“A porn star, a Bible salesman and a guy named Pecker walk into a courtroom. …” That was a text I received last week from a source making an observation about Donald J. Trump’s Manhattan hush money trial involving actress Stormy Daniels and testimony from former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker. The text included an “LOL” salutation. This trial is like pulling up a Trump World rock and watching the slimy creatures slither and wriggle out into the mainstream: porn ... The post The Pecker fabrication appeared first on State Affairs ..read more

Gov. Laura Kelly has vetoed 16 bills this session, including two tax relief bills. The House didn’t override the first vetoed tax measure — House Bill 2284. The other one — House Bill 2036 — is among 15 vetoed bills that will require at least 84 votes in the House and 27 in the Senate to approve despite Kelly’s vetoes. The Legislature on Monday will begin the task of tackling its list of veto override motions. HB 2284 served as ... The post 15 Kelly vetoes face lawmakers. Are there enough votes to override? appeared first on State Affairs ..read more

Lawmakers logged some nighttime hours Friday to reach an agreement on the omnibus budget bill.  House Bill 2551 contains requests for additional funding for existing programs and for new programs resulting from recently signed bills. The Senate Committee on Ways and Means and the House Committee on Appropriations conferenced after establishing their positions Thursday and Friday.  The committees’ representatives agreed on additional funding for the Attorney General’s Office.  The Senate accepted the House’s position of not providing $887,556 and 10 ... The post Committees agree ..read more

What can compare to the Declaration of Independence as an aspirational document? Our fundamental American belief is that all “are created equal … with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”  But without life, there is no liberty or pursuit of happiness. That endowment of life is not distributed equally in this land of the free and home of the brave.  At birth in 2021, males had a life expectancy of 73.5 years, ... The post Without life, there is no liberty or pursuit of happiness appeared first on State Affairs ..read more

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The train is ready to move — fast, even faster if local officials and community leaders get aboard for the next move. South Shore Line trains will move faster and leave more often, starting May 14, with the time of a trip between South Bend and Chicago cut by nearly an hour. Yep, zip right into the Loop in one hour and 49 minutes, with a reasonable fare and no tolls, no gasoline cost, no need ... The post Zipping to the Loop on our South Shore appeared first on State Affairs ..read more

CARMEL, Ind. — I can just imagine that moment when the parsimonious Mrs. Jill Dunn opens the local newspaper and reads, “Candidate Craig Dunn spends $8 million of his own money on primary campaign for (fill in the blank).”  It wouldn’t really matter whether the primary election was for governor, senator, United States representative, mayor or dogcatcher, I would be toast. It wouldn’t be a pretty sight. No, my wife is thrifty and hates to waste money. I’m more apt ... The post Self-funders and getting our money’s worth appeared first on State Affairs ..read more

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — There was lots of drama at the end of March, when Congress — six months behind schedule — finally funded the federal government for the rest of the fiscal year. You may remember some of the highlights: The $1.2 trillion package funded defense, homeland security and other key agencies (others had gotten their funding a few weeks earlier), and Congress passed it mere hours before a government shutdown.

 Of course, it was characterized as a great success, ... The post You’re used to how Congress does budgets. You shouldn’t be appeared first on State Affairs ..read more

The Legislature on Friday approved the K-12 education funding bill, which now goes to Gov. Laura Kelly’s desk for the final OK.  Senate Bill 387 passed the House 115-2 and the Senate 35-2.  The votes represented a significant turnaround from early April, when the House passed SB 387 with a 65-58 vote, but the Senate rejected it with a 12-26 vote.  Sen. Molly Baumgardner, R-Louisburg, said Friday that the House’s original version of the bill “wasn’t ready for prime time.”  ... The post Legislature passes K-12 education funding bill appeared first on State Affairs ..read more

As he stood beside fellow House and Senate Republicans after the 113th General Assembly wrapped up its annual work this week, Gov. Bill Lee said he was “proud” of work done by lawmakers in this year’s session. But it took reporters’ prompting for Lee to address a now-decomposing white whale on the 2nd floor of the state Capitol — his signature effort to pass a universal school voucher bill, or, as the governor prefers to call them, “education freedom scholarships.” ... The post Lee’s signature bill may have been killed, but governor still ‘proud’ of session accomplishments appeared first on St ..read more

Almost 300 feet above the skyline in the center of our state stands Victory, a classic Greek-inspired sculpture envisioned to be the Hoosier version of Nike, the goddess of war. In flowing robes, standing astride a star-studded ball with her hair in a 19th century-style bun, she hoists a torch of enlightenment while gripping a sword by her side after a mythical battle triumph. Victory has been above us since 1902, some 122 years before Caitlin Clark arrived, and she ... The post Opinion: The ‘Victory’ metaphor eludes Hoosier GOP women appeared first on State Affairs ..read more