Indiana updates K-12 school guidance after CDC offers new COVID-19 isolation rules

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States and contributes to the deaths of 11,000 Hoosiers each year. A new report from the American Lung Association shows Indiana lags behind the nation in policy efforts to reduce tobacco use. The annual State of Tobacco Control...

Indiana lawmakers are trying to divert more people away from local jails and into mental health treatment. Advocates call a proposed bill “compassionate,” “humane” and “fiscally responsible.”. The legislation, HB 1006, creates a system for law enforcement to refer people to mental health centers. Those...

Indiana lawmakers and leaders are attempting to address the decade-long decline in literacy and reading skills among the state’s young students. Reading is a top concern for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and the state’s education leaders. Last year’s IREAD-3 results, the state’s third grade reading exam, showed a passage rate nearly 10 percentage points behind the top rate of 91.4 percent a decade ago.

A bill to prohibit new physician non-compete agreements passed the Senate Health and Provider Services Committee Wednesday with nine voting for and three against. Non-compete agreements often prohibit workers from leaving a job and taking another in the same industry, usually within a certain time frame, geographic area or both. Proponents argue these agreements help protect trade secrets, prevent employees from stealing clients as well as increase employers’ willingness to invest time and money to train and develop workers’ skills.

Hoosiers would have a lot more control over the data companies keep on them under legislation unanimously approved by a Senate committee Thursday. The bill, SB 5, would require companies to respond to consumers regarding their personal data. That includes finding out what data the companies have, correcting inaccurate information and deleting data, if requested.

The Indiana Farm Bureau is focusing on four general topics for the 2023 legislative session: rural viability, energy, taxes and food security. Specifically, they want to focus on bills involving rural broadband, public health funding, farmland preservation, property tax assessments and ESG standards to name a few. Jeff Cummins, the...