Secretary of State Lawson announces plans to resign; Holcomb to appoint successor
Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson announced Monday she will resign as the state’s top election official, citing a need to focus on her personal health and family after the challenges of 2020. “I have dedicated the last 32 years of my life to public service,” Lawson “...”
Constitutional carry clears one committee, heads to another for review
Update: A bill to repeal Indiana’s licensing requirement to carry a handgun cleared a House committee Monday. House Bill 1369, authored by Rep. Ben Smaltz, R-Auburn, passed the House Public Policy Committee in a 9-3 vote after being amended. The bill is scheduled for review by “...”
COVID lawsuit immunity bill passes House
The Indiana House on Thursday passed legislation providing businesses, health care providers and other entities protection against lawsuits over COVID-19 exposure. Senate Bill 1, passed earlier by the Indiana Senate, was approved in a 72-21 vote in the House. Because the bill was “...”
House committee endorses civics ed requirement for middle schools
An Indiana House committee Wednesday voted unanimously in favor of a bill requiring that civics education become a required class in middle schools, a change that supporters encouraged as an early step toward improving Indiana’s lagging civic health. House Bill 1384 also wo “...”
Senate votes to override Holcomb veto of landlord/tenant bill
The Indiana Senate voted Monday to override Gov. Eric Holcomb’s veto of 2020 legislation that limited local governments’ authority to regulate dealings between tenants and landlords. This could be the first time Holcomb has a veto undone if the Indiana House also votes to ove “...”
John Krull commentary: Susan Bayh and the steel behind the smile
When the news broke that Susan Bayh had died, several memories of her floated to the forefront. Strangely, the most prominent one may have been the most trivial. It was from 1992. She and her husband, Evan, were campaigning in Evansville as part of a bus tour with the newly anoin “...”
Vote-by-mail, other amendments to elections bills are again voted down along party lines
Indiana lawmakers continued Thursday to debate how to best hold state elections after a presidential election cycle coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The overlap of the last election and a contagious virus prompted many questions about how to balance voter access with “...”
Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission announces schedule of public hearings
The Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission, a bipartisan citizens group formed to advise and offer an alternative to the upcoming redrawing of congressional and legislative district lines by the Indiana General Assembly, has announced a schedule of virtual public hearings to d “...”
Buttigieg confirmed as transportation secretary
Hoosier Pete Buttigieg has been confirmed as the next U.S. Secretary of Transportation, becoming the first openly gay person to hold a cabinet-level position in the national government. Formerly the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Buttigieg has put Indiana in the spotlight since ru “...”
Young joins COVID relief talks with White House
Senate Republicans and newly inaugurated President Joe Biden are stepping into negotiations around a new COVID-19 relief package for Americans after the deadliest month for the virus to date. While hospitalizations are down and vaccines are being rolled out nationwide, 95,000 Ame “...”