INDIANAPOLIS — Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties would be required to spend more of their budgets on mental health services under a measure headed to Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb.House Enrolled Act 1141, which won final legislative approval Tuesday, changes how the maximum county payment to community mental health centers is calculated, and removes conditions that currently allow counties to contribute less than the maximum.If signed into law, Lake County would pay approximately $175,000 more each year and Porter County about $150,000, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency.LaPorte County only would owe about $15,000 more because state data show it already nearly pays the maximum required appropriation.Community mental health centers operate in all 92 counties and largely are the front line in Indiana's battle against drug addiction.Holcomb has declared that combating the state's opioid abuse crisis is one of his top priorities as governor.The legislation passed … [Read more...] about Lawmakers approve plan requiring counties spend more on community mental health
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Say farewell to archaic words, male-only references in Indiana’s laws
INDIANAPOLIS — Quoth the Legislature: "Nevermore."The General Assembly on Tuesday advanced to the governor's desk a measure cleaning up Indiana's laws by replacing archaic language with more accurate terms familiar to modern Hoosiers.Specifically, House Enrolled Act 1031 substitutes other words for "herein, hereafter, hereinafter, therein, theretofore, hereunder, hereinunder, heretofore, hereinabove, and thereunder" wherever they appear throughout the Indiana Code.It also replaces the remaining instances where "his" is used to describe the duties of a state officeholder, now that five of the seven statewide elected officials are women.State Rep. Thomas Washburne, R-Inglefield, the sponsor of the proposal, said deleting the outdated language will keep the Indiana Code "very, very pleasant to deal with compared to many other states," for lawyers and citizens alike.The 169-page measure passed the House, 91-0, and the Senate, 48-0.Check out our Crossing the Line series here Crossing … [Read more...] about Say farewell to archaic words, male-only references in Indiana’s laws
State commission likely losing ability to reject local safety ordinances without justification
INDIANAPOLIS — Hoosier lawmakers have agreed to rein in a state commission that repeatedly has frustrated Northwest Indiana fire chiefs and elected officials by temporarily preventing local carbon monoxide detector ordinances from taking effect.House Enrolled Act 1004, which advanced Tuesday to the governor's desk following a 90-0 House vote, prohibits the Indiana Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission from continuing to issue nonspecific local ordinance denials.It previously passed the Senate, 49-0.If approved, as expected, by Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb, the commission would be required to cite the particular provisions of the state fire safety or building laws that form the basis for the commission halting a local safety ordinance from going into force.Several Region communities last year saw their carbon monoxide detector ordinances thwarted by the commission, seemingly without justification, as the Indiana Fire Code is silent on carbon monoxide detectors.After The … [Read more...] about State commission likely losing ability to reject local safety ordinances without justification
Indiana may no longer charge sales tax on food sold through vending machines
INDIANAPOLIS — Hoosiers buying food from vending machines next year might pay a little less if state lawmakers in coming days approve a proposal to exempt those purchases from the 7 percent Indiana sales tax.The House on Monday voted 93-0 for Senate Bill 124. It now returns to the Senate, where it previously was approved 47-0, for a final decision on whether to send it to Gov. Eric Holcomb for enactment.Under the plan, food sold through vending machines would be exempt from sales tax, just as it is when purchased at a grocery store or other retailer.State Rep. Dave Ober, R-Albion, the sponsor of the measure, said it's a simple matter of fairness that identical food items should be taxed the same way no matter how they're sold.The sales tax exemption only would apply to food products. Candy, soft drinks and other vending machine staples not classified as "food" under Indiana law still would be subject to sales tax, just as they are in stores.However, the proposed statute does not … [Read more...] about Indiana may no longer charge sales tax on food sold through vending machines
Crossing the Line — Wind Gusts
Crossing the Line — Wind Gusts Crossing the line separating Indiana and Illinois sometimes means dealing with different laws and customs. Readers are asked to share ideas for this weekly feature. This week: Wind gusts.It's often said that March weather comes in roaring like a lion and goes out peaceful like a lamb.That's something most any resident of Illinois or Indiana can confirm as they struggle to cope with strong winds in the first weeks of this month.But folk wisdom aside, weather records show the highest recorded wind gusts in both states, excluding tornadoes, occurred at other times of the year.According to the National Weather Service, the highest wind gust in Chicago was 87 miles per hour during a snowstorm on Feb. 12, 1894.And even though Chicago is known as the "Windy City," the Illinois state capital of Springfield has a higher recorded wind gust: 98 mph on June 14, 1957.However, the top wind speed ever recorded in Indiana beats them both.A wind gust of 111 mph hit … [Read more...] about Crossing the Line — Wind Gusts
House to consider gun-purchase age, bump-stock ban and more
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — An Illinois House committee will consider firearms legislation Tuesday in answer to the Parkland, Florida massacre two weeks ago. The Judiciary-Criminal Committee has scheduled votes on five measures. Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson is scheduled to testify in favor of legislation to prohibit sales of high-capacity ammunition feeders or using body armor in committing a crime. Other proposals would prohibit the sale of assault-style weapons to anyone younger than 21 and ban the sale of bump stocks allowing assault-style weapons to be fired more quickly. Others would intensify mental health screening of gun buyers and require a 72-hour cooling off period for purchasing assault-style weapons if they remain legal. Cardinal Blase Cupich of the Archdiocese of Chicago will urge lawmakers Wednesday to take action to reduce gun violence. Check out our Crossing the Line series here: Crossing the Line — Online Dating Safety Crossing the … [Read more...] about House to consider gun-purchase age, bump-stock ban and more
Soliday continuing fight for autonomous vehicle safety standards
INDIANAPOLIS — State Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, is not giving up on his goal of ensuring that any autonomous vehicles operated on Indiana roads are at least as safe as those driven by humans. A Senate committee on Tuesday, prompted by opposition to Soliday's plan from vehicle manufacturers and computer companies, scaled back many of the provisions in House Bill 1341 that Soliday believes are essential to Hoosier safety. In particular, the revised legislation scraps a proposed requirement that every autonomous vehicle have a responsible occupant with a driver's license prepared to manually operate the vehicle if the autonomous system fails. Vehicle manufacturers claim such a mandate is both technologically unnecessary and would prevent the blind and disabled from taking advantage of new mobility options offered by computer-driven vehicles. State Sen. Mike Crider, R-Greenfield, chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Transportation, said the changes … [Read more...] about Soliday continuing fight for autonomous vehicle safety standards
No professional licenses for Indiana ‘Dreamers’ without bill
INDIANAPOLIS — Young immigrants often referred to as "Dreamers" would be prohibited from obtaining professional licenses in Indiana unless emergency legislation is approved. A provision by Republican Rep. Ed Clere of New Albany would do just that. It was added Tuesday to a bill in a legislative committee, though the measure must still pass the full Indiana House and Senate. The term "Dreamers" refers to young immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children. They've had protection from deportation under program developed under former President Barack Obama known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Recent changes adopted by Indiana's Professional Licensing Agency bars DACA recipients from obtaining licenses for dozens of professions ranging from cosmetology to nursing to real estate agents. The agency says it is following a 2011 state law. Check out our Crossing the Line Series here: Crossing the Line — Online Dating Safety Crossing the line … [Read more...] about No professional licenses for Indiana ‘Dreamers’ without bill
Crossing the Line — Online Dating Safety
Crossing the Line — Online Dating Safety Crossing the line separating Indiana and Illinois sometimes means dealing with different laws and customs. Readers are asked to share ideas for this weekly feature. This week: Online dating safety.It's always difficult to know for sure whether an online dating profile matches a real person genuinely interested in meeting others, or perhaps is linked to a scammer — or worse.According to a new study by HighSpeedInternet.com and Safewise, hooking up with Hoosiers online is relatively safer than connecting in Illinois.The analysis ranked states based on their per capita violent crime rates, cybercrime rates and the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases.Indiana was deemed the 27th safest state for online dating. Illinois came in 37th out of the 50 states.The report said the five safest states for online dating are Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Idaho and Utah.Alaska was rated the most dangerous state for online dating, followed by … [Read more...] about Crossing the Line — Online Dating Safety
Crossing the Line — Revenue Growth
Crossing the Line — Revenue Growth Crossing the line separating Indiana and Illinois sometimes means dealing with different laws and customs. Readers are asked to share ideas for this weekly feature. This week: Revenue growth.Indiana and Illinois are among the 29 states whose tax revenue, adjusted for inflation, has grown since the 2008-09 recession — albeit in dramatically different ways.A new analysis by The Pew Charitable Trusts found that Indiana tax collections were up 7.5 percent through mid-2017, the most recent quarter available, compared to the state's pre-recession peak.The report showed that Indiana's revenue dipped 10.3 percent between July 2008 and June 2010. But since then it has increased relatively steadily, and now exceeds the 50-state average of 6.3 percent growth since the recession.Illinois currently stands at 4.1 percent post-recession revenue growth. However, that's down significantly from the 21.7 percent increase recorded in March 2014.The state's … [Read more...] about Crossing the Line — Revenue Growth