Politics & Government

House Speaker Brian Bosma says the legislature is largely finished dealing with implementation of the Affordable Care Act this session.

A new revenue forecast predicts even stronger tax revenue growth for Indiana over the next two years, but House and Senate fiscal leaders say it will not dramatically alter budget negotiations.

The April revenue forecast unveiled Tuesday shows a $290 million increase from December projections, with the biggest predicted gains coming from individual income taxes.  Senate Appropriations Chair Luke Kenley said the new forecast is good news but cautioned against reading too much into it as budget negotiations progress over the next two weeks.

The Indiana House Monday passed a school safety bill minus a controversial provision that could have required schools to arm teachers and principals.

The school safety bill creates a $10 million grant fund Indiana schools can use to evaluate existing school safety measures, purchase safety equipment or hire school resource officers –law enforcement with extra training for work in the school environment. 

Legislation regulating the abortion-inducing drug known as RU-486 is headed to the governor’s desk after the Senate approved changes made in the House.

The original legislation required women receiving RU-486 to undergo an ultrasound prior to receiving the drug.  Changes made in the House allow women to opt-out of viewing the ultrasound or listening to the fetal heartbeat. 

Hoosiers on welfare could be subject to drug testing under legislation approved by the Indiana Senate Wednesday.

Changes to a school safety bill made in a House committee Tuesday will allow Indiana public schools to opt-out of a requirement that each facility employ armed personnel, but critics say the changes still don’t solve core problems with the bill.

Indiana Senator Joe Donnelly Friday publicly announced his support of same-sex marriage, saying he changed his position in light of recent Supreme Court arguments and public discussion. The Democratic U.S. Senator’s support could influence the issue in the Statehouse.

In a statement released on his Facebook page, Senator Joe Donnelly said he opposes amending both the Indiana and U.S. constitutions to ban same-sex marriage, much as a proposed amendment to Indiana’s constitution would do if passed a second time by the General Assembly and then by voters.

The Indiana Senate budget proposal unveiled Thursday does include an income tax cut, but it's not nearly as large as Governor Mike Pence proposed. Still, Pence says it’s a good start.

Last year, then-congressman Mike Pence made a 10% income tax cut proposal the centerpiece of his campaign.  But when House Republicans presented their budget earlier this session, Governor Pence’s tax cut was nowhere to be found.