ACLU fights | 2024 intrigue
ACLU #ACLU
If you are looking for additions to your reading list, Republican presidential candidate Mike Pence has you covered.
But you’ll have to wait until November for that. Here’s what’s going on now.
Forwarded this newsletter from a friend? Sign up for Hoosier Politics here.
Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.
ACLU takes on new Indiana laws
A federal judge will make a decision any day now on whether to temporarily block Indiana’s new law banning gender-affirming health care for transgender children.
Senate Bill 480 bans things like hormone therapy puberty blockers for minors beginning July 1. Within hours of Gov. Eric Holcomb signing the bill into law in early April, the ACLU of Indiana hit “send” on their lawsuit.
Wednesday this week, the federal judge in Indianapolis heard arguments but made no immediate decision. Given the tight timeline, the court will issue a ruling “as soon as possible” according to court filings.
The ACLU of Indiana more recently sued against another bill from this session that also takes effect July 1: House Bill 1608, which bans discussions of “human sexuality” in the classroom for kindergarden through third grade. The lawsuit asks: What exactly does that include, and does it violate free speech rights?
By the way, you should check out our colleagues’ work exploring the lives of transgender teens grappling with their future in Indiana.
State Rep. Jim Lucas: ‘I screwed up.’
State Rep. Jim Lucas pleaded guilty this week to misdemeanor charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident. He had been arrested in Jackson County the midnight after Memorial Day.
The outcome was rather swift, but his overall treatment by the justice system was fairly typical. Misdemeanors don’t disqualify someone from elected office. No word yet on whether his Republican caucus will punish him somehow.
After the plea, he went on WIBC’s Hammer and Nigel Show to answer some tough questions about the ordeal. It’s worth a listen.
No, he’s not going to resign. Nor is he going to swear off drinking, though he’ll have to enter a drug and alcohol abuse program.
He apologized, called it a “hiccup” and a “mistake,” and said he’s “going to get the help that I need and move forward.”
Summer school for lawmakers
The Indiana legislature has assigned topics for committees to study this summer and fall ― pretty boring, except it gives us an indication of where legislation could head in the next few years.
These committees will study marijuana legalization (again), risks of artificial intelligence, the cost of college and child care availability.
There’s also a slew of committees created by legislation this year that have to draft specific recommendations and give reports to the General Assembly by Nov. 1, including ones looking at health care costs, Medicaid, Indiana’s longterm road and bridge needs, and tax reform.
Going against the grain
Noblesville Pastor Micah Beckwith wants to challenge party norms and try to convince delegates at the 2024 Republican Convention to pick him for Indiana lieutenant governor ― rather than simply going with whomever the gubernatorial primary winner wants.
It’s not a longshot. Delegates’ choosing to buck the establishment in 2022 is how Diego Morales became the nominee for secretary of state.
On the other side of the aisle, former Democratic State Rep. Marc Carmichael is emerging from a long political retirement and seems likely to challenge U.S. Rep. Jim Banks in the 2024 general election for Indiana’s Senate seat. It’s looking like Banks will sail to the GOP primary nomination, and Carmichael said he felt strongly that someone needed to challenge him on his far-right stances on social issues.
This is the best shot for a Democrat in a deep-red state, he said: An open seat during a presidential election year when voter turnout is highest. Carmichael has pulled an upset before, over the Republican Indiana House Speaker J. Roberts Dailey in 1986, but Indiana’s political landscape sure was different then.
You know who won’t be running for U.S. Senate: Gov. Holcomb.
Another note on sweetheart deals
Returning once more to the story on the customized rifle offer that Fostech made for Indiana legislators. Common Cause Indiana’s Julia Vaughn wrote an op-ed that explains very well how weak disclosure rules allow such deals to happen in the shadows.
Who uses private school vouchers?
One of the biggest talking points this legislative session was the expansion of Indiana’s private school voucher program. Soon, families of four who make up to $220,000 a year will be able to use government vouchers to attend private schools, up from the current cutoff of about $165,000.
The state recently released their annual report showing data on who participates in the program ― our last glimpse of the status quo before these changes take effect June 29. About a third of participating students come from families with a household income of $100,000 or higher.
Bye-bye, IUPUI
IUPUI is no more.
IU and Purdue merged their Indianapolis campuses in 1969 because then-Mayor Richard Lugar wanted “a great state university in Indianapolis.” But the tongue-twisting IUPUI didn’t turn out to be that top-tier institution for our capital city.
Responding to concerns from the business community, IU and Purdue leaders hope the split will leverage their already renowned reputations to drive more investment in training workers in in-demand fields like health and engineering.
-SEND US YOUR FEEDBACK-
Hoosier Politics is compiled and written by the IndyStar politics and government team. Send us tips or let us know what you think of the newsletter by emailing kdwyer@IndyStar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: ACLU fights | 2024 intrigue