House-Approved Bill Would Restrict Local Health Officials During Emergency
Article origination IPBS-RJC
Under current law, local health officials can impose restrictions during a public emergency that go further than any state orders.
Justin Hicks/IPB News
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted Indiana Republican lawmakers to change the way local health officials are allowed to do their jobs during a public emergency.
Right now, local health officials can impose restrictions that go further than any state orders, like counties keeping mask-wearing mandates in place after the statewide mandate has ended.
A bill, SB 5, approved by the House Tuesday would ban that. Instead, stricter regulations could only be passed by local elected leaders – county commissioners or city councils.
A Fort Wayne state representative on Tuesday tried to strip his bill and insert unrelated language that could cost social media companies that block content on their privately-owned platforms.
Fifty-eight percent of Hoosiers favored tax dollars going directly to Indiana’s public schools in that 2015 survey by the Bowen Center at Ball State University. Only 39 percent supported using state funds for private and charter school vouchers.
The leadership of the Indiana General Assembly’s ruling party has different education priorities, more aligned with the national education reform movement.
Controversy over House Bill 1005 epitomizes the contrast between the dominant Republican Party’s top legislators and average Hoosiers.
Indiana is struggling to attract and keep its public school teachers. A 2019 Rockefeller Institute study showed Indiana ranked last in the nation in teacher salary increases since 2000. Hoosier teachers and supporters demonstrated. Gov. Eric Holcomb appointed a commission to find specific ways to bolster educators’ pay, and after two years, the panel released its findings, outlining 37 recommendations to lift the average teacher salary to $60,000
Indiana Republicans differ over governor s COVID-19 powers: critics say orders unfairly hurt small businesses chicagotribune.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from chicagotribune.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.