Latest news with #HouseRoadsandTransportationCommittee
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Indiana considers ban on all marijuana advertising — not just billboards
All advertising for marijuana would be illegal in Indiana under an amendment adopted Monday. (Illustration by Leslie Bonilla/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Indiana lawmakers could ban all marijuana advertising within state lines, under an amendment adopted Monday in a transportation-focused committee. It goes beyond the billboard-specific prohibition taken in a Senate panel last week. Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie, said his community is 'inundated' with billboards advertising illegal marijuana. The district is near Michigan, which has legalized it. But that's not all. 'My constituents, myself included, receive up to two — what would look like political mailers — a week advertising an illegal substance' at dispensaries in nearby New Buffalo, per Pressel. He chairs the House Roads and Transportation Committee. He commandeered Senate Bill 73, dealing with utility trailer sales, for an amendment outlawing the advertising of marijuana and other drugs on Indiana's list of Schedule I controlled substances. Indiana's attorney general could sue for injunctions, civil penalties of up to $15,000 and 'reasonable costs' incurred throughout the investigation and lawsuit. 'I've heard about (how) the First Amendment, I'm trampling on it. I don't believe that to be true,' Pressel told the committee. He cited a federal appeals court decision that, 'basically, if it's a criminal activity, you have no First Amendment right to advertise. That's my understanding.' The ban would take effect upon the bill's passage. Advertising from contracts entered into or renewed before the approval date would be exempt. The committee accepted the edits by consent. Pressel told reporters that the panel 'deal(s) with billboard issues all the time,' but acknowledged that his amendment would also affect mailers, truck adverts, television and more. It also has the potential to impact online activity. 'We're able to geofence a lot of different things. … So is it possible to geofence that out? I believe that it is, but can't confirm,' Pressel said. 'I haven't talked to those folks.' Pressel authored an additional amendment inserting tweaked towing regulations into Senate Bill 73. The proposal was advanced on a 12-0 vote. When opposition to a rural intersection safety measure erupted too close to the legislative session's first-half deadlines, its author promised he'd fix it — or kill it. Sen. Mike Crider, R-Greenfield, developed the measure after his friends' eldest son was killed in a crash along an uncontrolled intersection overgrown with tall corn. A thorough amendment, taken by consent Monday, appeared to ease concerns from farmers. Rural intersections sightline proposal to rack up edits Senate Bill 183 initially mandated large 'line of sight triangles' by uncontrolled intersections to be kept clear of crops, vegetation and other obstructions above 3 feet tall. Units of government would've sent landowners or renters notice for noncompliance. People involved in vehicle crashes resulting from blocked sightlines would've been able to sue for damages. An amendment replaced the triangle concept with a 'line of sight area.' That would be, at minimum, the 20 feet of road right-of-way extending on each side from the center line. The 3-foot rule would still apply for 55 feet along each road from the center of the intersection. If a local government decides a landowner or lessee isn't compliant, it would have seven days to send written notice through certified mail. The person or entity responsible for the land would have seven days after receiving notice to clear the sightlines. Otherwise, the local government could take 'corrective action' — and, if warned a second time or more for the same property, charge up to $500 per subsequent clearing. 'We have worked very diligently with stakeholders on … making sure that a traveling motorist doesn't have an obstructed view when they get to an intersection,' Pressel said. 'So, lots of time, lots of hours, have gone into this amendment.' An Indiana Farm Bureau representative said the edits had softened the group's opposition into neutrality. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Amendment eliminates delivery fee from road funding bill
Lawmakers on Monday vastly changed a bill aimed at increasing road funding for local governments. (Getty Images) A House panel examining how to increase road funding dialed back a wide-ranging bill Monday. The House Roads and Transportation Committee accepted a substantial amendment to House Bill 1461 to remove several key concepts from the bill. That includes: A local option for counties to add a fee for delivery businesses such as Amazon and DoorDash. Language limiting the incentives the Indiana Economic Development Corporation could offer depending on infrastructure needs. An Indianapolis referendum to create an additional property tax levy. 'As introduced, 1461 was a plate full of options, lots options, a la carte buffet. And my goal was really to start multiple conversations, good, bad or indifferent,' said Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie. 'I think when I opened with the underlying bill, I said, 'Here's 37 pages of things that may be a good idea, some things I really like, and some things that probably need to go.' And that's what amendment number 11 is going to do.' Motor fuel taxation yields eight of every 10 state dollars that fund roads and bridges for both the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and local governments. But as Hoosiers upgrade to more fuel-efficient vehicles — or try electric and hybrid options — there is less money to work with. And inflation means those dollars aren't stretching as far. The amendment also made changes to other parts of the bill. CONTACT US The original bill would have added a $150 million cap to Community Crossings, a matching grant program that local governments can use to fund local road and bridge projects. What's left above the cap would get siphoned off for other purposes. Under the amendment, the cap rose to $200 million. The changes also impact township governments. Initially, communities could tap into surplus money held by townships. Pressel said townships are holding $688 million statewide in reserves and his goal is to identify excess dollars that could go to roads. But Deborah Driskell, executive director of the Indiana Township Association and Delaware township trustee, said the change went too far and could lead to local tax increases. She argued that some of the money Pressel is referring to is restricted to bond payments or future capital improvement, and suggested he focus on unobligated funds instead. 'I don't think that's an accurate picture that we have that much discretionary cash,' Driskell said. When she suggested optional language, Pressel pushed back saying 'we all know how options will work. We will opt to not do it.' He promised to continue working on the township language and the committee passed the bill unanimously. It now goes to House Ways and Means because of its fiscal impact. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
