Latest news with #GarrettBascom
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
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Indiana bill tracker: Bills on immigration, anti-DEI advanced last week. Here's what else.
Lawmakers wasted no time advancing some of the more controversial topics of the legislative session this past week, from DEI initiatives to immigration reform. IndyStar is tracking the prominent bills that are actually moving through the legislative process and that would impact a wide variety of Hoosiers. Here are some of the major bills that have already advanced, and what happened to them last week. Sign up for our politics newsletter Lead author: Rep. Garrett Bascom, R-Lawrenceburg What it does: The bill requires law enforcement officers to report individuals to their county sheriff if the person is arrested for a felony or misdemeanor and the officer has probable cause to believe the person lacks permanent legal status. It then requires county sheriffs to report the person to proper authorities. Status: Passed the House Veterans Affairs and Public Safety committee on Jan. 23 by a vote of 9-2. It now heads to the House floor. More: Indiana lawmakers push illegal immigration crackdown, days after Trump's executive orders Lead author: Sen. Mike Bohacek, R-Michiana Shores What it does: The bill requires parental consent for social media use for people under age 16, and allows Indiana's attorney general to sue social media operators that don't comply. Status: Passed by the full Senate by a 42-7 vote on Jan. 23. It now goes to the House for consideration. More: Should kids need parental consent to use social media? Here's what this bill would do Lead authors: Sen. Tyler Johnson, R-Leo, Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville What it does: This bill bans all state spending on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives — from trainings to diverse hiring initiatives — at state agencies, educational institutions and health profession licensing boards. Status: Passed the Senate Judiciary committee by an 8-2 vote on Jan. 22. Lead author: Sen. Justin Busch, R-Fort Wayne What it does: Lawmakers tried in 2023 to outlaw noncompete agreements for Indiana doctors — contracts that prevent doctors from taking jobs at competing hospitals within a certain radius. The compromise that year was to only apply this to family doctors. This year, Senate Bill 475 attempts the ban for all physicians, again, hoping it will encourage competition and reduce prices in the health care market. Status: Passed the Senate Health and Provider Services committee by a 10-2 vote on Jan. 22. It now heads to the Senate floor. Subscribe to our politics newsletter Authors: Sen. Travis Holdman, R-Markle, and Sen. Scott Baldwin, R-Noblesville What it does: The bill would further decrease Indiana's individual income tax rate if state revenues grow by more than 3% compared to previous years. Status: The bill unanimously passed through the Senate's Tax and Fiscal Policy committee on Jan. 21. It's now awaiting final approval from the Senate. Lead author: Rep. Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis What it does: The bill aims to loosen restrictions for Indiana schools and education systems, including by nixing the education credential requirement for the Indiana secretary of education, changing the timing of when teachers are paid and removing certain training and professional development requirements. Status: Voted out of the House Committee on Education on Jan. 22. Lawmakers make several changes to the bill in committee, including to eliminate a provision nixing economic disclosure requirements for charter schools. The bill now moves to the House floor for consideration. Lead author: Rep. Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis What it does: The bill prohibits a public school from expelling or suspending a student because they are chronically absent or habitually truant and expands the number of days for a school to hold an attendance conference about a student's absences from five days to 10. It also requires the Department of Education to establish best practices for student discipline on chronic absenteeism. Status: Voted out of the House Committee on Education on Jan. 22, with some amendments. The bill now moves to the Senate floor for consideration. A bill that similarly addresses absenteeism, Senate Bill 482, also was heard in committee. More: Proposed bill would ban expulsion for missing school, study absenteeism Lead Author: Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne What it does: The bill restricts government entities, including school districts and the Indiana Department of Child Services, from intruding on parental rights or keeping information from parents, unless there is a compelling governmental interest. Status: Passed by 9-2 vote in Senate Judiciary Committee on Jan. 15. Lawmakers passed a minor amendment to the bill on the Senate floor, and it now awaits a vote in the full Senate. Lead author: Sen. Ryan Mishler, R-Mishawaka What it does: The bill adds far more stringent and regular government reviews of the eligibility of Medicaid recipients and adds work requirements in order for someone to be eligible for the Healthy Indiana Plan, the state health plan for non-Medicaid recipients. In addition, it limits enrollment in the Healthy Indiana Plan. HIP is not Medicaid, but uses Medicaid funds. Status: Heard in committee on Jan. 16. The next step is a committee vote. Lead author: Sen. Jim Tomes, R-Wadesville What it does: It makes intentional and reckless skidding while driving, known as 'spinning', a Class B misdemeanor and increases the penalties further if the spinning endangers, injures or kills another person. If the bill becomes law, a person found spinning could have their vehicle seized in a civil forfeiture. Status: Heard in the Senate's Corrections and Criminal Law committee on Jan. 14. It's awaiting a committee vote. More: Indiana lawmakers revive fight to combat 'dangerous' street takeovers Lead author: Sen. Eric Koch, R-Bedford What it does: The bill prohibits the construction, operation, purchase, sale and lease of a long-haul water pipeline unless the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission signs off on it. However, the Citizens deal to provide water to the LEAP district in Lebanon is exempted from those rules. Status:Heard in Senate's utilities committee on Jan. 16. The bill now awaits a committee vote. Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@ or follow her on Twitter @kayla_dwyer17. Contact senior government accountability reporter Hayleigh Colombo at hcolombo@ or follow her on X at @hayleighcolombo. Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at or 317-779-4468. Follow her on Twitter/X @CarloniBrittany. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana Statehouse: Immigration, anti-DEI bills advance
