Chronic absenteeism and Cumberland carve out on legislative agenda
The big picture: Priority bills dealing with property taxes, health care costs and the state's two-year budget aren't on any agendas yet, but plenty of other issues are getting hearings.
Here are the bills we're watching this week:
🧩 Carving out Cumberland
House Bill 1131 would exclude the town of Cumberland from Marion County's "unigov" system.
Driving the bill: Cumberland straddles Marion and Hancock counties, so the quarter of residents living in Marion County are subject to different rules and services.
It will be heard in the House Local Government Committee at 8:30am Tuesday.
🏠 First-time homebuyers
House Bill 1519 would create a new fund to provide downpayment assistance and other financial help for qualified first-time homebuyers.
It's on the docket for the House Financial Institutions Committee at 10:30am Tuesday.
Why it matters: Indy's hot housing market is still challenging for young people, low- and middle-income families and first-time buyers.
🟢 Chronic absenteeism bills keep moving
House Bill 1201, which seeks to identify common reasons behind absenteeism and provide support for students and schools, passed the House Education Committee unanimously last week.
Senate Bill 482 includes some of the same language and was heard in the Senate Education Committee last week. It should get a vote on Wednesday and is expected to pass.
Between the lines: Lawmakers have been discussing chronic absenteeism for the last several years after a report showed that nearly one-quarter of Hoosiers kids were chronically absent from school.
⏳ Shutting down "spinning" on hold
For the second year in a row, lawmakers are trying to crack down on "spinning," but the bill is hung up in the Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee.
How it works: Senate Bill 13 would outlaw spinning your car in a circle, also known as doing doughnuts, a practice that's become part of the illegal street takeovers plaguing IMPD.
A similar bill passed the Senate last year but wasn't taken up by the House.
It's on the committee's agenda again, scheduled for 9:30am Tuesday.
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Indianapolis Star
9 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana loses $130 million as EPA cancels low-income solar program
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In announcing his intent to cancel the solar program in a video posted to his social media accounts, Zeldin said the agency is adhering to the recently passed federal reconciliation bill and acting as a 'great steward' of taxpayer dollars. But he made no mention of environmental stewardship — a central tenant of the agency. 'Since being signed into law on Independence Day, EPA has been diligently working to implement President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill in accordance with congressional intent,' Zeldin said. The reconciliation bill Indiana Senators Jim Banks and Todd Young, as well as Indiana's entire Republican delegation to the U.S. House, voted to approve repealed the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund that oversaw the Solar for All program. 'EPA is taking action," Zeldin said, "to end this program for good.' Zeldin has spent his tenure as EPA's administrator rolling out an onslaught of deregulatory actions. He visited Indianapolis in July to announce the "largest regulatory action in the history of the United States" with the repeal of the endangerment finding, and earlier this year in May he announced large cuts to his own agency. When the Solar for All program was established at the EPA in 2023, two coalitions formed to bring some of that money into Indiana — one a statewide group, the other a multi-state partnership. The EPA awarded the statewide group, Solar Opportunities Indiana, about $117 million to 'solarize low-income homes while transforming the market in Indiana by creating new financial products and incentives that jumpstart solar for low-income residents, new affordable housing developments, and more,' according to an April 2024 statement from EPA. The multistate award went to the Industrial Heartland Solar Coalition. This group united 31 communities across the Midwest and Rust Belt to begin building out residential rooftop solar. The statewide Solar Opportunities Indiana program was part of the Indiana Community Action Association, a not-for-profit group assisting low-income Hoosiers, and was overseen by Alison Becker, program director at Solar for All. The group had been in the planning stages since December and was putting together proposals to hire contractors and gearing up for a marketing campaign when the EPA pulled the plug. 'We were so close to the tipping point of things happening,' Becker said. 'There was so much time, effort and energy to make it work throughout the state.' The loss of this money impacts between 6,000 and 7,000 homes, Becker said. There also was money budgeted for work force development to create and train workers for high-paying jobs to install the solar projects. The Solar for All program already had signed contracts for the grant money, and Becker said that money is considered obligated under federal law, though Zeldin said the agency no longer has the authority to distribute those funds after the reconciliation bill was signed into law. The EPA's decision to pull back these funds likely will result in several lawsuits. The termination agreement gives groups 21 days to dispute the decision, Becker said, and several states and some grant recipients are looking at potential litigation. 'All of those decisions still have to be made, or it's simply winding down operations and not continuing operations anymore,' Becker said. One group working under the SOI umbrella was Black Sun Light Sustainability, which is focused on reducing harmful emissions and advancing clean energy projects in Indiana. Denise Abdul-Rahman, founder and CEO of the group, said Zeldin's announcement was a disappointment and missed opportunity. 'It's a really sad day for communities in need of energy affordability,' Abdul-Rahman said. Black Sun Light hired staff members to help with the statewide program before federal dollars were taken off the table. They were tasked with researching resiliency hubs and were working with groups like the United Methodist Women on identifying project locations in Indiana. The hubs would have provided communities with relief during power outages and given people with medical needs such as oxygen machines and refrigerated insulin the electricity they need, Abdul-Rahman said. The City of Indianapolis was involved with both the statewide program and the wider Heartland program. Mo McReynolds, director of Indy's Office of Sustainability, said some of the federal money was going toward a 5-megawatt solar array on city property. The grant would have supported the feasibility study for that project, which would have brought rates down to help households with high energy costs. The city was also using Solar for All funds to implement individual projects on single- and multi-family homes. Indy residents benefitting from the program would have seen around a 20% reduction of their energy burden, McReynolds said. Joe Bowling, executive director with the Englewood Community Development Corporation, had sent a letter of support for Indiana winning these awards to Schalk at Solar United Neighbors. Bowling and the CDC have an affordable housing program on Indy's near east side that manages about 400 homes. "I believe we need to do all we can to create a lot more energy," Bowling said, "and if we can do that on rooftops at the point of consumption with renewables that do not pollute the air or warm the environment, that seems like a good thing." The large upswing of data centers coming to Indiana is creating an increasingly large demand for energy in Indiana, and Bowling said closing off opportunities to create more energy is a bad idea. Bowling also noted many Hoosiers are already feeling a financial squeeze by utilities as rates increase, and residents living on fixed Social Security incomes are going to have an increasingly difficult time keeping up with rent and rising electricity prices. "Solar for all was going to benefit low-income grandmas living on very little income," Bowling said. "That's whose interests we would live to see served." Schalk and Solar United Neighbors were providing technical support for the statewide program. The loss of money is a loss to struggling families as they face electric bills going up, Schalk said. A recent report from Citizens Action Coalition shows Indiana saw, on average, the largest utility bill increases this past year since at least 2005. Shannon Anderson, director of advocacy at Earth Charter Indiana, also had been working on getting this money to Indiana communities since the program began in 2023. She and other Indiana groups are wondering where they might find other types of funding, but nothing will match the federal dollars that were pulled away. 'My biggest heartbreak is that so many of us worked so long to come to a place where we cleared all kinds of hurdles and promised to use this money in a way that we feel is not just most accountable to the EPA and to taxpayers, but to our own consciousness,' Anderson said. Solar for All would have provided benefits to historically underserved neighborhoods, Anderson said, and those communities are already dealing with the some of the state's worst air quality. 'It would be wonderful to see new programs come into Indiana in the wake of this,' Anderson said. "People who often experience legacy pollution are really served beyond just financial saving with the environmental benefits of solar energy.' While Zeldin's announcement left Anderson bereft, she is not ready to give up and encourages Hoosiers to reach out to their federal representatives. 'As summers get hotter, people who might have to make financial decision to turn off their AC and that could be difference between life and death for them,' Anderson said. 'I can't underscore how important programs like this could be in that equation.' IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
The EPA wants to roll back climate regulations. Here's how Hoosiers can have a say
Hoosiers have limited time to voice their opinions as the U.S. EPA prepares to roll back rules meant to curb the effects of greenhouse gas emissions. The announcement in Indianapolis last month to rescind a major climate rule was one of the Trump administration's many pushes to deregulate major greenhouse gas polluters — in this case, the transportation industry. And with a rich history of auto manufacturing, Indiana stands to benefit, according to a statement made by U.S. Rep. Jim Baird during the announcement. Meanwhile, Americans will become more vulnerable, said Shannon Anderson, the director of advocacy at Earth Charter Indiana. While greenhouse gas emissions are not directly toxic to human health, they are the driver behind human-caused climate change, which is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of natural disasters across the globe. 'People sometimes feel like climate change is a problem that's coming later, but we're starting to experience it now,' Anderson said. She pointed to extreme heat events and increased flooding across the continent. Sam Carpenter, the executive director of the Hoosier Environmental Council, warned denial of climate science is bad for individual Hoosiers, communities, and the economy. The EPA has regulated greenhouse gases for over 15 years, but now the agency wants to quash a 2009 ruling that anchors its ability to fight climate change. The agency will no longer regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants or oil and gas operations. And all greenhouse gas standards for new motor vehicles and motor vehicle engines will be repealed, according to the EPA. Before the ruling is finalized, the public has until Sept. 15, 2025, to submit comments on the proposal. Indiana's role in greenhouse gas emissions Indiana's greenhouse gas emissions — which come from compounds like carbon and methane — are hefty compared to similar states. Indiana releases the most energy-related greenhouse gases per capita in the Midwest and eighth in the nation, according to the HEC. About 21 percent of Indiana's total emissions come from the state's transportation sector. But as a desire to mitigate climate change impacted consumer choice and federal policy, like the Inflation Reduction Act, Indiana became a leader in electric vehicle manufacturing. Related industries now employ over 240,000 Hoosiers. The repeal of greenhouse gas emission standards could reduce the incentives helping Indiana pursue electric vehicles and battery manufacturing. 'We were starting to get a foothold in the U.S. under the Inflation Reduction Act, and Indiana has benefited mightily from those investments,' said Carpenter of HEC, nodding to the state's push toward clean energy. 'That's all being kind of pushed away through the current stance of denial on climate change. And so, it really has impacts on our health, on our communities, and in our economy.' How to get a word in Despite the agency's new stance on regulating greenhouse gases, 74 percent of Americans think that carbon dioxide should be regulated as a pollutant, according to the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Anderson thinks the EPA will soon have to face the masses during the required public comment period, where the agency must consider input before the ruling is finalized. 'We know there are so many Americans who stand with us on this issue, and it won't even take all of them to speak out on this, but as many as possible that are willing to just take a minute to write a public comment, to send a message to their legislators, that can be tremendously powerful,' Anderson said. The EPA is "going to have to acknowledge that they are flying in the face of overwhelming public consensus.' The public can submit written comments to the EPA through an online portal, email or by mail. Earth Charter Indiana also created a toolkit to help Hoosiers find out how to comment and contact their elected officials. Comments are due Sept. 15, 2025. IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. Sophie Hartley is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach her at or on X at @sophienhartley. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: The EPA is rescinding climate regulations. Here's what that means for you Solve the daily Crossword
Indianapolis Star
a day ago
- Indianapolis Star
The EPA wants to rollback climate regulations. Here's how Hoosiers can have a say.
Hoosiers have limited time to voice their opinions as the U.S. EPA prepares to roll back rules meant to curb the effects of greenhouse gas emissions. The announcement in Indianapolis last month to rescind a major climate rule was one of the Trump administration's many pushes to deregulate major greenhouse gas polluters — in this case, the transportation industry. And with a rich history of auto manufacturing, Indiana stands to benefit, according to a statement made by U.S. Rep. Jim Baird during the announcement. Meanwhile, Americans will become more vulnerable, said Shannon Anderson, the director of advocacy at Earth Charter Indiana. While greenhouse gas emissions are not directly toxic to human health, they are the driver behind human-caused climate change, which is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of natural disasters across the globe. 'People sometimes feel like climate change is a problem that's coming later, but we're starting to experience it now,' Anderson said. She pointed to extreme heat events and increased flooding across the continent. Sam Carpenter, the executive director of the Hoosier Environmental Council, warned denial of climate science is bad for individual Hoosiers, communities, and the economy. The EPA has regulated greenhouse gases for over 15 years, but now the agency wants to quash a 2009 ruling that anchors its ability to fight climate change. The agency will no longer regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants or oil and gas operations. And all greenhouse gas standards for new motor vehicles and motor vehicle engines will be repealed, according to the EPA. Before the ruling is finalized, the public has until Sept. 15, 2025, to submit comments on the proposal. Indiana's greenhouse gas emissions — which come from compounds like carbon and methane — are hefty compared to similar states. Indiana releases the most energy-related greenhouse gases per capita in the Midwest and eighth in the nation, according to the HEC. About 21 percent of Indiana's total emissions come from the state's transportation sector. But as a desire to mitigate climate change impacted consumer choice and federal policy, like the Inflation Reduction Act, Indiana became a leader in electric vehicle manufacturing. Related industries now employ over 240,000 Hoosiers. The repeal of greenhouse gas emission standards could reduce the incentives helping Indiana pursue electric vehicles and battery manufacturing. 'We were starting to get a foothold in the U.S. under the Inflation Reduction Act, and Indiana has benefited mightily from those investments,' said Carpenter of HEC, nodding to the state's push toward clean energy. 'That's all being kind of pushed away through the current stance of denial on climate change. And so, it really has impacts on our health, on our communities, and in our economy.' Despite the agency's new stance on regulating greenhouse gases, 74 percent of Americans think that carbon dioxide should be regulated as a pollutant, according to the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Anderson thinks the EPA will soon have to face the masses during the required public comment period, where the agency must consider input before the ruling is finalized. 'We know there are so many Americans who stand with us on this issue, and it won't even take all of them to speak out on this, but as many as possible that are willing to just take a minute to write a public comment, to send a message to their legislators, that can be tremendously powerful,' Anderson said. The EPA is "going to have to acknowledge that they are flying in the face of overwhelming public consensus.' The public can submit written comments to the EPA through an online portal, email or by mail. Earth Charter Indiana also created a toolkit to help Hoosiers find out how to comment and contact their elected officials. Comments are due Sept. 15, 2025. IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
