Illinois absorption, prosecutors crackdown and local road funding bills head to Indiana governor
The House gavel and sound block sit in a basket of legislative documents atop the rostrum on Monday, April 14, 2025. (Leslie Bonilla Muñiz/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Indiana legislation to study the absorption of secessionist Illinois counties heads to Gov. Mike Braun after a successful concurrence vote Thursday, along with measures to examine 'noncompliant' prosecutors and expand local funding options for transportation infrastructure.
'I think it's been a great opportunity to talk about all the great things going on in Indiana, and to say … we'd love to have that conversation,' Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, told reporters.
His House Enrolled Act 1008 would create an Indiana-Illinois Boundary Adjustment Commission tasked with exploring the absorption of Prairie State counties that have already voted to secede. Since 2020, 33 counties have passed such 'advisory referenda,' with seven of those votes occurring in the most recent general election.
Originally, Illinois would've had to appoint members for the commission to convene. Now, it must meet by September — with or without Prairie State representation.
'That's their choice whether they want to participate or not,' Huston said, shortly after the 64-23 concurrence vote.
House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne criticized the measure as a 'publicity ploy,' and argued the secessionist counties would sink Indiana finances instead of contributing revenue.
A proposal punishing public prosecutors who 'categorically refuse to prosecute' criminal laws also crossed the finish line Thursday, on a 60-20 concurrence vote in the House.
House Enrolled Act 1006 initially would've also boosted the number of qualified special prosecutors available for appointment and offered partial reimbursement for prosecutors, defenders and more.
But those came with price tags, so the Senate stripped them out.
Now, it mainly creates a prosecutor review board that will scrutinize prosecutors and issue reports to the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council on those labeled 'noncompliant.' But it no longer requires that funding be withheld.
And a complex transportation funding measure avoided negotiations — contrary to Senate expectations — when it earned a 69-19 concurrence vote in the House.
House Bill 1461 would change up the popular Community Crossings Matching Grant Program, raise the speed limit on Interstate 465, let communities tap into excess township funds and ease barriers to tolling, among numerous other provisions.
Opponents largely cited the tolling provisions as problematic, complaining about the impact to residents and local streets.
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
Axios
26 minutes ago
- Axios
Freshman wishlist: Adam Schiff vs. Trump 2.0
Sen. Adam Schiff has some advice for President Trump when attempting to demean him: Pick one nickname. Why it matters: Schiff rose to cable TV stardom as an anti-Trump foil while leading the first impeachment. "Shifty Schiff" or "Watermelon Head" learned to give as good as he got. Trump called Schiff names. Schiff ensured he was impeached — twice. "[T]he cardinal rule of nicknames is: Just stick with one," Schiff told Axios in an interview. Schiff translated his MAGA notoriety into a safe Senate seat, first battling through a tough, expensive primary. Now he's ready for round two with Trump. "I've been thrust back into a lot of that responsibility again because what he's trying to do in the second term is even worse than what he tried to do in the first term," Schiff said. Zoom out: Before Trump dominated the national conversation, Schiff considered himself a fairly nonpartisan national security expert. He endorsed Jim Mattis for Secretary of Defense in 2016 when other Democrats didn't. Schiff had hoped for another rebrand in the Senate. "I was expecting a Biden or a Harris presidency, and the ability to just focus exclusively on what positive things I could get done," he told Axios. What to watch: He is enjoying visiting redder areas of the state after spending years representing just a slice of heavily Democratic Los Angeles. He shared about one such visit in the state's northeast. "I knew I had made progress when one of the farmers looked at me and said, 'I don't know why he calls you watermelon head. You have a perfectly normal-sized head.'" But it's doubtful he'll revert back to a less partisan posture, given the direction of Trump's second term. Driving the news: Two days after our interview, Trump deployed National Guard troops to tamp down on ICE protests in Los Angeles in opposition to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.). "This action is designed to inflame tensions, sow chaos, and escalate the situation," Schiff posted on X on Saturday. He also repeatedly called for violence to stop at protests. "Assaulting law enforcement is never ok," he posted Sunday. Zoom in: Schiff tried to pass a resolution shortly before our interview to stop the administration from stripping civil rights leader Harvey Milk's name from a Navy ship. He has demanded financial disclosures from the White House, written letters to stop DOGE from shutting down USDA offices and tried to block the repeal of EV rules. "Most of my days are spent trying to walk this line between stopping the administration from violating the law and ignoring the Constitution on the one hand," Schiff said, "and continuing to deliver for Californians..." Schiff recognizes that his clashes altered his career trajectory. "I have my brand pre-Trump and my brand post-Trump," Schiff told Axios. Between the lines: Schiff's leadership in the House's first Trump impeachment made him a mortal enemy to Trump and his allies, leading to a "weirdly personal" dynamic, Schiff said.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Sen. Mike Lee, House conservatives demand changes to Trump's tax bill
WASHINGTON — Fiscal conservatives are demanding a number of changes to the Republican-led reconciliation package, including the elimination of some provisions that were key to getting the bill through Republicans' slim majority in the House last month. The House Freedom Caucus began circulating a memo Monday evening outlining dozens of changes to the tax package, which passed the House in a narrow 215-214 vote in late May. The bill is now being considered by the Senate, but House conservatives have made it clear they are not satisfied with the final product — and are demanding their colleagues in the upper chamber make edits. 'Through the negotiations in the House and the hard work of the President and the White House, we took significant steps to improve the reconciliation package known as 'One Big Beautiful Bill,'' the memo reads, according to a copy obtained by the Deseret News. 'However, there remain substantial concerns and a great deal of misinformation circulating about the bill. … Below, please find specific recommendations for the Senate to deliver a product we can pass in the House.' At the top of the list — underneath a headline that reads: 'The Senate Needs to Improve the House OBBB' — the fiscal conservatives are demanding Senate Republicans find deeper spending cuts than those included in the current resolution. The tax reconciliation package currently allows for up to $3.7 trillion in tax cuts over the next decade, according to projections from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. However, the bill includes only $1.3 trillion in spending cuts to offset those costs, raising concerns among Republicans that the package will raise the national debt. While GOP leaders, including Utah Rep. Blake Moore, argue the report doesn't factor in the economic growth that will likely come from the tax cuts tucked into the package, members of the Freedom Caucus say 'savings are backloaded and are subject to the whims of a future Congress, heavily affected by future policy changes and tax extensions, and unlikely to fully occur.' Notably, the conservatives are also demanding the Senate scale back an agreed-upon increase to federal deductions for state and local taxes paid, also known as SALT. Republican leaders offered to increase the current deduction cap to $40,000 — up from the current $10,000 limit — for individuals who make $500,000 or less a year. That cap would then increase by 1% every year over the next decade and remain permanent after that period. The policy mostly affects high-tax states, but the changes were made to appease a group of blue-state Republicans who repeatedly threatened final passage if a higher deduction was not included. Members of the House Freedom Caucus have pushed to undo that deal, arguing it 'disproportionately benefits high-income households in high tax (Democrat-run) states,' according to the memo. That's unlikely to go over well with the faction of New York Republicans who spent months negotiating a SALT increase. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., who helped lead that charge, has warned for weeks that if the Senate changes the numbers, he and his fellow New York Republicans would reject the bill. 'Cool. Good luck with that,' Lawler said in a post on X shortly after the memo was released. The memo also urges Senate Republicans to 'hold the line' on certain provisions included in the House version, including language that would fully repeal green energy credits passed by the Biden administration through the Inflation Reduction Act. 'Hold the line on the House OBBB reforms to significantly strengthen the rollback of IRA subsidies for wind and solar to end during President Trump's term — otherwise they will inevitability be renewed as in the past,' the memo states, 'and, by that point, the grid will become generally unreliable with no quick fixes to inevitable widespread unaffordability and power outages.' That demand comes in response to a push by some Republicans in the Senate — including Utah Sen. John Curtis — who want to preserve some of the clean energy tax incentives in the IRA, arguing they are crucial for Trump's agenda to remain energy independent. Conservatives are similarly pushing for deeper cuts to Medicaid benefits, outlining specific changes that would 'protect the most vulnerable' while addressing 'money laundering, fraud, and abuse.' Suggested language would be to implement specific definitions to crack down on Medicaid coverage for undocumented immigrants as well as stricter work requirements for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. The demands come as Senate Republicans have hinted at major changes to the House-passed reconciliation bill — with some suggesting to ease the deep spending cuts already passed while others have argued the package does not go far enough. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has been at the forefront of demanding those changes, telling the Deseret News that 'everyone understands there are going to be some modifications made to the House bill.' 'Nobody believes that the House bill, unadorned, unmodified, is going to pass,' he said. For example, Lee supports maintaining the full repeal of the IRA green energy credits as well as cracking down on illegal immigrants relying on Medicaid. Meanwhile, the president is telling the Senate to 'make the changes they want' — sending mixed messages as Republicans consider alterations to the budget framework advancing policies on the border, energy, national defense and tax reform. Some of the hard-to-convince lawmakers hope their stubbornness will ward off any of their Senate colleagues from making drastic changes, noting the drawn-out process in the House should deter them from doing so. 'I think after seeing how painful of a process this is and how difficult it is to get anything through this side, I think that will send a strong message in the Senate that you can't really change it,' Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., a member of the Freedom Caucus, told the Deseret News last month. Contributing: Brigham Tomco
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Lawmakers disagree over medical marijuana picks
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — There was friction aplenty on Monday about should be on the latest version of the South Dakota Legislature's Medical Marijuana Oversight Committee. Just three of panel's 11 members will be returning from last year's group — medical doctor Francine Arneson of Sioux Falls, addiction counselor Kristi Palmer of Sturgis and Sioux Falls police chief Jon Thum. Teen sentenced to 20 years for fentanyl death The Legislature's Executive Board makes the appointments. Lawmakers voted 15-0 for the first nominee, Republican Sen. Lauren Nelson with no discussion. But after that, there was a lot of disagreement. The appointment of Republican Sen. John Carley went through 9-6, with nays from Republican Rep. Mellissa Heermann, Republican Rep. Brian Mulder, Republican Sen. Randy Deibert, Republican Sen. Steve Kolbeck, Democratic Sen. Liz Larson and Democratic Rep. Erin Healy. The dissension further surfaced when Healy nominated Republican Rep. Terri Jorgenson. Republican Rep. Scott Odenbach called for Republican Rep. Josephine Garcia instead. Odenbach, the House Republican leader, said he had conversed by text with several applicants from the House and they eventually settled on Garcia and Republican Rep. Travis Ismay as those applicants' preferences. Garcia went through on a 9-6 vote, drawing nays from the same lawmakers as Carley had. Odenbach next nominated Ismay, who has repeatedly tried to derail South Dakota's medical marijuana program, after nearly 70% of voters approved it in the 2020 election. 'There's no doubt Representative Ismay is a passionate person on this issue,' Odenbach said. Healy said she didn't want to appoint someone opposed to medical marijuana. Emmett Reistroffer, representing Genesis Farms, a medical marijuana producer with retail outlets in various communities, spoke against Ismay's appointment. Reistroffer claimed that Ismay has used profanity at times in describing the medical marijuana industry and wouldn't meet with its lobbyists. 'We just feel this nomination is not appropriate,' Reistroffer said. Healy reminded other Executive Board members that it was up to the board to make the appointments. 'Ultimately, we are here for a reason and we need to make the best decision that we can,' she said. Kolbeck noted that the Legislature a few years ago came up with the current slots for the committee when some lawmakers were trying repeal the program altogether. 'It's how it should run,' Kolbeck argued, saying the board shouldn't appoint someone who isn't willing to respect the voters' wishes. Mulder then nominated Republican Rep. Bobbi Andera instead. Republican Sen. Tom Pischke said Andera was very busy with other things in her life and questioned whether she didn't apply because 'she doesn't have the bandwidth to serve' on the panel. Both Mulder and Republican Rep. Aaron Aylward said they had texted with Andera last week and she confirmed her interest. Reistroffer, representing Genesis Farms, told the lawmakers he was 'relieved' to hear Andera's name, describing her as 'fair' and said she 'listens.' He added that she was the only legislator to attend the medical marijuana industry's briefing earlier this year and said she sometimes voted yes and sometimes voted no on their proposals. Odenbach said he thinks well of Andera but she didn't apply and he said that was why he would vote against her. The board's chair, Republican Rep. Jon Hansen, the House speaker, said he had promised to support Ismay's nomination but also thought that Andera would make a great member. Republican Sen. Ernie Otten also said he couldn't support Andera. 'Without any application no,' he said. Andera nonetheless was appointed 10-5, with nays from Republican Rep. Spencer Gosch, Odenbach, Republican Sen. Jim Mehlhaff, Otten and Hansen. The board voted 11-4 for Dr. Arneson, with nays from Gosch, Hansen, Mehlhaff and Republican Sen. Chris Karr, the Senate's top member. The skirmishing seemed to have ended with 15-0 votes for physician assistant Andrew Schock of Hill City, certified nurse practitioner Julie Bostic of Hartford, police chief Thum, Meade County Sheriff Pat West and counselor Palmer. But the board split again on who should serve as the committee's qualifying patient — someone who is a current cardholder. Karey Entwisle of rural Canistota drove to the meeting at the Capitol accompanied by her father, a U.S. Marine who served two tours in Vietnam a half-century ago and now suffers from kidney disease. She wanted the qualifying patient seat. Mehlhaff questioned whether Entwisle had a conflict of interest because her husband operates Pitbull Acres, a state-licensed cultivator of medical marijuana. Entwisle minimized her role there. 'I'm strictly by the books providing facts,' she said. However, research after the meeting by KELOLAND News of public records on file with the South Dakota Secretary of State office found only her name listed as organizer for Pitbull Acres. Entwisle spoke of her father, who was in a wheelchair. 'This plant has been healing him,' she said. Mehlhaff asked her again how she would compartmentalize the roles of qualifying patient and spouse of a licensed cultivator. 'I am focused on the facts and the situation,' she replied. Karr wanted someone else. He offered Nicholas Cardova instead, saying, 'I just think it's cleaner to avoid any potential conflicts.' The majority of board members disagreed, splitting six for and nine against Cardova. Reistroffer, from Genesis Farms, was invited to the witness mic to address the board a third time. He said he'd gotten to know Entwisle during the past year. 'Clearly she supports the relief her father is finding,' he said. Then Reistroffer spoke from a broader perspective. 'This entire (medical marijuana) committee is stacked from top to bottom. She's the only one we've got,' he said. Mehlhaff said it was important that Entwisle had addressed the conflict question. 'I think she would be a good candidate,' he said. He had served on the panel the past two years and clearly wasn't a supporter of some of the ways that the medical marijuana industry conducts business in South Dakota. Mehlhaff said it was easy for medical marijuana to bleed over to recreational marijuana and he was 'comfortable' that Entwisle would try to minimize that as much as possible. With that, the board voted 14-1 — with only Karr saying nay — for her appointment. In other appointments on Monday, the board chose: Circuit Judge David Wheeler, a former senator from Huron, to fill an opening on the state Code Commission; Brett Koenecke, from the May Adam law firm in Pierre, and Thomas Geu, a former dean at the University of South Dakota law school, to continue serving on the national Uniform Law Commission; and Michael Anderson of Watertown to the state Investment Council. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
