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Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
7 bills Indiana lawmakers approved in the final hours of the 2025 legislative session
Indiana lawmakers closed the books on the 2025 legislative session in the early hours of April 25, approving some of the most controversial bills of the session and the state budget on the last day. It's also the time of year where lawmakers in the House and the Senate make last-minute adds and eliminations to some bills and resurrect once-dead language in others before the final versions of legislation head to the governor's desk. The biggest lift was the two-year state budget. Lawmakers and Gov. Mike Braun on April 23 announced a deal on a slimmed down version of the bill following a dismal forecast last week that required more than $2 billion in cuts from what was originally proposed. But bills making school board elections partisan and reining in diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in government entities saw tense debate before lawmakers gave their final approvals. Here are some of the efforts state lawmakers squeezed into the last day of the session. A tight budget year got even tighter with a surprise $2 billion revenue shortfall unveiled last week. The version of House Bill 1001, the two-year budget, that the House passed 66-27 and the Senate passed 39-1, was only a little more than a day old when those votes happened. In that time span, lawmakers added a cigarette tax hike, cut public health and public media funding, and enacted a litany of policies affecting universities and faculty that never saw the light of public testimony. Some of the most tense debate toward the early morning hours of April 25 centered around that process. Now Gov. Mike Braun will get to sign his first budget as governor. Senate Bill 287, a controversial plan to make school board elections partisan races narrowly passed the Indiana Senate by a vote of 26-24 on April 24. It's now on the way to Braun's desk. It was a rare close vote for the chamber with a Republican supermajority. Fourteen Senate Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the bill, with some GOP senators pleading with their colleagues to reject it Some Senate Democrats appeared surprised SB 287 squeaked through and following the vote said they expected the bill to fail. Sen. JD Ford, D-Indianapolis, urged Republicans who voted against SB 287 to call on Braun to veto the legislation. Opponents of SB 287 throughout the legislative session said they worried partisan school board races would continue to politicize the offices, while supporters said that's already the case. House lawmakers made it optional for school board members to disclose their affiliation, not mandatory, when running for office. Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville, who authored the bill said partisan identifiers provide increased transparency for Hoosiers at the ballot box. "If we think the work of the sheriff, the judges, the coroners is partisan," Byrne said on the Senate floor on April 24. "Than I would say school boards are more partisan than that." After executive orders in January from President Donald Trump and Braun, Indiana lawmakers on April 24 signed off on a bill aiming to rein in diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, known as DEI. The House voted 64-26 and the Senate voted 34-16 to send the bill to Braun. Senate Bill 289, prohibits publicly-funded entities from taking actions based on a person's "personal characteristics," such as race, religion and sex. It also allows individuals to bring legal actions over alleged violations, but plaintiffs would only be able to receive court and attorney fees and actual damages if a court rules in their favor. More: Lawmakers send anti-DEI bill to Gov. Braun. Here's what it does The version of SB 289 on its way to Braun is a slimmed down version of the bill that passed the Senate earlier this year. The session's landmark DEI bill began as a blanket ban on DEI concepts, trainings and even offices within state institutions, including colleges. Earlier this year, some state colleges began shutting down DEI-related offices and trainings due to what was proposed in the Senate. The key piece of legislation that attempts to add some controls on the prices nonprofit hospitals charge is now on its way to Braun, for whom the cost of health care is a top issue. House Bill 1004 passed the House 67-23 and the Senate 37-13. HB 1004 came out swinging at the start of the session, but was watered down significantly as it traveled through the Senate. What started as financial penalties and the revocation of their nonprofit status if hospitals charge prices above a certain threshold, ended as a bill asking for a study of these hospitals' average prices, and then have the nonprofit-status threat take effect in 2029. It also restructures the hospital assessment fee to allow hospitals to draw down more federal dollars, and requires insurance agents to publicize their commissions in quotes they give customers as well as the all payer claims database. Senate Bill 140, the main bill taking a crack at the powerful pharmacy benefit manager industry ― the middlemen between drug manufacturers and pharmacies ― is now heading to Braun. The House voted 84-1 and the Senate voted 39-10 on the final version of the bill. The bill requires PBMs to provide adequate coverage networks, prohibits them from steering business to their own affiliated pharmacies, and requires PBMs to reimburse independent pharmacies at cost, plus a dispensing fee. (The dispensing fee is what the PBMs liken to a "pill tax.") The final version of the bill exempted out Medicaid, managed care and state employee health plan from the provisions. When lawmakers approved a House bill with directions for the Bureau of Motor Vehicles on April 24, they also signed off on a ban on advertising of marijuana products 'by any medium' within the state. More: Marijuana isn't legal in Indiana. So should advertising be legal here? Lawmakers say no The language hopped around in different bills in the final weeks of April before landing in House Bill 1390. The ban applies to signs on the interstate and flyers sent to mailboxes, which had started appearing in Indiana as companies in neighboring states try to entice Hoosiers to spend their money across state lines. (All of the states bordering Indiana have some form of legalized marijuana.) Advertising bill proposals appeared in three different bills at the start of the legislative session, which all died without receiving a hearing in legislative committees. Other controversial language lawmakers approved after it bill-hopped in the final days: a ban on local governments hosting or funding 'obscene' performances and the ability for 'anyone' to sue a local entity they believe violates the language. Democrats and LGBTQ advocates said the provision targets drag shows and other performances someone might not like. The original language was added in the House to Senate Bill 326, a bill clarifying language about 'child sex abuse materials.' It was removed in a conference committee and then added to House Bill 1014 on April 24, a bill about the terms of imprisonment for misdemeanors. The bill passed the House 78-13 and the Senate 42-8. It now heads to Braun's desk. Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at Follow her on Twitter/X @CarloniBrittany. Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@ or follow her on X @kayla_dwyer17. Sign up for our free weekly politics newsletter, Checks & Balances, curated by IndyStar political and government reporters. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 7 bills Indiana lawmakers approved in the final hours of the 2025 legislative session
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Indiana bill eliminating courts in Monroe, Greene, Owen counties passes Senate
Eleven mostly rural counties will lose judges under a bill passed 33-16 by the Indiana Senate Tuesday, April 15. House Bill 1144 — which adds judges and magistrates in Elkhart, Hamilton, Lawrence and Vigo counties — has moved through the entire session without language abolishing courts. Then, on April 10, hours before a committee deadline, an amendment was added in the Senate Appropriations Committee eliminating one court each in Blackford, Carroll, Gibson, Greene, Jennings, Monroe, Newton, Owen, Pulaski, Rush and Scott counties, along with six juvenile magistrate positions in Marion County. This provision is estimated to save the state approximately $748,885 in Fiscal Year 2027 and up to $2.75 M in Fiscal Year 2032, according to a fiscal analysis. Sen. Jean Leising, R-Oldenburg, said constituents in her district were shocked by the move. 'That created quite a frenzy from the people that maybe should have been expecting it. I don't know, but they weren't expecting it,' she said. Leising tried unsuccessfully to add her judges back into the bill on Monday. She voted against the proposal. She said she knows the courts were chosen based on caseload statistics but she wished the list had been made public earlier in the process. 'I would just hope that in the future when things like this are done that maybe it was a more open process so those counties can come speak up,' Leising said. 'If a county now has two judges and you do away with one of them, it's a tremendous impact.' The general idea of reallocation was discussed in a study committee in October 2024. Essentially, Indiana uses a weighted caseload study that assesses how much judicial time is needed for different types of cases. Then it looks at how many cases are filed to determine how many judges and magistrates are needed for the caseload. For years lawmakers have added state-funded court officers when the statistics have shown more judges are needed to handle additional cases. But as population has shifted away from some rural counties, they have never taken a judge away — even if the weighted caseload shows they have too many court officers. Sen. Liz Brown said every two years the study committee looks at the need for court officers when lawmakers are crafting a new state budget. That's because the state pays for the salaries of judges and magistrates — currently about $183,000 and $146,000, respectively. 'At the same time we looked at where there is not a need in the state,' she said. 'I want to assure you that this was not done with any sense of personality … this is strictly where is the need in the state of Indiana.' Brown said 'courts that are losing a judge, we looked at them on their own, independently, and said there is not sufficient need here.' The weighted caseload study shows, for instance, that Monroe County has ten judges but only needs 7.87. Blackford County has two judges but the study shows it needs less than one. The bill now goes back to the House, where court abolishments were not originally part of the measure. That chamber can either accept the changes or send the bill to conference committee for final negotiations. This story originally appeared on the Indiana Capital Chronicle. This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Indiana House bill 1144 amended to cut courts in Monroe Owen Greene
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The less-heralded provisions of property tax reform
Several more nuanced provisions in the new property tax law are worth discussion. (Getty Images) There are some big opinions on the overall impact of the property tax bill that lawmakers passed and Gov. Mike Braun celebrated. I don't think it's either as good or as bad as some believe — but today, I want to focus on some smaller provisions that deserve notice. They aren't sexy, like a $300 homeowner credit or a business personal property tax cut. But they do make a difference. The first is a bond debt cooling-off period. Under current law, when a local unit of government is planning to bond for a new project, it'll often do it when another bond is set to expire. That means local officials can tell taxpayers they won't see an increase in their tax bill. That is technically true, but they also won't see a decrease. Senate Enrolled Act 1 requires a one-year freeze after a bond expires so that taxpayers see the reduction. Indiana Senate sends finalized local property, income tax plan to governor Another change is moving all referenda votes to the general election. Schools use referenda largely for construction projects but can also hold them for school security and operational needs if they feel the state hasn't provided what they need. Of course, they still have to convince taxpayers to fund those needs. For years, these votes were allowed in primary elections, when fewer Hoosiers go to the polls. Lawmakers believe moving them to general elections gives more transparency to the costs that lie above the percent caps for bills. According to data collected by the Indiana School Boards Association, the school referendum pass rate in Indiana is 16 percentage points higher at the primary election than at the general election. The organization believes this is because primary voters are better informed and highly motivated to vote for or against the referendum. But voters in the general election are often surprised by the referendum and reflexively vote no. Several provisions in the new law require affirmative voting on taxes, which can only be a good thing. One section says if a unit's assessed value remains the same, its levy cannot exceed the year before unless its fiscal body votes to do so by ordinance following a separate public hearing. Also, if assessed value does grow, it requires a decrease in the tax rate to bring in the same amount of money unless it's affirmatively raised. This language is meant to draw attention to the automatic nature of property taxes, which are essentially a calculation involving tax rate and assessed value. Similarly, local income taxes — which got a lot of attention in discussion over the property tax package — will revert to zero each year. This forces an annual vote by fiscal leaders of local government to continue collecting that money. I'm not actually sure this is necessary, and I can't imagine state lawmakers would want to vote on the state income or sales tax every single year. But it is consistent with other moves to make the overall taxation system more open and understandable. The last bits of language I want to highlight are deep in the weeds of property taxes. The maximum levy growth quotient currently limits how much local property tax levies can rise in a year based on a six-year rolling average of non-farm personal income growth. Because of inflation, it rose to 5% in 2023 compared to 3.4% in 2019. Lawmakers last year put in an artificial cap of 4% and Senate Enrolled Act 1 extends that another year. The bill also limits excess levy appeals by units. In that past, cities, counties and other units were allowed to ask for more revenue based on certain circumstances, such as assessed value growth and school transportation costs. Those won't be allowed any longer, though an appeal would still be an option in case of natural disaster or other emergency. None of these items individually — or even collectively — will likely drop your tax obligation in any massive way. But they do create a more responsive and open system so that Hoosiers can more easily understand the decisions that are being made. It also puts local officials on the hot seat instead of state lawmakers. 'They're waving a flag, saying we're the ones cutting your taxes … when what they're doing is shifting everything on to the local government and saying, 'You be the bad guys,'' Sen. Ron Alting told Based in Lafayette. He was one of 12 Republicans to vote against the bill. Some believe it didn't go far enough to cut property taxes. In the end, those who simply disagree with the mechanism of property taxes will never be pleased with what occurred. But from a pragmatic standpoint, this package was more than I thought Gov. Mike Braun could get. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill abolishing court positions passes Senate
Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne, speaks on a bill on April 15, 2025. (Whitney Downard/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Eleven mostly rural counties will lose judges under a bill passed 33-16 by the Indiana Senate Tuesday. House Bill 1144 — which adds judges and magistrates in Elkhart, Hamilton, Lawrence and Vigo counties — has moved through the entire session without language abolishing courts. Then, on April 10, hours before a committee deadline, an amendment was added in the Senate Appropriations Committee eliminating one court each in Blackford, Carroll, Gibson, Greene, Jennings, Monroe, Newton, Owen, Pulaski, Rush and Scott counties, along with six juvenile magistrate positions in Marion County. This provision is estimated to save the state approximately $748,885 in Fiscal Year 2027 and up to $2.75 M in Fiscal Year 2032, according to a fiscal analysis. Sen. Jean Leising, R-Oldenburg, said constituents in her district were shocked by the move. 'That created quite a frenzy from the people that maybe should have been expecting it. I don't know, but they weren't expecting it,' she said. Leising tried unsuccessfully to add her judges back into the bill on Monday. She voted against the proposal. She said she knows the courts were chosen based on caseload statistics but she wished the list had been made public earlier in the process. 'I would just hope that in the future when things like this are done that maybe it was a more open process so those counties can come speak up,' Leising said. 'If a county now has two judges and you do away with one of them, it's a tremendous impact.' The general idea of reallocation was discussed in a study committee in October 2024. Essentially, Indiana uses a weighted caseload study that assesses how much judicial time is needed for different types of cases. Then it looks at how many cases are filed to determine how many judges and magistrates are needed for the caseload. For years lawmakers have added state-funded court officers when the statistics have shown more judges are needed to handle additional cases. But as population has shifted away from some rural counties, they have never taken a judge away — even if the weighted caseload shows they have too many court officers. Sen. Liz Brown said every two years the study committee looks at the need for court officers when lawmakers are crafting a new state budget. That's because the state pays for the salaries of judges and magistrates — currently about $183,000 and $146,000, respectively. CONTACT US 'At the same time we looked at where there is not a need in the state,' she said. 'I want to assure you that this was not done with any sense of personality … this is strictly where is the need in the state of Indiana.' Brown said 'courts that are losing a judge, we looked at them on their own, independently, and said there is not sufficient need here.' The weighted caseload study shows, for instance, that Monroe County has ten judges but only needs 7.87. Blackford County has two judges but the study shows it needs less than one. The bill now goes back to the House, where court abolishments were not originally part of the measure. That chamber can either accept the changes or send the bill to conference committee for final negotiations. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Chicago Tribune
07-04-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Indiana Senate unanimously passes multi-million dollar Gary repayment bill
An Indiana House Bill requiring the city of Gary to pay more than $12 million to East Chicago and Michigan City will move to Gov. Mike Braun's desk for approval. The Indiana Senate, on Monday, unanimously passed the bill on its third reading. House Bill 1448 — authored by state Rep. Hal Slager, R-Schererville — addresses a state comptroller mistake with supplemental payments that were signed into law in 2019. Following the move of Majestic Star casinos to Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana, East Chicago and Michigan City were to receive funds to ease the financial burden, but Gary mistakenly received the funds. State sens. Travis Holdman, R-Markle; Ryan Mishler, R-Mishawaka; Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago; and Mark Spencer, D-Gary, sponsored House Bill 1448. Holdman gave an overview of the bill before its vote Monday. Gary will start payments next year, Holdman said. 'This won't take effect until next year because budgets have already been passed,' he said. 'Revenues are dependent on passage of those budgets.' Money from supplemental payments will come from deducted state comptroller funds and money appropriated by the Indiana General Assembly, according to bill documents. Money will be withheld for 10 years, Holdman said Monday. If payments were withheld from the city this year, Mayor Eddie Melton previously said Gary would lose about $6 million, which would directly affect police, fire and other necessary resources. House Bill 1448 originally had Gary begin payments this year, but Melton asked to have the timeline delayed due to fiscal constraints. Michigan City Mayor Angie Nelson Deuitch asked for Gary to repay the cities 'in a timely manner,' adding that last year, Michigan City had a shortfall of about $2 million. Last year, the city's budget was cut by about $6 million from the prior year, according to Post-Tribune archives. 'What I don't want to see is a six, seven, eight-year payback,' Nelson Deuitch previously told senators. 'The original was four years, and I would like it to stay at four years.' Gary owes more than $6.4 million to East Chicago and more than $5.7 million to Michigan City, according to bill documents. Gary might also owe Hammond, which was also included on the 2019 supplemental payment bill, if the city is missing funds during the 2025 fiscal year. Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott previously told the Post-Tribune that Horseshoe Casino has lost about $15 million to $20 million each year since Hard Rock opened. State. Sen. Rodney Pol Jr., D-Chesterton, praised the cities' mayors for their work with state legislators about House Bill 1448. 'This is not an easy issue to resolve,' Pol said before Monday's vote. 'Obviously, people are concerned about revenues, and I think (the bill) does a good job of ensuring that everybody's voices are heard.' State Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, said he appreciates that the bill was made to be a bipartisan effort. Leaders from Lake and Porter counties met to discuss the bill, Niemeyer said. 'It was a good fix,' Niemeyer said before the vote. 'It was an agreement between all three cities, so it's a good bill.'
