Latest news with #Bill1393
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Session process shuts out Hoosiers
The Indiana Statehouse - adorned with scaffolding for a roofing project - on March 28, 2025. (Niki Kelly/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Editor of the Indiana Capital Chronicle Niki Kelly recently shared why the end of the legislative session is her least favorite season. Kelly wonders why the democratic processes that are embraced throughout most of the session are thrown out at the end, particularly through amendments with new or unpopular bill language. However, we argue that this is not just an end of session issue or a shortcoming of the current crop of state legislators, it is by design. This institutional arrangement largely shuts out the very people it claims to represent – the people. We have a deeper understanding of this concept after we were fortunate enough to team-teach a course, Applied Political Philosophy, at the University of Indianapolis. By training, one of us is a political scientist (Shufeldt) and the other a philosopher (Davidson). Lawmakers and their terrible, horrible, no good, very bad end of session Our students started by reading political philosophy, including works from Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, John Stuart Mill, Isaiah Berlin, and John Rawls. We encouraged them to think about what gives the government its legitimacy, the appropriate uses of power, and what constitutes a compelling government interest. In a democracy, many of these ideas revolve around the idea of the 'consent of the governed.' To apply these ideas, students tracked and analyzed bills throughout the legislative session. They were free to pick any legislation they wanted and were encouraged to identify bills they supported or opposed. We did not impose any restrictions or parameters – their selected bills ranged from relatively obscure (but important) to more controversial, contentious pieces of legislation (like House Bill 1393 or Senate Bill 10). Like our students, any Hoosier can track legislation to better understand the legislative process. The IGA website has vastly improved over the years allowing citizens to watch committee hearings or discussion in the House or Senate. Our students were able to report on the progress of their bills from the comfort of their dorm rooms. The website is relatively up-to-date, giving everyday citizens the ability to see vote outcomes, a schedule for each day, and current bill language and amendments. Moreover, the media landscape in Indianapolis – in no small part thanks to nonprofit newsrooms like the Indiana Capital Chronicle – allows citizens to stay informed about what is happening at the statehouse. However, being informed and being able to participate in democracy are not the same. Indiana has what political scientists call a 'citizen' or part-time legislature. Session began in January and recently concluded. This part-time calendar has a host of consequences – it affects who is able to serve (especially young people), it artificially speeds up aspects of the legislative process, and leads to large, omnibus pieces of legislation covering far too many topics alongside the inclusion of unpopular ideas without being vetted by committees, but perhaps most problematically – it makes it more difficult for everyday citizens to play a role in the legislative process. We equipped our students with the knowledge they need to engage in citizen lobbying. We led them through the process of scheduling a meeting: sending an introductory email, making daily follow-up phone calls, and looking out for legislators once we arrived at the statehouse. Of our seventeen students, fourteen were able to have at least one meeting with an elected official (or their legislative assistant) on their own or to join a classmate in their meeting, and we are eternally grateful to the elected officials who took time to speak with our students. CONTACT US However, the casual relationship with time at the state capitol shuts out everyday voters. Many students lamented the near radio silence in response to their repeated emails and phone calls, the frequent last-minute cancellations or hours-long delays, and double-booked appointments. The typical voter cannot be at the capitol all day, every day, just to have a five minute meeting with an elected official meant to represent their concerns. Without paid lobbyists, citizens are less able to catch last minute amendments or previously thought-to-be dead bill language that gets revived, nor can they afford to wait a few more hours until the legislator is 'free' to meet. While our students at UIndy benefit from being a ten-minute drive to the state capitol, Hoosiers traveling from each of the four corners of the state may miss their opportunity for their voices to be heard. Making space to hear everyday people is not the sole responsibility of individual elected officials. The limited availability of legislators is an institutional failure–one that arises from the design of the assembly and calendar rather than only the individual choices of legislators. Whether students agreed with their legislator or supported the outcome of a bill, a healthy democracy requires citizen involvement, and the institutions must be designed in ways that support this engagement. Getting shut out of the process and seeing the IGA in action has led some of our students to grow more pessimistic – threatening to lower Indiana's already abysmal rates of voter participation. For some students, gaining the 'tools necessary to feel empowered to change government' (according to their reflections) only made them more committed to the process . Regardless of any individual student's reaction, the Indiana General Assembly must address the institutional barriers that shut out everyday citizens – they work for us, afterall. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Immigration cooperation, IEDC limits and more nab concurrence votes, head to governor
Rep. Garrett Bascom (center) chats with colleagues in the House chamber on April 9, 2025. His immigration enforcement effort is the only surviving bill on that topic. (Courtesy Indiana House Republicans) Indiana lawmakers are giving law enforcement explicit instructions on how to 'cooperate' with federal immigration enforcement efforts under legislation that passed the House 58-19 Wednesday. It is one of dozens of bills that got final concurrence votes in the House and Senate, including curtailing the state's controversial economic development agency, chiding health insurers and more. All now move to Gov. Mike Braun's desk. Rep. Garrett Bascom, R-Lawrenceburg, said Indiana law on local collaboration with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) takes a passive approach. His House Bill 1393 would require jails and detention facilities to tell county sheriffs when they have probable cause to believe that someone they're booking on unrelated misdemeanor or felony charges isn't legally in the country. Sheriffs would have to report that information to ICE. 'This is being done in most of our counties,' Bascom said. 'This defines the action we want to see.' The Senate softened the language — including by taking the onus off officers on the street and placing it more firmly on sheriffs — but opponents still believe it will lead to racial profiling. Rep. Mike Andrade, D-Munster, noted that counties already have policies on this, whether it be a fax to ICE or a direct call. 'They're already doing the work,' he said. 'This is a do-nothing bill.' Senate Republicans blocked another immigration bill that also could have cracked down on employers for using illegal workers. Legislation taking aim at the Indiana Economic Development Corp. (IEDC) easily earned a ticket to Braun's desk on a unanimous, 41-0 concurrence vote in the Indiana Senate. Lawmakers there concurred with several changes made in the House. Senate Bill 516 establishes an office for entrepreneurship and innovation, a Braun agenda item. The new office would assume oversight of certified technology parks, currently an IEDC duty. IEDC has faced years worth of backlash from lawmakers and constituents alike over its secretive approach to economic development efforts like the Limitless Exploration/Advanced Pace (LEAP) Innovation District. 'Over the last few years, obviously there's been a lot of questions, a lot of concerns over IEDC,' author Sen. Brian Buchanan told the Capital Chronicle. 'We're just trying to find a way to make sure the transparency and accountability is there that people expect, but still also they have the ability to do their job and do it very successfully.' The bill tasks the IEDC and the executives of communities that host innovation development districts — like one within LEAP — with annually compiling reports about the districts' activities over the last calendar year. A detailed list of information must be included. Buchanan, R-Lebanon, said some residents either 'absolutely do not like' LEAP or 'tremendously embrace it.' But most, he added, 'just have questions. They want to know what's going on. How's it going to impact them? What's it going to mean? And that's where I think the additional transparency and accountability will help.' The legislation would also require the quasi-public agency to tell local units of government about acquisitions of more than 100 acres — whether it's bought in one or multiple transactions — at least 30 days before those purchases close. LEAP spending nears $1B with projected budget shielded, investigation finds The State Budget Committee must get a copy of that notice. And IEDC would have to extend any invitations to tour potential sites to the entire committee, not just GOP leadership. Additionally, Senate Bill 516 would split the IEDC president role off from the cabinet-level commerce secretary role. Under current law, they're held by the same person. Braun's already been willing to curtail the agency. Last week, he ordered Indiana Economic Development Foundation and other state-affiliated nonprofits to file disclosures with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and the State Budget Committee, retroactive to 10 years and moving forward. The House easily gave final approval to a bill requiring the Indiana Gaming Commission to regulate bare-knuckle fighting and more. House Bill 1073 also includes mixed martial arts, martial arts, professional wrestling, boxing and sparring. Rep. Craig Haggard, R-Mooresville, said unsanctioned events have been occurring around Indiana, and that it's a safety concern. It passed the House 83-2. The two members who voted against the legislation were Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, and Rep. Heath VanNatter, R-Kokomo. Also in the Senate, weakened limits on prior authorization are just steps away from law after an attempt last year died. Senate Bill 480 received a 39-2 concurrence vote. 'I know that we've got a ways to go … but I think that this is a very important start,' said Sen. Andrea Hunley, D-Indianapolis. She thanked author Sen. Tyler Johnson, R-Leo, for his work on the health insurer cost-control technique. 'This is going to be an important step in lowering health care costs for Hoosiers and making sure that we just protect our health care benefits,' Hunley added. And renters might soon find it easier to get certain evictions sealed from their records after beneficial legislation advanced on a 35-1 tally. Author Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne, said that Hoosier tenants can't always get evictions expunged, even when they've paid what they owe or otherwise resolved the dispute. She said Senate Bill 142 allows that renter to 'have that black mark, if you will, on their record removed.' Brown acknowledged that it doesn't 'fulfill all the needs' that tenant advocates sought, and that she'd continue to work on the topic in the future, 'but I think we're in a really good spot right now.' Also exiting the legislative process after favorable concurrence votes were Senate measures setting out 'standard operating procedures' for eyewitness identification and modestly extending the statute of limitations for Level 3 felony rape prosecution. Under Indiana law, the legislative session must end by the end of the month. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Unprecedented' number of immigration bills filed amid growing anti-immigrant sentiment
Most years, lawmakers in Indiana might file a few bills targeting illegal immigration. This year, following President Donald Trump's election win and inauguration, there are at least 15. The wave of immigration bills filed in the 2025 legislative session is a significant increase from each of the last 10 years as anti-immigrant sentiment grows both nationwide and in Indiana. Legislators have already advanced bills increasing notification, training and partnerships between local law enforcement and federal immigration officials, including House Bill 1393, which passed out of a House committee last week, and Senate Bill 430, which passed out of a Senate committee this week. This wave of proposed immigration legislation at the Statehouse mirrors federal action coming from both the White House and Congress. On his first day in office last week, President Donald Trump signed at least seven executive orders aimed at immigration to the U.S., many which focused on the country's southern border. State officers are taking action, too. Gov. Mike Braun signed an executive order on Tuesday directing state law enforcement to 'fully cooperate' with federal officials in enforcing immigration law and Attorney General Todd Rokita last week sued the St. Joseph County Sheriff and his office for allegedly not cooperating with federal authorities. Such a high number of Statehouse bills on immigration intersecting at the same time as federal actions could further frighten diverse communities around Indiana, advocates say. 'I think it's intentional, like the creation of all this chaos is intentional with this administration,' said Karla Lopez Owen, president of the Indiana Latino Democratic Caucus and a prosecuting attorney. 'We've lived through it in 2017. We've lived through this before, but this time, it's so much more aggressive, it's so much more malicious, and we just don't know what these people (will do).' Subscribe to our politics newsletter But Republicans at the Statehouse said they believe it's time for Indiana to take steps on immigration to support Trump's efforts after what they view as inaction from the former Biden administration. Nearly 70% of Hoosiers view illegal immigration as a somewhat or very serious problem for the state, according to a Ball State University 2024 Hoosier Survey of 615 adults. That's on par with the national trends: 2024 marked the first year since 2005 that a majority of Americans wanted less immigration. Sen. Eric Koch, R-Bedford, who has authored three immigration-related bills this session, said his community also wants action from lawmakers. Koch's SB 430 creates a grant program for law enforcement agencies that want to participate in the 287(g) program with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Senate Bill 428 ensures local governments and postsecondary institutions follow immigration law and Senate Bill 429 increases penalties for someone who commits a crime and has never received a drivers license. It also requires prosecuting attorneys to collect information about crimes by people not legally in the U.S. 'This last national election told us that it is either the top or the second issue nationwide,' Koch told IndyStar. 'It's on top of the mind for voters and top of the mind in our community, so I think the bills are just a reflection of what we're hearing from our constituents.' The focus on Immigration during the 2025 legislative session likely stems from the 2024 election when Republicans won big in both Washington, D.C. and in Indiana, said Vanessa Cruz Nichols, a political science professor at Indiana University. The party alignment between Indiana and Washington, D.C. means state officials may try to win points with the current Trump administration, and lawmakers might see more opportunities for immigration-related bills to become law this year, Cruz Nichols said. "I think that's partly their attempt to show that they're going to be strong on immigration enforcement,' Cruz Nichols said. 'And it's a really missed opportunity for the necessary labor force that we have and the demands that we have in the state of Indiana, the farm worker base that we have, agricultural needs, the labor in terms of construction and manual labor that immigrant communities will fill.' But for state Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, it's important for Indiana to take action on immigration now. If someone is here legally, they should not be worried, Lucas said. "This is a problem that's been ongoing and I do have sympathy, I truly do, but there comes a time when a problem grows to a point where you have to do something,' Lucas said. 'And the open border policy of the Biden administration, they're the ones that put this in the spotlight.' Lucas said he filed four immigration-related bills in the House this year, including House Bill 1394 that allows school corporations to deny enrollment to immigrant students who they believe may not legally be allowed in the U.S. Migrant advocates said they were shocked with the abundance of immigration-related bills that were filed in the Indiana General Assembly this year. 'It's unprecedented,' said Carolina Castoreno, the co-founder of the Alliance for Latino Migrant Advocacy grassroots coalition, regarding the more than a dozen bills related to immigration at the Statehouse. Advocates told IndyStar they believe that these bills were introduced not in hopes of addressing Indiana-related immigration issues, but rather to echo sentiments being pushed by the Trump administration. Last year, of the bills labeled as immigration-focused, only one targeted those lacking permanent legal status. Even in 2017 when Trump first took office, four bills were labeled as immigration bills during the legislative session that year. Only two became law: Senate Bill 423, which prohibited Indiana colleges from enacting or implementing sanctuary policies and Senate Bill 344, which made it a Level 6 felony for someone who is not legally allowed in the U.S. to possess a firearm. Typically most Indiana legislation focused on immigrants has centered around increasing rights for those lacking permanent legal status, not looking for ways to double down on illegal immigration. Although those bills often fail to make it into law. For example, in previous years lawmakers filed bills offering migrant students in-state tuition costs if they met the criteria to be a resident, creating a driving privilege card program and offering public services to migrants who enter the country legally. Both Sen. Blake Doriot, R-Goshen and Rep. Mike Karickhoff, R-Kokomo have filed legislation on driving privilege cards this year, but neither bill has received a hearing yet. Lopez Owen, with the Indiana Latino Democratic Caucus, believes that the number of bills being presented during the 2025 legislative session is a deliberate action from Indiana Republicans. 'It's attrition through enforcement,' Lopez Owen said. 'The idea that they are going to make life so miserable, so awful for immigrants to live here that they have no choice but to self-deport.' Advocate leaders believe that if the state were to enact these laws, it would have a significant impact on the local community and economy. They highlighted in recent years, how much of the Midwest population growth has stemmed from an influx of immigrants, referring to an American Immigration Council study that showcased 78% of the Great Lakes region's population growth from 2010 to 2022 was caused by immigrants. Advocates also noted that much of Indiana's economy has become reliant on the workforce and labor provided by migrant populations. If the state were to adopt an anti-immigrant position, advocates believe that Indiana will significantly suffer. 'If all of these bills are to pass, we will see an exodus from the state like we've never seen before,' said Castoreno. 'The people who are going to lose out the most are Hoosiers.' : The bill requires the BMV to notify the elections division if someone registers to vote and has temporary legal status in the U.S. : The bill makes it a misdemeanor for law enforcement to refuse to cooperate with immigration enforcement or for someone leading an agency to establish a policy prohibiting cooperation. : The bill requires a person who is not legally in the U.S. to register with law enforcement in their county. : The bill outlines expectations for governments and universities in enforcing immigration laws and detentions. It gives the attorney general power to investigate and the governor power to withhold funding from entities that don't follow the law. : The bill increases the penalties for someone without a driver's license who commits a crime and requires prosecuting attorneys track information about crimes committed by people not legally in the U.S. Senate Bill 430: The bill provides grants for participation in the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement's 287(g) program for training on immigration enforcement. : The bill increases penalties if someone commits a crime with a car and that person is not legally allowed in the U.S. : The bill requires sheriffs to enter agreements with ICE to participate in a 287(g) program for immigration enforcement. : The bill requires law enforcement to notify the county sheriff if they arrest someone for a misdemeanor or felony and have probable cause belief that the person is not legally in the U.S. : The bill allows school corporations to deny enrollment to immigrant students if they believe they are not legally allowed in the U.S. : The bill makes it a crime to reside in Indiana if a person is not legally allowed in the U.S. : The bill requires certain employers to use the E-verify program and prohibits them from hiring someone not legally allowed in the U.S. House Bill 1435: The bill requires state universities to adopt policies prohibiting foreign students from enrolling in the school's STEM programs. : The bill mirrors language from Senate Bill 428, which outlines expectations for governments and universities in enforcing immigration law. : The bill increases the sentence for someone who commits a crime and is not legally allowed in the U.S. Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at or 317-779-4468. Follow her on Twitter/X@CarloniBrittany. Contact IndyStar reporter Noe Padilla at npadilla@ or follow him on X @1NoePadilla. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Why Indiana lawmakers are eyeing immigration bills in 2025
