Coronavirus: Indiana Expands Eligibility To Hoosiers 60+, State Cracks Down On Waitlists wfyi.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wfyi.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Weekly Statehouse Update: Session Reaches Halfway Point, House GOP Approves Budget
FILE PHOTO: Peter Balonon-Rosen/IPB News
The Indiana General Assembly wraps up the first half of its session: the House passes the state budget, the Senate shackles the governor over emergency powers and elimination of Indiana’s handgun licenses is a step closer.
Here’s what you might have missed this week at the Statehouse.
House Republicans tout in their budget $378 million in new spending for K-12 education – about a third of which will go to private school vouchers – and grants for small business recovery, student learning loss, law enforcement and regional economic development.
Indiana Senate Democrats Lament Missed Opportunities In Session s First Half wbaa.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wbaa.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Indiana Senate approves bill to deregulate wetlands
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The Indiana Senate has passed controversial legislation that would repeal state oversight of wetlands.
The Senate approved Senate Bill 389 by a vote of 29-19 on Monday afternoon. Nine Republicans joined 10 Democrats in opposing the measure. The bill moves to the Indiana House for consideration.
The bill, authored by Republican Sen. Chris Garten of Charlestown, would eliminate any state regulation of wetlands.
Wetlands would still be regulated by the federal government under the Clean Water Act, but that oversight would apply to only about 20% of the remaining wetlands because of how former President Donald Trump’s administration defined wetlands.
Credit Darron Cummings / Associated Press
Gov. Eric Holcomb wants to create a new, regional development initiative that he says will help the state’s economy recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Holcomb unveiled the idea in his 2021 State of the State address Tuesday – which, due to security concerns across the country tied to the presidential inauguration, was pre-taped away from the Statehouse.
The governor began with a somber reflection on the toll COVID-19 has had on Indiana.
“It’s impossible to calculate the far-reaching ripple effect of the personal and community loss of lives and livelihoods,” Holcomb said.
After that, the usual talking points: his recently-announced budget proposal, which includes hundreds of millions to spend down state debt and a $377 million K-12 school funding increase; improvements in job creation and training; infrastructure investments; the state s COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan and more.