Indiana House Bill 1418 unanimously passed out of the Local Government Committee at the Indiana General Assembly Tuesday morning, a positive start in the process of creating a state law that would allow a second development in unincorporated Porter County, Grand Oaks, the option of requesting annexation by the city of Valparaiso.
Officials said appointments are still preferred and some vaccine providers are booked through May.
Dr. Lindsay Weaver, Indiana Department of Health chief medical officer, said the expansion to walk-ins is partially because demand for vaccines has dropped off and partially to help lower the barrier for Hoosiers to get vaccinated. But almost everyone that we’ve asked said absolutely and are taking walk-ins. And that really means a lot to people who have had difficulty trying to plan ahead and schedule, Weaver said.
Indiana lags behind the national average for COVID-19 vaccines, with a little more than 28 percent of the state’s total population fully vaccinated. When pointing to more rural zip codes, health officials said they’re working with the Indiana Rural Health Association to help improve vaccination rates.
Credit FILE PHOTO: Brandon Smith / IPB News/Gov. Eric Holcomb s Office
Gov. Eric Holcomb sued the Indiana General Assembly Tuesday over legislation that would give lawmakers more authority to intervene during a public emergency.
Many lawmakers felt sidelined during the COVID-19 pandemic as the governor issued dozens of executive orders, some of which legislators openly opposed. To give themselves more opportunity to intervene in the future, lawmakers passed a bill, HB 1123, that allows them to call a special session of the General Assembly during a public emergency.
But Holcomb – supported by some constitutional experts – believes the Indiana Constitution exclusively gives the governor that power. And he’s suing to find out for sure.