State lawmakers easily override governor's tax veto

INDIANAPOLIS | Prioritizing practicality over principle, the anti-tax Indiana General Assembly on Wednesday overrode a veto by Gov. Mike Pence and enacted into law a retroactive income tax increase for residents of two counties.

LARRY DeBOER: Revenue forecast up, but still not soaring

On April 16, the Indiana General Assembly heard the long-awaited revenue forecast update. "Up" is the right word.

Revenue forecast set to shape budget debate

INDIANAPOLIS | The leader of the Indiana Senate claims to believe education policy debates, and not the budget, will dominate Statehouse discussions over the next two weeks as the 2013 session of the General Assembly races toward adjournment.

EDITORIAL: House shifts blame, doesn't solve problem

One of the selling points, though not the only one, for enacting a local income tax in Lake County is to thaw the property tax levy that has been frozen by the state Legislature since 2007. Wednesday's action in the Indiana House of Representatives muddied the waters but didn't build a bridg…

EDITORIAL: Gambling on host communities' future

Indiana lawmakers are up to their elbows in surgery on casino taxes. They must remember as they do so that the reason for allowing casinos in Indiana in the first place was to benefit the host communities.

Pence promises moratorium on state regulations

INDIANAPOLIS | Republican Mike Pence vowed Tuesday to halt nearly all new state regulations if he's elected governor and review every rule put in place by the current Republican administration.

EDITORIAL: Keep barking for teeth in access laws

Indiana's Open Door Law and Access to Public Records Act need teeth, but the Senate leadership is barking up the wrong tree.

House panel OKs welfare drug test pilot program

INDIANAPOLIS | Some Indiana welfare recipients would be required to pass a drug test under legislation approved by a House committee Tuesday.

Constitution appears to ban referendums on state laws

INDIANAPOLIS | The Indiana Constitution likely does not allow the General Assembly to make a state law contingent on approval by Hoosier voters, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency.

ANDREA NEAL: Election law 'slipped by' GOP leadership

If getting people to vote wasn't hard enough already, a new Indiana law will further stifle democratic spirit on Nov. 8. The measure removes from the ballot municipal candidates who are unopposed.

Landske: Keeping uncontested races on ballot up to counties

INDIANAPOLIS | The chairwoman of the Indiana Senate Elections Committee believes the uproar over a new law allowing election officials to drop uncontested races from the ballot is a lot of fuss over nothing.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Republican Legislature pandered to party's base

This last legislative session is but a distant memory. The state legislators have returned to their homes and their daily lives, and now all that is left is the litigation stemming from their actions. Many of the actions taken in this past session were illegal, and some were, in my opinion, …

Valpo gets lesson in tax cap impact

VALPARAISO | The city can expect about a $1.3 million hit as a result of the state's new property tax cap law that limits property taxes it can collect.

ANDREA NEAL: Choose effectiveness over older adults' convenience

Last year, the Indiana General Assembly took an important step toward reducing sales of alcoholic beverages to minors. They're now on the verge of undoing that -- all because some grumpy old people don't like being carded.

ANDREA NEAL: Redevelopment commissions can make debt soar

Carmel's Center for the Performing Arts opened its doors last weekend with a glamorous debut. Featuring Indiana limestone and Italian stone beneath a Palladio dome, the center will last 500 years or longer, its website says "creating a legacy that will be passed along to our children and gra…

EDITORIAL: Weigh death penalty's deterrent value

Officials in Indiana and Illinois are rethinking capital punishment, but the way they're framing the discussion could be missing the chief argument for or against it.