Measure updating Adult Protective Services glides through committee
Improvements are on the way for Indiana's Adult Protective Services — the initiative protecting abused, exploited and neglected adults — after a 12-0 committee vote Monday morning.
Sen. Mike Crider, R-Greenfield, told committee members that the 'clean-up' bill removes 'antiquated' language and offers the Family and Social Services Administration more flexibility in drawing up contracts for Adult Protective Services.
Senate Bill 182 would specify that the entire chunk of Indiana Code dedicated to Adult Protective Services would apply to reports of suspected abuse, neglect and exploitation that are made by phone or online.
To report suspected abuse, neglect or exploitation of an endangered adult, call Indiana's toll-free hotline at 800-992-6978 or fill out an online form.
It would remove 'habitual drunkenness' and 'excessive drug use' from the list of conditions that might render adults incapable of taking care of themselves or their belongings — and at risk of harm. Left in the definition of an 'endangered' adult would be dementia, intellectual disability, mental illness and other incapacities.
'It's not something that requires an investigation of law enforcement as far as, are they being exploited financially or being harmed in some way by another individual? It's more considered self-harm,' Crider told the Capital Chronicle.
He said his bill's information-sharing provisions would make sure Hoosiers with substance abuse disorders are 'appropriately referred over to the Division of Mental Health and Addiction,' instead of the Division of Aging. FSSA houses both.
Others provisions would introduce a record-keeping minimum, let the Adult Protective Services unit restrict records releases 'to the extent that information … is needed to coordinate or implement services,' and require only an alleged victim's consent for release.
Crider said the proposal arose from previous, successful legislation letting FSSA contract out to other entities when county prosecutors didn't want to renew their contracts.
'A few issues came up as FSSA began to try to develop the contract language,' he said.
The bill removes language requiring the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council to concur on standards of practice and exceptions that currently allow for an Adult Protective Services unit or staffer to be appointed as the representative or guardian for an endangered adult. It also tweaks how cases are reported to law enforcement and others.
Crider said less than 2% of cases are referred for prosecution, and even fewer are prosecuted.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump's redistricting push meets local GOP resistance in Indiana
Indiana Republicans are casting doubt on whether they will move forward with a plan to redraw its congressional district lines despite pressure from the White House. Several GOP state lawmakers have come out against the effort, expressing concern about the precedent it could set for the future and possible backlash against the party. With Republican supermajorities dominating both chambers of the state Legislature, stopping the effort would require a significant number of Republicans to oppose it and ignore the Trump administration's call for it. But Indiana is already appearing to be a rare exception to most other GOP-led states much more enthusiastic about redistricting. 'I have tremendous respect for President Trump and love what he's doing,' said state Sen. Jim Lucas (R), who is one of a few on record against redistricting. 'But for Hoosiers, Indiana Republicans, to abandon their principles and basically take away the rules, that sets such a dangerous precedent moving forward and for our children.' 'What kind of political structure are we leaving for our children in the future if we all of a sudden, just because we can, decide to redistrict midcycle?' he said. Republicans appear to hold the advantage nationally in the redistricting battle. Though California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is moving forward with his own effort to rewrite his state's lines, the GOP, for multiple structural and practical reasons, has more realistic opportunities to add seats ahead of 2026. Texas Republicans seem likely to approve a new map shortly, while GOP leaders in Florida, Ohio and Missouri have shown a clear interest in trying to add seats to pad the party's House majority in 2026. But Indiana has been a question mark, with several Republicans preemptively releasing statements against updating the state's map. Republicans currently occupy seven of the state's nine seats in the U.S. House. Redrawn lines would likely have the biggest impact on Democratic Rep. Frank Mrvan, who represents the 1st Congressional District in the northwest and has already been named a national GOP target for 2026. 'It is no surprise that some believe redistricting is the only option to cling to power when they know the American people are rejecting the damage done by the House Republican Majority,' Mrvan said in a statement amid the speculation. But the political will may not be as strong in the Hoosier State as it appears to be in others. Along with Lucas, several other Republicans in the state Legislature said they don't support the redistricting effort, including state Reps. Danny Lopez and Craig Haggard, and state Sens. Jim Tomes and Spencer Deery. Lucas expressed concern that the move would damage the party's credibility, and he said he's received a lot of positive feedback from constituents in favor of standing on principle. 'There are some outliers … that think, 'Hey, we need to take the gloves off and do what the Democrats would be doing to us,' but I want to think we're better than that,' he said. 'I have faith in our policy and our principles and our ideology.' The positions of state legislators could be influential in whether Gov. Mike Braun (R) calls a special session to address redistricting. He has said he is 'considering it seriously' but would look to the results of Texas's efforts and the feelings of Indiana state lawmakers. With Republicans controlling 70 out of 100 seats in the state House and 40 out of 50 seats in the state Senate, many more Republicans would need to be opposed to redrawing the map to have enough votes, along with all Democrats, to block any change. But more Republican opposition might come out, said Republican strategist Pete Seat, a former communications director for the state GOP. 'We take great pride in how we draw our maps, and there's a lot of thought and effort that goes into it, into maintaining communities of interest and drawing districts that are compact,' Seat said. 'There are some states that come at it — despite what they might say — from a political perspective and trying to draw lines that achieve a political endgame, whereas we try to draw what makes sense and what keeps people with similar interests together.' 'What I've been hearing from the moment this conversation started is a lack of desire to go forward with re-redistricting, as I like to call it, for that reason, and for the reason that it's a lot of political capital to spend on one additional seat,' he added. Democrats said they appreciated the Republicans who have come out against redistricting and hope they can rally support to prevent any mid-decade change from occurring. State Senate Minority Leader Shelli Yoder (D) said the pushback has been bipartisan and represents Indiana's nature as being independent-minded. 'We are independent thinkers, and we can see this cheating behavior a mile away. So whether you are [a Republican, Democrat or independent] or go back and forth because you vote for the person, Hoosiers see this as a cheating agenda, as a cheating move,' Yoder said, adding that these Republicans recognize 'this isn't how we do things in Indiana, and we're going to do by right by the voters.' But even if the political will in Indiana is lacking, the push on the national level for the state to go forward is much stronger, with pressure appearing likely to build from the White House. Vice President Vance visited Indiana earlier this month for a private meeting with Braun and state legislative leaders as chatter built about redistricting possibilities. A source familiar with conversations between the White House and state leadership said they expect the state will ultimately go forward with redistricting with the urging from the president. They said the pressure from the administration will 'intensify' as time goes on, and they don't expect Braun, a Trump ally, to ignore it. 'There's certainly confidence that once the president really makes the case and leans into it, that you could convince and/or flip lawmakers to be supportive of the effort,' they said. The Hill has reached out to the White House and Braun's office for comment about the opposition to redistricting among the handful of Republicans. One key moment may be a meeting set to take place next Tuesday in which the White House invited all Republican Indiana state legislators to visit. The meeting was scheduled weeks prior, before Vance's visit, to discuss various issues, but Republicans said they could imagine the redistricting issue coming up. In another sign of the pressure mounting on GOP holdouts, Indiana's entire Republican delegation in the U.S. House released statements Monday declaring their support for the redistricting effort, saying it's necessary to overcome gerrymandering in Democratic-led states, while Sen. Todd Young (R) has previously raised some doubts about the idea. Meanwhile, some voters have received robocalls urging them to back redistricting to support Trump. Seat said he believes the calls are having the opposite effect, strengthening opposition to redistricting. But the source familiar with the White House's conversations said they don't see this letting up. 'In the conversations I've had with the White House, I don't see this slowing down at any point,' they said. If legislators and the governor say the political will isn't present to do this, 'I don't think the White House is going to consider that to be an acceptable answer,' they said. Julia Mueller contributed. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
10 hours ago
- The Hill
Trump's redistricting push meets local GOP resistance in Indiana
Indiana Republicans are casting doubt on whether they will move forward with a plan to redraw its congressional district lines despite pressure from the White House. Several GOP state lawmakers have come out against the effort, expressing concern about the precedent that it could set for the future and possible backlash against the party. With Republican supermajorities dominating both houses of the state legislature, stopping the effort would require a significant number of Republicans to oppose it and ignore the Trump administration's call for it. But Indiana is already appearing to be a rare exception to most other GOP-led states much more enthusiastic about redistricting. 'I have tremendous respect for President Trump and love what he's doing,' said state Sen. Jim Lucas (R) who is one of a few on record against redistricting. 'But for Hoosiers, Indiana Republicans, to abandon their principles and basically take away the rules, that sets such a dangerous precedent moving forward and for our children.' 'What kind of political structure are we leaving for our children in the future if we all of a sudden, just because we can, decide to redistrict mid-cycle?' he said. Republicans appear to hold the advantage nationally in the redistricting battle. Though California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is moving forward with his own effort to rewrite his state's lines, the GOP, for multiple structural and practical reasons, has more realistic opportunities to add seats ahead of 2026. Texas Republicans seem likely to approve a new map shortly, while GOP leaders in Florida, Ohio and Missouri have shown a clear interest in trying to add seats to pad the party's majority in 2026. But Indiana has been a question mark, with several Republicans preemptively releasing statements against updating the state's map. Republicans currently occupy seven of the state's nine seats in the U.S. House. Redrawn lines would likely have the biggest impact on Democratic Rep. Frank Mrvan, who represents the 1st Congressional District in the northwest and has already been named a national GOP target for 2026. 'It is no surprise that some believe redistricting is the only option to cling to power when they know the American people are rejecting the damage done by the House Republican Majority,' Mrvan said in a statement amid the speculation. But the political will may not be as strong in the Hoosier State as it appears to be in others. Along with Lucas, several other Republicans in the state legislature said they don't support redistricting now, including state Reps. Danny Lopez and Craig Haggard, and state Sens. Jim Tomes and Spencer Deery. Lucas expressed concern that the move would damage the party's credibility, and he said he's received a lot of positive feedback from constituents in favor of standing on principle. 'There are some outliers… that think, 'hey, we need to take the gloves off and do what the Democrats would be doing to us,' but I want to think we're better than that,' he said. 'I have faith in our policy and our principles and our ideology.' The positions of state legislators could be influential in whether Gov. Mike Braun (R) calls a special session to address redistricting. He has said he is 'considering it seriously' but would look to the results of Texas's efforts and the feelings of Indiana state lawmakers. With Republicans controlling 70 out of 100 seats in the state House and 40 out of 50 seats in the state Senate, many more Republicans would need to be opposed to redrawing the map to have enough votes, along with all Democrats, to block any change. But more Republican opposition might come out, said Republican strategist Pete Seat, a former communications director for the state GOP. 'We take great pride in how we draw our maps, and there's a lot of thought and effort that goes into it, into maintaining communities of interest and drawing districts that are compact,' Seat said. 'There are some states that come at it, despite what they might say, from a political perspective and trying to draw lines that achieve a political end game, whereas we try to draw what makes sense and what keeps people with similar interests together.' 'What I've been hearing from the moment this conversation started is a lack of desire to go forward with re-redistricting, as I like to call it, for that reason, and for the reason that it's a lot of political capital to spend on one additional seat,' he added. Democrats said they appreciated the Republicans who have come out against redistricting and hope they can rally support to prevent any mid-decade change from occurring. State Senate Minority Leader Shelli Yoder (D) said the pushback has been bipartisan and represents Indiana's nature as being independent-minded. 'We are independent thinkers, and we can see this cheating behavior a mile away. So whether you are [a Republican, Democrat or independent] or go back and forth because you vote for the person, Hoosiers see this as a cheating agenda, as a cheating move,' Yoder said, adding that these Republicans recognize 'this isn't how we do things in Indiana, and we're going to do by right by the voters.' But even if the political will in Indiana is lacking, the push on the national level for the state to go forward is much stronger, with pressure appearing likely to build from the White House. Vice President Vance visited Indiana earlier this month for a private meeting with Braun and state legislative leaders as chatter built about redistricting possibilities. A source familiar with conversations between the White House and state leadership said they expect the state will ultimately go forward with redistricting with the urging from the president. They said the pressure from the administration will 'intensify' as time goes on, and they don't expect Braun, a Trump ally, to ignore it. 'There's certainly confidence that once the president really makes the case and leans into it, that you could convince and/or flip lawmakers to be supportive of the effort,' they said. The Hill has reached out to the White House and Braun's office for comment about the opposition to redistricting among the handful of Republicans. One key moment may be a meeting set to take place next Tuesday in which the White House invited all Republican state legislators to visit. The meeting was scheduled weeks prior, before Vance's visit, to discuss various issues, but Republicans said they could imagine the redistricting issue coming up. In another sign of the pressure mounting on GOP holdouts, Indiana's entire Republican delegation in the U.S. House released statements Monday declaring their support for the redistricting effort, saying it's necessary to overcome gerrymandering in Democratic-led states, while Sen. Todd Young (R) has previously raised some doubts about the idea. Meanwhile, some voters have received robocalls urging them to back redistricting to support Trump. Seat said he believes the calls are having the opposite effect, strengthening opposition to redistricting. But the source familiar with the White House's conversations said they don't see this letting up. 2024 Election Coverage 'In the conversations I've had with the White House, I don't see this slowing down at any point,' they said. If legislators and the governor say the political will isn't present to do this, 'I don't think the White House is going to consider that to be an acceptable answer,' they said.
Indianapolis Star
2 days ago
- Indianapolis Star
Controversial timber sales begin in Hoosier National Forest, despite Gov. Braun's objections
The U.S. Forest Service kicked off timber sales in the Hoosier National Forest this week despite resistance from advocacy groups and Gov. Mike Braun, who called the federal project 'misguided.' The timber auction is part of a controversial forest management plan called the Houston South Project — an initiative the USFS says will promote tree growth, reduce disease and move the landscape toward "desirable conditions." Local environmental advocates have been suing the agency to halt operations since 2020, saying the project could jeopardize the quality of drinking water 130,000 Hoosiers rely on in Lake Monroe. But the project is plowing ahead, despite local outcry and direct pleas from Braun to halt the project. The Forest Service declined to immediately comment to IndyStar's request, instead asking for one to two weeks to respond. 'Inaction is not a viable option for ensuring long-term forest health and sustainability,' Chris Thornton, the Hoosier National Forest District Ranger, wrote in a March 2025 statement. He pointed to the history of human impact on the landscape and the growing stress of climate change and invasive species. 'There is no option available that 'lets nature fix itself.'' The project includes prescribed burns on 13,500 acres of forest and permitting timber harvests on another 4,300 acres across the next 10-15 years. Braun, who tried to conserve large swaths of the forest during his time in the Senate, indicated he isn't done working to halt the project. He said he has other ideas for management of the forest. 'The fact that they've started it doesn't mean that they'll necessarily complete it, and I'm sure there might be some other actions to try to stop it,' Braun told IndyStar. 'When something is that mismanaged as a federal asset, it might be smarter to be managed here from Indiana.' Local environmental advocates also disagree with Thornton's assessment. Groups worry the potential erosion from the project could exacerbate existing water quality issues at Lake Monroe, which is the primary water source for people in the Bloomington area. Fertilizers, manure, sediment and septic system leakage from the surrounding watershed can seep into the lake during rainfall, introducing nutrients like phosphorous and nitrogen into the water. These excess nutrients, plus stagnant water and warm temperatures all seem to increase the frequency of toxic algal blooms, according to Lake Monroe's watershed management plan. The blooms can be harmful to the health of children, pets and wildlife, as well as alter the taste and odor of drinking water. The real pain point, according to Sherry Mitchell-Bruker, a hydrologist and president of Friends of Lake Monroe, is the accumulation of contaminants coming in from every direction. The vast watershed of Lake Monroe, which spans 441 square miles, makes it hard to pinpoint one specific source of pollution. 'Everything that's happening in the watershed is contributing to the problems in the lake,' she said. The Indiana Forest Alliance, Monroe County Board of Commissioners, Hoosier Environmental Council and Friends of Lake Monroe filed a lawsuit in 2023 — the second suit in a growing feud between locals and the USFS — citing concerns about how the steep slopes near Lake Monroe made the area especially susceptible to erosion as trees are felled and the logs pulled away. Prior reporting from IndyStar showed Hoosier National Forest officials decided to move forward with the project in 2024 after determining it would have no significant impact on Lake Monroe's water quality. 'Historically we've monitored our past projects and found (best management practices) to be 96.5% effective,' Thornton was quoted as saying in the article. 'And while that's not perfect, that's still a pretty good grade, and I can assure you that water quality is so very important to us.' Mitchell-Bruker isn't convinced the Forest Service gave appropriate consideration to broader runoff problems. 'They have done a very minimal analysis that does not take into consideration of the cumulative effects on the watershed,' she said. 'They're going to have erosion. I mean, they can work to control it and depending on how well they enforce their best management practices, how lucky they are with the weather, it may work out well.' But it also has the potential for catastrophe, Mitchell-Bruker added. 'Once you've added those extra nutrients into the lake, it's hard to get rid of them. We don't have any magic tool to just pull out those nutrients away, and so we can't afford to make mistakes.' At an auction last week in Tell City, the Paoli-based company Andis Logging had the highest and only bid for the 39 acre timber lot. A Forest Service employee said at the auction the agency would hold the bid for a few days to make sure more bids postmarked before the deadline don't arrive late through the mail. Jeff Stant, the former executive director of the Indiana Forest Alliance, went to the auction to protest the sale, and he said he visited the plot of timber on his way home. 'The last thing we should be doing," he said, "is logging on steep slopes that are right in the watershed.' Stant also voiced concerns the premise of the project isn't aligned with what he views as good forest management. 'They think that they have to do this logging and burning for the forest and its health,' he said. 'And we think that they're completely wrong in those conclusions. The forest is taking care of itself.' As the project chugs along, advocates for the forest are still trying to find ways to halt the planned logging and burning. Braun said he wants the Forest Service to listen to him and the people who live near the forest and use it. 'To me, it's a classic case of something being managed poorly from afar, and we need to change,' he said. When asked if he is planning any taking further steps to intervene, the governor said: 'I'm a resourceful individual, so I'll find out what the other options are.' IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
