Latest news with #HB1531
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Indiana's GOP congressional members pen letter supporting state immigration bill. What it does
Republican members of Indiana's congressional delegation sent a letter to Republican Statehouse leaders on Wednesday urging support of an immigration bill that would tie local government funding to whether entities cooperate with federal immigration law enforcement. House Bill 1531 says federal immigration laws can be carried out by state and local law enforcement and gives the attorney general the ability to advise the governor on whether to withhold funding from a local government that does not comply with immigration laws. Among other pieces of the bill, it also prohibits employers from hiring a person who is not legally allowed in the U.S. The bill, authored by Union City Republican Rep. JD Prescott, passed the House last month and is now in the hands of the Senate. The letter, led by U.S. Sen. Jim Banks, is also signed by Sen. Todd Young and Republican U.S. Reps. Rudy Yakym, Marlin Stutzman, Jim Baird, Mark Messmer and Erin Houchin. Republican Reps. Victoria Spartz and Jefferson Shreve did not sign onto the letter shared with IndyStar. Subscribe to our politics newsletter The letter, which is addressed to House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, and Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, calls HB 1531 a "commonsense measure" and says the bill would "go a long way toward addressing many of the immigration-related challenges our state faces." "States can and should play a key role in restoring integrity to our immigration system and protecting Americans from the social and economic costs of unrestrained migration," the letter states. "There is no reason why Indiana should not be a leader in that effort." Banks has written to Indiana lawmakers in the past about state legislation, but the delegation as a whole doesn't often publicly wade into discussions of state legislation. In 2024, Banks and then-Sen. Mike Braun, wrote to members of the Indiana General Assembly in support of a bill that bars foreign adversaries from owning or leasing farmland in Indiana. Former Gov. Eric Holcomb signed that bill into law last year. On immigration in 2025, Banks has specifically advocated for more cooperation on federal immigration enforcement from state and local entities. In February, he told a local TV station that he would consider withholding federal grants for Indianapolis police after IMPD Police Chief Chris Bailey said the agency does not have the authority to enforce federal immigration law. HB 1531 is one of at least 15 bills targeting illegal immigration that were filed at the Statehouse this year. Only a handful of them are still making their way through the legislative process. Some of those include: House Bill 1393, which requires law enforcement to notify their county sheriff if they have arrested someone for a misdemeanor or felony and have probable cause to believe that person is not legally in the U.S. Senate Bill 430, which would provide grants to law enforcement agencies for participating in Immigrations and Customs Enforcement's 287(g) program for immigration enforcement training. Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at Follow her on Twitter/X @CarloniBrittany. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana congressional Republicans urge support of immigration bill
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Indiana legislature goes all in on its big government era
State lawmakers focus on taking away local control (Niki Kelly/Indiana Capital Chronicle) The core message coming from this year's legislative session so far: state legislators know best. They know better than local police, sheriffs, athletic directors, teachers, school board members, and on and on. Looking at the bills that will be picked back up this week, it's hard not to conclude that the legislature is in their 'big government solutions' era (with apologies to Swifties). Bill after bill usurping local control and imposing Statehouse-created one-size-fits-all mandates have passed committees. In many cases, the bill's author has little to no data – and few, if any, anecdotes – to support their moves to usurp local control and restrict professional judgment. And a shocking number of these bills passed without a single local official or community member testifying in support. This inclination toward expanding state power has been obvious for years on big ticket items like reproductive freedom, parental rights on health care, school curriculum, and free speech. But, over time, it has crept into almost every facet of Hoosiers' lives. And few local officials or subject matter experts are off-limits, it would seem. For instance, HB 1393 and HB 1531 both passed, doubling down on existing requirements that local police and sheriffs cooperate with federal immigration officials. In testimony on HB 1531, legislators heard concerns from the Indiana Sheriffss Association about immigration detainers. These are requests from the federal government to hold someone in jail past the time they can be held there under state law. ISA shared that sheriffs sometimes receive faulty detainers, including ones that require them to detain U.S. citizens. Nonetheless, the bill passed the committee by a large margin. SB 289 and SB 442 both include extensive annual mandates for local school districts regarding posting information online about staff anti-discrimination trainings and human sexuality curriculum, respectively. SB 442 goes further by requiring that every school board in Indiana also annually approve all human sexuality curriculum. In advocating for his bill, the author commiserated with how overworked school board members are before mandating more work for them without any additional funding or support. SB 143 makes every employee of every county and local government a 'mandated informer' who is required to turn over 'information' (undefined in the bill) broadly relating the minor's well-being if the parent requests it. Local government agencies are then subject to a lawsuit if they do not disclose 'information,' even if disclosing it to a parent may put the minor's safety at risk. And HB 1041 substitutes the opinions of legislators for the expertise of coaches, athletic directors, and national governing bodies for sports when it comes to inclusion of transgender women in women's college sports. And beyond the bills that are still moving, at least two others came very close to passage. HB 1662 would have required local police to arrest and prosecutors to prosecute some people sleeping on public sidewalks or spaces. Not only would the bill have usurped the expertise of local officials when it comes to how to respond to homelessness, it would have also required those local officials to spend scarce local taxpayer dollars on increased nights in jail and transportation and storage of the belongings of the people they are forced to arrest. Finally, SB 143 would have required all counties in the state to cut early voting days from 28 to 14 regardless of the judgement of local elections officials about the value of those additional two weeks. Taken alongside similar bills from previous sessions, many of which are now law, it's clear that state legislators are not only comfortable with usurping decision-making from local officials and subject matter experts, but are eager to do it. And, unfortunately, their actions are having real consequences. The state rarely, if ever, allocates funds to pay for the additional mandates they put on local officials. Just like it doesn't take responsibility when mandates based on their opinions cause harm to Hoosiers that could have been prevented if experts were allowed to do their jobs. State legislation is supposed to focus on the big picture. In their zeal to control more and more aspects of Hoosiers' lives, state legislators are ignoring this; and we're all worse off for it. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Indiana House approves bill tying state funding to immigration enforcement
The Indiana House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday tying state funding for local governmental bodies to their cooperation in the enforcement of federal immigration law despite arguments from some Democrats who said they could not support the measure. House Bill 1531 passed the full chamber with a 64-26 vote after a brief discussion involving Union City Republican State Rep. J.D. Prescott, whose name is on the bill, and Democrats who sit on the House judiciary committee with him. The bill will now move to the Senate. The sweeping measure addresses the enforcement of federal immigration law by state and local government, law enforcement and businesses. A section requiring schools to report information on undocumented students was removed before HB 1531 made its way to the House floor. Prescott worked with the attorney general's office to craft the 14-section bill. It does not impact legal immigration, he said. Prescott previously said the bill addresses "bad-actor" employers who engage in labor trafficking by hiring people unauthorized to work in the United States over Hoosiers and holds governmental agencies accountable if they restrict the enforcement of immigration orders. It also strengthens Attorney General Todd Rokita's ability to enforce existing Indiana law banning sanctuary cities. Dozens of people spoke out against the bill on Monday as the House's judiciary committee weighed the measure. Clergy, educators, nonprofit workers and others argued the bill encourages discrimination, racial profiling and contributes to an atmosphere of hostility toward immigrants. After that meeting, some expressed disappointment that the committee still voted to send the measure to the full House for a vote. More: Bill penalizing cities and law enforcement for not enforcing immigration laws advances There were no outward displays of approval or disapproval from people watching the House discussion from the hallway on Thursday. Neither the Indiana Chamber nor the Indiana Sheriffs' Association has taken a favorable position on the bill. Rep. Maureen Bauer, D-South Bend, told the full House she is concerned about how the bill was crafted and its impact on already-stretched law enforcement agencies. "The enforcement of federal immigration laws is intensive and costly," she said, noting the bill threatens essential funding of local governments for up to a year and even jeopardizes dedicated federal grants. More: Indianapolis police chief: Immigration sweeps 'not our role' Rep. Ryan Dvorak, D-South Bend, questioned whether the bill actually penalized businesses for recruiting and hiring undocumented workers or if the civil enforcement mechanism in the bill gives them a slap on the wrist. "It doesn't go after the actual cause of most of the illegal immigration seen in the state of Indiana," he said. Both are members of the judiciary committee. Rep. Victoria Garcia Wilburn, D-Fishers. told the full House she could not support the bill due to its potential unintended consequences. Garcia Wilburn, another judiciary committee member, said the bill threatens Hoosier hospitality and the idea of Indiana as a welcoming state. It needs more work, Garcia Wilburn said. "We need to proceed with caution, ladies and gentlemen," she said. "When our constituents are communicating to us 'they are against all immigration,' I'm worried about the message this body is sending." Contact IndyStar investigative reporter Alexandria Burris at aburris@ This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana House passes immigration bill tying state money to enforcement
