As they reached the halfway point of the 2023 legislative session, the members of the Indiana General Assembly made their priorities clear. They focused inordinate amounts of time and energy on making the already difficult lives of transgender students even harder, keeping students, teachers and librarians from reading or just making available any books dealing […]
Category Archives: Todays news
Senate passes bill to stop transgender youth from receiving gender-affirming care
Late Tuesday, at the end of an eight-hour session, the Indiana Senate passed Senate Bill 480, which would prohibit transgender children from receiving gender-affirming surgeries, hormonal therapy and other medications. Bill author Sen. Tyler Johnson (above), R-Leo, repeatedly said the legislative body has a moral, medical and legal obligation to protect kids from harm. However, Sen. […]
Effort to move Indiana to partisan school board elections dies in the House
A bill that would have let Hoosier communities decide if local school board elections should be partisan died in the Indiana House after lawmakers failed to vote on the measure by Monday’s deadline. That means school board races will stay non-partisan — at least for now. Language from the bill could still crop up in others before […]
Indiana’s absentee voting bill advances
Absentee voting legislation House Bill 1334 is now heading to the Indiana Senate. Authored by by Rep. Timothy Wesco, R-Osceola, it was passed in the Indiana House of Representatives last week 64-27. The bill says voters must request an absentee ballot—they cannot be sent one by “an agency of the state or a political subdivision” unsolicited—and […]
Houses passes $43.4B budget with no Democratic votes
Above: Rep. Jeff Thompson, the key House architect of the budget, works in the House Chamber. (Monroe Bush for the Indiana Capital Chronicle). By Whitney Downard Indiana Capital Chronicle Feb. 24, 2023 Indiana Republicans passed their $43.3 billion budget proposal without any Democrat support, with the minority party denouncing the millions earmarked to expand school vouchers. Nearly […]
“Don’t Say Gay” lookalike bill passes Indiana House of Representatives
On Thursday, House Bill 1608, the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill, passed its third reading in the House of Representatives 65-29. The bill met with a loud public protest on Monday when it was in the House Education Committee, and its passage in the House Thursday also drew criticism from, among others, Katie Blair, advocacy and public policy […]
John Krull commentary: A new slogan for Indiana politicians
The members of the Indiana General Assembly possess a real passion for solving problems that don’t exist or that they created themselves. Real problems, on the other hand, they pretend not to see. The push to pass a measure modeled after Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law is a perfect example. Indiana House Bill 1608 produced […]
Bill taking aim at gender-affirming medical care for minors passes committee
A bill that would ban minors from receiving gender-affirming medical care passed the Senate Health and Provider Services Committee on Wednesday. Authored by Sen. Tyler Johnson (above), R-Leo, Senate Bill 480 would stop transgender children under 18 from receiving gender-affirming medical assistance, whether it be surgeries, hormonal therapy or other medication. The bill appears this legislative […]
Rokita announces he will seek reeelection as attorney general
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita (above) announced through social media Wednesday that he will seek a second term as attorney general, forgoing runs that had been rumored for governor or the U.S. Senate. “Confirming I am seeking reelection in ’24,” Rokita posted to his Twitter account. “I am proud of my work bringing back nearly […]
John Krull commentary: Scavenger bird in the Indiana secretary of state’s office
Elect a clown, the joke goes, and you should expect a circus to follow. Sometimes, you even get the clown’s brother-in-law as part of the act. The news, first reported by The Indianapolis Star, that Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales hired his brother-in-law is an outrage that isn’t a surprise. Morales long has demonstrated […]