House committee votes down no-excuse absentee voting amendment
A House committee on Monday voted down an attempt to amend an omnibus elections bill to allow no-excuse absentee voting in Indiana. The amendment, proposed by Rep. Tonya Pfaff, D-Terre Haute, would have allowed Indiana to join other states that allow vote-by-mail, also known as n “...”
Senate passes COVID lawsuit immunity amid debate
Sen. Mark Messmer, R-Jasper, told his fellow Senators Thursday that businesses need protection from COVID-19 lawsuits to ensure they can continue to serve their communities and protect jobs. “This bill does carefully balance the rights of employees to a safe workplace and pro “...”
Buttigieg campaign manager announces bid for state party chair
Importantville, Adam Wren’s newsletter on the intersection of politics, business, and power in Indiana, appears weekly in The Indiana Citizen. *** Mike Schmuhl—the South Bend operative who ran the most well-funded political campaign in Indiana history for his childhood friend “...”
Previewing Buttigieg’s confirmation hearing & Young’s bipartisan moves
, Adam Wren’s newsletter on the intersection of politics, business, and power in Indiana, appears weekly in The Indiana Citizen. *** Transportation Secretary-designate Pete Buttigieg will appear before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on Thursday at “...”
Bill targeting unemployment fraud draws debate
As thousands of new Hoosiers made unemployment claims when COVID-19 led to mass layoffs, suspicions of fraud also increased—and in some cases triggered long wait times for people who desperately needed help. That’s why Rep. Dan Leonard, R-Huntington, said in a meeting of th “...”
A very basic primer on Indiana campaign finance
To accompany The Indiana Citizen’s reporting on campaign finance, the following is a brief summary written by retired lawyer Bill Moreau, co-founder and president of the Indiana Citizen Education Foundation and publisher of The Indiana Citizen. February 16, 2021 *** When you re “...”
Campaign finance and the General Assembly: A report from The Indiana Citizen
In our continuing mission to provide voters with accurate and impartial information, The Indiana Citizen is reporting on the money spent by their campaign committees, based upon the latest round of campaign finance reports filed with the Indiana Secretary of State. The followin “...”
Is this how Indiana’s Trump era ends?
Importantville, Adam Wren’s newsletter on the intersection of politics, business, and power in Indiana, appears weekly in The Indiana Citizen. *** Is this how it ends for Trump in Indiana? Not with a bang, but a whimper of official statements from Hoosier Republicans distancing “...”
The AG: Rokita assumes an oft-misunderstood office
As Indiana’s statewide offices go, attorney general sounds pretty glamorous — the kind of job that might inspire a fast-paced, drama-filled television series. Alas, while it might get higher ratings than a series devoted to, say, Indiana’s auditor or treasurer, the show pro “...”
Eric Holcomb 2.0: Bold incrementalist
You don’t have to pore over decades of certified vote tallies to get a feel for the electoral history of the Indiana governor’s office. Just think “Hoosier hospitality.” While proudly hospitable to strangers, Hoosier voters as a whole prefer the company of their immediate “...”