out their homes on Airbnb, stating that they are in violation of city zoning laws.
Gun licensing legislation sent to summer study committee
An Indiana House committee voted Tuesday to create a special summer committee to study the possibility of repealing an Indiana law requiring people to get a license before carrying a handgun.
S&P threatens to downgrade Indiana school debt
Citing concern about a state statute governing debt repayment, Standard & Poor’s said that it has placed a 90-day watch on the rating for loans to all Indiana school districts.
DuPont, spinoff to pay $671M in chemical leak case
More than 3,500 federal and state lawsuits allege that the DuPont Co. Washington Works plant, near Parkersburg, West Virginia, had dumped perfluorooctanoic acid into the Ohio River.
Audit: Anderson police department misplaces $16.2K in 2015
The state audit says the department didn’t have sufficient internal policies to ensure funds used for confidential drug buys were secure from loss.
Lawmakers weigh requiring helmets for minors on ATVs
An 11-year-old Indiana girl died in an all-terrain vehicle crash in 2015, and her mother has been pushing to change laws on helmets and safety education.
State seeks new funding for Pence’s bicentennial projects
The dilemma comes after Gov. Eric Holcomb said Thursday he would terminate a tentative deal to lease the state’s cellphone towers for potentially $260 million over 50 years.
Lawmakers advance plan for ‘competency-based’ CPA license renewal
Currently, the 10,000 CPAs in Indiana do 120 hours of continuing professional education every three years to renew their CPA licenses. The proposal could reduce learning time and boost comprehension.
Fountain Square eatery temporarily closed by state
The Asian restaurant that’s been closed since Feb. 1 isn’t set to reopen until Feb. 15, allegedly due to violating state tax code, according to a sign on the door.
From ISTEP to ILearn: GOP test plan clears first legislative hurdle
A proposal to replace ISTEP won approval from Indiana’s House Education Committee on Thursday, putting what is likely another nail in the deeply unpopular exam’s coffin.
Widely supported work-sharing bill dumped—again
The Indiana Chamber of Commerce, organized labor groups and a bipartisan group of lawmakers have for years pushed the Legislature to implement a work-sharing program.
Governor names Atterholt chief utility regulator
Jim Atterholt, a former lawmaker, most recently served as chief of staff to former Gov. Mike Pence. He is returning to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, where he previously served as chairman.