Senate Republicans strip down key Indiana House bills in second half of session
Republican leaders of the House and Senate say they are optimistic they’ll find compromises before the Legislature adjourns in March.
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Indiana lawmakers endorse easing rules on nursing schools
The state Senate voted 48-0 on Thursday in favor of allowing nursing schools to increase enrollment and hire more part-time instructors if they have a high percentage of graduates passing the national nursing licensing exam.
State lawmakers approve expanding tax refund eligibility
Indiana House members joined the Senate in approving a bill allowing about 450,000 people who don’t have enough income to owe any state taxes to also be eligible for the $125 refund payments.
Indiana House committee strikes Senate’s attempt to ban ‘marijuana light’
Lawmakers in the Indiana House nixed an effort by some Senate Republicans to ban the sale of a popular derivative of hemp at levels that can give users a high.
Indiana lawmakers step back ‘curricula transparency’ bill
Indiana state senators on Wednesday also moved forward with a separate bill that would ban transgender women and girls from participating in K-12 school sports that match their gender identity.
Indiana Senate panel waters down vaccine bill, prompting businesses to support it
Lawmakers in the Senate struck language from the House GOP’s employer vaccine mandates bill that would have forced employers to accept any religious exemptions without further question.
Michigan Senate votes to cut income, corporate tax rates
Republicans who control the Michigan Senate on Tuesday passed a $2.5 billion annual tax cut, voting to lower income and corporate rates while letting people claim a credit for their children and deduct more retirement income.
Indiana Senate committee strips all tax cuts out of House proposal
Republicans in the Indiana Senate gutted House Republicans’ plan for $1 billion in tax cuts within minutes of the bill’s first hearing in the Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee on Tuesday.
Hoosier Lottery could need legislative OK for online games
Indiana lawmakers are looking to block the Hoosier Lottery from starting online games or ticket sales without their permission.
Whetstone, former state lawmaker turned lobbyist, seeks return to the Legislature
Republican Matt Whetstone of Brownsburg has filed to run in the open Indiana House District 25 in Hendricks and Boone counties. He joins three other Republicans in a crowded primary race.
Indiana lawmakers turn down changes to mail-in voting rules
The proposal would have required voters who requested mail-in ballots to swear under possible penalty of perjury that they wouldn’t be able to vote in person at any time during the 28 days before Election Day.
Lawmakers lay groundwork for electric-vehicle infrastructure
House Bill 1221 outlines parameters for utility regulators to use when considering utilities’ proposals for constructing charging stations and setting consumer rates for their use.
Legislation attempts to ban sale of ‘weed light’ in Indiana
Delta-8 THC, called “weed light” by some, essentially gives a weaker high than marijuana. A derivative of the compound has been selling briskly at hemp and CBD shops around the state in the form of gummies, candy and wax concentrate, thanks to a legal gray area in current state and federal law.
McGuinness stepping down as chief of Indiana Department of Transportation
Mike Smith, deputy commissioner and chief financial officer for INDOT, will succeed Joe McGuinness.
Crackdown on incentives proposed after Indiana virtual school controversy
Indiana lawmakers want to tighten restrictions on schools offering incentives to attract students, after an unusual virtual program advertised a $1,700 stipend for school supplies, music lessons and Netflix subscriptions.
Huston exits College Board job as controversy brews over education bill
Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston said he left the job to focus on his responsibilities at the Legislature. His office said his departure was unrelated to pending legislation.
IBJ Podcast: Is nuclear power headed to Indiana?
IBJ reporter John Russell joins the podcast to talk about why the Indiana Legislature is consider a proposal that could help clear a path for smaller, modular nuclear reactors to be located in Indiana.
Nuclear power could get a second chance in Indiana
Some once-leery states, including Indiana, are taking a new look at nuclear power as a way to preserve jobs and help decarbonize the electric grid.
Educated workforce, clean energy, hefty incentives keys to megadeals
Despite Indiana’s economic development successes, industry experts say the state must do more to attract multibillion-dollar megadeals like ones other states have recently landed.
‘Innovation districts’ could attract high-tech projects
Senate Bill 361 would make it possible for the Indiana Economic Development Corp. to create districts across the state to capture sites for large-scale economic development projects.