Page 6 - Alan Mbathi News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Credit Brandon Smith and Alan Mbathi / IPB News Gov. Eric Holcomb’s lawsuit against the Indiana General Assembly over emergency power legislation can move forward – despite Attorney General Todd Rokita’s best efforts to block it. Legislators passed a law this year, HB 1123, that allows them to call themselves into special session during a public emergency. Holcomb’s lawsuit contends that power belongs, via the Indiana Constitution, solely to the governor. Attorney General Rokita wanted to stop the case from moving forward. He argued the governor can only bring a lawsuit, using outside...

Credit Brandon Smith and Alan Mbathi / IPB News Attorneys for Gov. Eric Holcomb and Attorney General Todd Rokita faced off in court Wednesday over an emergency powers lawsuit. A new state law, HB 1123, would allow the General Assembly to call itself into special session during an emergency – like the pandemic. Holcomb argued the Indiana Constitution gives that power solely to the governor and sued to strike the law down. But Rokita said Holcomb can’t bring the suit because only the attorney general gets to represent the state in court – and Rokita doesn’t think the law is unconstituti...

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is leading a multi-state effort calling on the Biden administration to drop a proposal aimed at funding more comprehensive and inclusive civics and history programs.

Credit Alan Mbathi / IPB News Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita wants Gov. Eric Holcomb’s lawsuit against the General Assembly to stop before it goes any further. Holcomb sued lawmakers earlier this week over a bill that allows them to call a special session during a public emergency, giving legislators more power to intervene with the governor’s decision-making. But Rokita said Holcomb isn’t allowed to bring a lawsuit without an OK from the attorney general’s office – and Rokita didn’t give that permission. Indiana law says the state speaks with one voice in court – the atto...

Credit Alan Mbathi / IPB News At a time when more Hoosiers are getting outside, the legislature has made even more budget cuts to Indiana’s underfunded and understaffed environmental agencies. The funding for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources for the 2022 and 2023 fiscal years will be about 3 percent lower than the current budget. Even though the Indiana Department of Environmental Management received more money from the state's general fund, it will be operating with about 11 percent fewer dollars overall. The Hoosier Environmental Council said budgets for state environmental age...