Indiana House District 30 includes most of the city of Kokomo and extends east through Howard County into neighboring Grant County. It has been represented since 2010 by Michael “Mike” Karickhoff, a former Kokomo parks superintendent who, after moving to a job at the city’s Ivy Tech campus, was elected to the city council. He was in his second council term when he ran for the Indiana House, upsetting a Democratic incumbent and for the past decade locking down a seat that had shifted between the parties since the 1980s.
Karickhoff has avoided the culture wars that have roiled the Republican caucus at times, but has at times aligned with party moderates; in 2016, he signed on as a state co-chair of John Kasich’s run against Donald Trump and Ted Cruz in the Indiana primary. Karickhoff votes with the Republican leadership and gradually has moved into its ranks, rising to Speaker Pro Tempore, the No. 2 position in the House hierarchy, before the 2019 session.
As a legislator, Karickhoff has tended to focus on issues of local government and taxation; he is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee and chairs its budget committee, a key position as lawmakers wrote the 2021 budget amid coronavirus-triggered financial uncertainty. He drew news coverage as the author of 2019 legislation creating the Indiana Destination Development Corp., a public-private partnership that replaced the state-run Office of Tourism Development within the lieutenant governor’s office; the bill, which passed unanimously and was signed into law, was based upon the belief that the new agency would carry a higher profile and more fund-raising punch.
Karickhoff ran unopposed in 2018 and otherwise has held off a succession of Democratic opponents by several thousand votes or more; he won by nearly 10,000 votes in 2020. – Kevin Morgan
Key Votes
SB 198-2019 (Sentencing, bias crimes). Allowed longer sentences in crimes based on personal characteristics, stripped of references to sexual orientation, gender identity and race. Yes
SB 516-2019 (Regulation of hemp). Allowed cultivation and regulation of hemp products in Indiana, did not change marijuana laws. Yes
HB 1001-2019 (State budget). Set funding for state agencies and services, including 2.5% annual increases for education, though not directly for teacher salaries. Yes
HB 1004-2019 (School safety). Increased access to funding for security systems and resource officers, was stripped of provisions for mental health screening. Yes
HB 1015-2019 (Various gaming matters). Allowed sports betting statewide and table games in more casinos, relocated a casino in Gary and authorizing a new one in Terre Haute. Not voting (presiding as speaker pro tempore)
SB 1-2020 (Tobacco and vaping). Raised from 18 to 21 the legal age to buy tobacco or vaping products in Indiana. Excused
SB 148-2020 (Zoning and housing matters). Was amended to overrule local tenant protection measures like those in Indianapolis, Bloomington and Merrillville. Vetoed by governor. Yes
HB 1004-2020 (Health matters). Controlled surprise billing for out-of-network and other costs. Yes
HB 1070-2020 (Distracted driving). Made it an infraction to handle a cell phone while operating a motor vehicle. Yes
HB 1414-2020 (Electric generation). Prohibited utilities from closing coal-fired generating plants without permission from the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. Yes
Group Ratings
Professional career
Superintendent of Parks in Kokomo, Executive Director of Facilities at Ivy Tech Community College, Kokomo, Logansport, Peru and Rochester.
Education
- BS, Parks and Recreation Administration, University of Missouri at Columbia, 1974-1978
Top Contributors
Committees
Ways and Means (Budget Subcommittee Chair), Rules and Legislative Procedures, Natural Resources, Select Committee on Government Reduction, Statutory Committee on Interstate and International Cooperation.
District
Population: 65,402
Race/Ethnic Origin: 86.8% White, 8.3% Black, 0.7% Asian, 1.5% other, 2.8% two or more; 85.1% White Non-Hispanic, 3.2% Hispanic.
Profession
