Latest news with #IndianaStatehouse
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Indiana Governor signs Senate Bill to protect small pharmacies
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)— Indiana Governor Mike Braun signed Senate Bill 140 last week to address restrictive practices by pharmacy benefit managers. The bill that was signed into law establishes critical protections for local pharmacies and their patients. Senate Bill 140 will require pharmacy benefit managers to reimburse pharmacies fairly for their services based on the average cost to purchase and dispense medications. It also guarantees all pharmacies the opportunity to contract with a pharmacy benefit manager. Indiana Statehouse bills on local pharmacies and pharmacy benefit managers According to American Progress, 'PBMs occupy a central role in the drug price supply chain as negotiators, administrators, and decision-makers about which drugs will be most accessible to consumers.' In the news release from the Indiana Pharmacy Association, they applauded Braun due to the belief that pharmacy benefit managers often favor their own affiliated pharmacies, which undercuts independent pharmacies, pushing out healthcare providers and driving up costs. The bill also protects patients by allowing Hoosiers to choose their preferred pharmacy in their network. Pharmacy benefit managers must now offer retail networks that include at least one retail pharmacy within 30 miles of every insured person. They believe this will end reliance on mail-order-only options for Hoosiers and improve access to timely care. 'This bill is a significant step forward in ensuring the continued viability of local, community pharmacies,' said Indiana Pharmacy Association Executive Vice President Darren Covington, J.D. 'For far too long, pharmacy benefit managers have inadequately reimbursed community pharmacies, which has led to pharmacy closures, reduced hours, and staffing shortages. When local community pharmacies close, the whole community suffers. This bill sends a clear message that local community pharmacies matter to public health. We applaud the Indiana General Assembly and Governor Braun for their support of this important legislation.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Forbes
16-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Indiana Senate Republicans Reject Cannabis Legalization Bid
The Indiana Senate has rejected an amendment to a budget bill that would have legalized recreational ... More and medical cannabis. Republicans in the Indiana Senate this week rejected a move by a Democratic colleague to legalize cannabis in the Hoosier State. On Monday, the GOP-led Senate considered several amendments to a two-year budget bill. One of the amendments, from Democratic Sen. Rodney Pol, would have legalized cannabis for recreational and medical use. During deliberations on the proposal, Pol said that he finds it 'frustrating' to see Indiana 'lose on an opportunity to keep our dollars in our state and provide relief to those individuals that are dealing with cancer, PTSD, chronic pain and other ailments that prefer cannabis for needed relief, as opposed to pharmaceuticals.' 'We have hundreds of people in the hallway that are concerned about money that we are spending,' he said. 'And this is an easy way to turn what is in an illicit market that is funding more crime right now into a regulated and safe taxed market that we reap the benefits of.' The Indiana Statehouse. Pol's amendment was similar to a stand-alone cannabis legalization bill he filed in January, online news source Marijuana Moment reported on Tuesday. Had it succeeded, the legislation (Senate Bill 113) would have created a regulatory and taxation framework for marijuana. The bill also would have established the Indiana Cannabis Commission (ICC) and Advisory Committee to oversee the program. The bill also contains provisions to expunge past convictions for offenses legalized by the measure. The legislation would also provide for research into cannabis. The legalization of cannabis under Senate Bill 113 would generate 'between $46.6 million and $92.6 million in FY 2026 and $50.8 million and $101.7 million in FY 2027 from Sales and Excise Taxes and permit fees,' according to a fiscal note from the state's Legislative Services Agency (LSA). Pol's amendment was rejected by the Republican Senate majority in a voice vote, continuing Indiana's prohibition of cannabis. Indiana is one of a handful of states that have yet to legalize marijuana for medical purposes or for recreational use by adults. But some signs point to potential change in 2025. In January, Indiana Republican Gov. Mike Braun, who took office this year, said it is 'probably time' to legalize medical cannabis, Marijuana Moment reported at the time. While speaking on television news about his 'freedom and opportunity agenda,' Braun said that Indiana should consider cannabis policy reform. 'It's probably time for it to have found its way to Indiana—on the medical side,' he said. Republican legislators have also indicated some support for cannabis policy reform. Earlier this month, Senate Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, who has opposed legalizing both medical and recreational cannabis in the past, said he is aware that marijuana legalization is 'becoming more and more popular, of course, across the state of Indiana, and also in this building.' 'We can't exist in a vacuum,' Bray added. 'More than 30 states have legalized marijuana in some capacity, including those states around us.' While noting he was speaking for himself and not the Republican Party, Bray said marijuana decriminalization may be a better option than more comprehensive cannabis policy reform. 'I think that it would be a smart move, based on where we are in that space right now, that we decriminalize small amounts of marijuana. I don't think that needs to be criminal at this point,' he said. 'Maybe it's an infraction or something like that, because people are obviously buying it legally in other parts of the country [and] can't possess it when you come back here. But should that be a jailable offense at this point? Maybe not.'
Chicago Tribune
28-02-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
State education bills on the move at halfway mark; session picks back up Monday
Education bills in the Indiana Statehouse drew scrutiny and controversy as the surviving bills head to the opposite chamber as the budget session reaches its halfway mark. After a week off, lawmakers return to Indianapolis on Monday. The session is scheduled to end April 29. Education spending, about half of the two-year $46.7 billion budget, often is contentious. A Senate bill directing traditional public schools to share property tax revenue with charter schools passed by a 28-21 vote after hours of debate Feb. 20 as the first half neared its end. The bill calls for property tax sharing if 100 or more students in a district's boundaries attend a charter school. The districts would also have to share a portion of their debt service levy. It drew expected opposition from Northwest Indiana Democrats but this time they were joined by Republicans Dan Dernulc, R-Highland, Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, and Mike Bohacek, R-Michigan City. The bill passed 28-21. Charter schools are typically located in urban districts that lean strongly Democratic. Republicans, who control the Senate by a 40-10 margin, are often their biggest supporters. All 18 Democratic amendments to change the bill failed. 'If this body is truly about choice, then why (does) choice have to come at the expense of the choice of a million people going to traditional schools?' said Sen. Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis. 'The clear losers here are the students and the parents who have chosen to send their students to traditional public schools,' said Sen. Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington. 'We hear people talk about school choice, but it robs tax dollars from the parents of 90% of our future students who choose public schools.' Locally, the bill would have the biggest impact on the Gary Community School Corp., just emerging from seven years of state control. The city is home to six charter schools. Last fall, there were 11,764 students in Gary's district boundaries and just 35%, or 4,144, attended the school district. The remainder, or nearly 7,000 students, turned to charters, neighboring districts or private schools. Officials at the Indianapolis Public Schools said as many as 20 schools could be closed with staff layoffs if the bill passes. The bill's author, Sen. Linda Rogers, R-Granger, said she supports the principle of property tax money following the student. 'Those tax dollars, for years, have not followed their children. Today we need to make that change.' Rogers said traditional public schools are receiving property tax dollars for students they aren't educating. Responding to critics who say charter school board members aren't elected, Rogers added a provision allowing traditional public schools to appoint a member to a charter school's board. Here's a look at other bills that passed. A-F grades: House Bill 1498 requires the Department of Education to establish a new A-F grading system to take effect next year. IREAD: House Bill 1499 allows certain students to retake the IREAD exam at least twice in the summer before retention requirements apply. Certain English language students would be exempt from compliance with the retention requirement. Chronic absenteeism: House Bill 1201 prohibits a school from expelling or suspending a student who's been chronically absent or habitually truant. It requires the Department of Education to establish best discipline practices for chronically absent students. Senate Bill 482, which also addresses chronic absenteeism, passed in the Senate. Transgender athlete ban: House Bill 1041 bans transgender women from participating in collegiate athletics. Education deregulation: House Bill 1002 eases long-held policies, removing certain teacher training and professional development requirements, expired provisions and repealed unfunded grants. It also eliminated the education credential requirement for the Indiana Secretary of Education. Partisan school board: Senate Bill 267 calls for school board candidates to declare a party affiliation. Teacher Compensation: Senate Bill 249 permits school corporations to provide a supplemental payment to teachers in excess of already negotiated salary. Bullying: House Bill 1539 expands the definition of bullying to include severe one-time acts. It gives schools one business day to notify parents of the alleged perpetrator and targeted students. The current time is five days. Chaplains: Senate Bill 523 allows a principal or superintendent of a public school, including a charter school, to approve bringing in a school chaplain if certain requirements are met.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'The next horizon': THC legal limit bill advances in Indiana legislature
A bill that would set a legal limit for the amount of THC in a motorist's saliva to be considered intoxicated driving is advancing through the Indiana Statehouse. House Bill 1119, if passed, states a person can be charged with intoxicated driving if their saliva returns positive for THC. Lawmakers specified that police would use a Drager DrugTest 5000 saliva swab that will only show positive results if a person has 5 nanograms or more in their system. That means someone who has small amounts of THC in their blood would be less likely to be charged with an OWI than they would be under current Indiana law. The proposal shows a slight movement of the needle in the push for Indiana to legalize anything pertaining to marijuana. Lawmakers file bills to legalize marijuana every year, but none of the measures ever pass, and former Gov. Eric Holcomb through his tenure said he would not take steps to legalize marijuana while it remained an illicit substance at the federal level. Meanwhile, all of Indiana's surrounding states have legalized some form of marijuana. Gov. Mike Braun during his election campaign showed an openness to medical marijuana. Still, with the Statehouse deadline to move bills out of committee approaching next week, no bills to decriminalize or legalize marijuana have even received a hearing. Lawmakers during the committee hearing on HB 1119 did not indicate the bill is motivated by a thaw on the state's Republican leaders' hardline stance on marijuana legalization. Evansville Republican Rep. Wendy McNamara, one of the bill's authors, during the hearing said her motivation is to target intoxicated drivers through toxicologist-approved tests, referring to THC as 'one of the trickiest things I've ever tried to nail down.' 'I think this is the next horizon, the next step in how we test for impairment in the State of Indiana while making sure that there's some reliability around that,' she said. Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, did suggest Indiana may be able to make headway on legalization by passing laws addressing intoxicated driving-related concerns that come with marijuana proposals. 'I think if we had some system we could point to on the impairment, that would maybe deal with that issue and then it could on the other policy debate surrounding legalization,' Pierce said, explaining that reckless driving is the first argument voters raised when the topic of legalization arises. The bill carries a Class C misdemeanor penalty for violators, which escalates to a felony if the driver causes serious bodily injury or death behind the wheel. Police cannot arrest someone solely because of a positive test, the proposal clarifies, but the results can be admitted in court for a jury to decide how much weight to put into the results. The Indiana Prosecuting Attorney's Council voiced its support for the bill, calling a saliva test a time and money saver. The House Courts and Criminal Code committee approved the bill by a 12-1 vote, with Rep. Joanna King, R-Middlebury, in dissent. It now moves to the House floor for consideration. Contact IndyStar reporter Sarah Nelson at This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana bill creating limit of THC for impaired driving advances
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Goshen School Board centers in on impactful legislation
GOSHEN — Goshen Community Schools is among the many districts keeping a close eye on the Indiana Statehouse during the legislative session. Two board members commented on bills making the rounds at the Statehouse during the Goshen Community Schools Board of Trustees meeting on Monday night, and district Superintendent Jim DuBois also noted that he's keeping watch on Indiana Senate Bill 1: Property Tax Relief The bill would make changes to homestead deductions, reduce property tax caps, and decrease spending on schools and other taxing entities. The plan would reduce taxes to Indiana schools by about $1.9 million, according to the state's Office of Fiscal and Management Analysis' Legislative Services Agency. DuBois said if approved, the estimates for Goshen Community Schools show the district losing up to $3.8 million in 2026, up to $4.6 million 2027 and up to $5.4 million in 2028. OTHER BOARD ITEMS Assistant Principal Jon Everingham, who is also serving as Career and Technical Education director for the district, discussed with the school board a project he's begun in order to evaluate the needs for pathway programming through high school. Everingham is working on a Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment that he hopes will allow him to present a proposal moving forward to the board before spring break. The CLNA looks at career center options offered across the region in order to determine what programs could be of most benefit to Goshen High School students. DuBois also said they've been in conversations about opening up a body shop to teach mechanics, but they need a comprehensive plan before they can move forward with any further pathways plans. • GCS Chief Financial Officer Bob Evans said summer projects this year will include replacement of parts of HVAC systems at Goshen Junior High School and Goshen High School; a small concession building for athletics and track reconstruction at the junior high; adding air conditioning to the high school gym, redoing the band parking lot, and a new press box, bleachers, and dugouts for the high school soccer field; courtyard renovation and classroom door replacements at Model Elementary School; and repair of a section of the roof at Waterford Elementary School. • Goshen Community Schools Foundation still has no representative from the school board. • Goshen High School Band Director Tom Cox was honored for receiving the Dr. William P. Foster Project Community Development Award North Central Division. • Tageeya Galeb was recognized for becoming a 2024 Elkhart County Lilly Endowment Community Scholar; Kendall Scott for making the Football Academic All-State Team; Ivon Rescalvo for competing in the Girls Wrestling State Competition and receiving seventh place in her weight class; Elsa Alstrom-Brookhyser for being accepted into the Indiana Junior All State Orchestra; and Miguel Aguilar Vargas, Emily Smith and Haleigh McKee for being accepted into the IMEA (Indiana Music Educators Association) Honor Band.
