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Republican gubernatorial nominee Mike Braun’s detailed plan to support the state’s agricultural community includes capping annual property tax increases on farmland at 3%. More news below. — Howey Politics Indiana/State Affairs
Braun details sprawling agriculture plan, ideas to help Indiana farmers: Republican gubernatorial nominee Mike Braun, in partnership with Hoosiers for Opportunity, Prosperity and Enterprise, released a sprawling agriculture plan detailing policy proposals concerning farmers, rural communities and the Indiana Economic Development Corp. (Meeks, State Affairs)
STATE
State revenues fall short of estimates in August: The State Budget Agency reports revenues of $1.4 billion, or 1% lower than the December 2023 forecast and 3% lower than the same month last year. (Brown, Inside Indiana Business)
Educators, students want IDOE to add arts requirements to new high school diploma proposal: Educators say the Indiana Department of Education’s second draft of new high school diploma requirements is better than the first, but some people are still concerned about the lack of fine arts requirements in the new proposal. (Adair, Lakeshore Public Media)
Hoosier workers, employees likely to see another stiff increase in health benefit costs: As open-enrollment season approaches, Indiana benefits consultants are predicting that the cost of employer-sponsored health insurance plans could rise by double digits at many companies. (Russell, IBJ)
Pence to keynote Indy defense innovation summit: The Midwest Defense Innovation Summit will debut downtown in mid-October with former Vice President Mike Pence headlining the speaker roster. (Charron, IBJ)
Indiana Tax Court rules in favor of Allen County’s jail construction funding plan: Indiana Tax Court Special Judge Heather A. Welch ruled in favor of the Allen County government’s plan to fund building a new jail, ending a lawsuit brought against the county by a community activist group. (Sandleben, WBOI-FM)
Tomorrow: Natural Resources Commission to meet at Fort Harrison State Park — The Indiana Natural Resources Commission announced the meeting begins at 10 a.m. at the Fort Harrison State Park Inn, Roosevelt Ballroom, 5830 North Post Road, Indianapolis. The agenda and related materials are posted here. (Howey Politics Indiana/State Affairs)
ACLU sues IU and Purdue to stop intellectual diversity law: The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana is suing Indiana University and Purdue University over Senate Enrolled Act 202, which requires faculty to have “intellectual diversity” in the classroom. (Wright, WFIU-FM)
Carl Bernstein to serve as IU’s Poynter Chair for 2024-25: Fifty years after breaking the Watergate story, setting the standard for modern investigative reporting, Carl Bernstein will serve as the 2024-25 Indiana University Poynter Chair and Visiting Roy W. Howard Journalist-in-Residence, according to a news release. (Howey Politics Indiana/State Affairs)
LOCAL
Monroe County voter registration spikes following presidential debate: Monroe County Election Supervisor Kylie Farris said her office has seen a sharp increase in voter registration following the presidential debate. (Szpak, WFIU-FM)
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Errington calls on governor to address Pathways for Aging waitlist: In an email, state Rep. Sue Errington, D-Muncie, said the Home- and Community-Based Indiana PathWays for Aging program has more open slots (10,500) than Hoosiers on the waitlist (9,247) and said she has called on Gov. Eric Holcomb to address the issue. (Howey Politics Indiana/State Affairs)
Tomorrow: Legislative Council Audit and Financial Reporting Subcommittee to meet — A calendar notice announced the Legislative Council Audit and Financial Reporting Subcommittee will meet at 10 a.m. in Room 431 at the Statehouse. (Howey Politics Indiana/State Affairs)
Wednesday: Pol, Boy to host town hall on proposed diploma changes — State Rep. Pat Boy, D-Michigan City, and state Sen. Rodney Pol, D-Chesterton, will host a town hall beginning at 5 p.m. in the council chambers at Michigan City City Hall, 100 E. Michigan Blvd. (Carden, NWI Times)
CONGRESS
Banks: Defense Department must ‘reject far-left politics’ — “The DOD taught nearly ten thousand soldiers stationed at Fort Liberty that pro-life organizations, like the National Right to Life, are dangerous terrorist groups,” U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., said in a statement. “I will keep pushing the DOD to reject far-left politics and focus on fighting and winning wars, including at next week’s hearing.” (Howey Politics Indiana/State Affairs)
Congressional schedule: The Senate will convene at 3 p.m. for an executive session to resume consideration of the nomination of Kevin Gafford Ritz to be United States Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit. The House is out.
CAMPAIGNS
Five Indiana appellate judges up for retention this fall: Three Indiana Supreme Court justices and two Court of Appeals judges will be on the ballot for retention on Election Day, Nov. 5. The Indiana Judicial Branch has posted information on each candidate. (Crenshaw, Daily Journal)
Today: McCormick to host town hall in West Lafayette — Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jennifer McCormick will appear at the West Lafayette Public Library for a town hall beginning at 6:30 p.m. (WLFI-TV)
Shreve won’t appear at 6th CD candidate forum: Although he was invited, Republican nominee for the 6th Congressional District Jefferson Shreve will not appear at a candidate forum that will be attended by Libertarian James Sceniak and Democrat Cynthia Wirth. The League of Women Voters event is slated for Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. at the H. J. Ricks Centre for the Arts, 122 W. Main St., Greenfield. (The Republic)
Fulton County Republicans encouraged to get the vote out: “Voter complacency in Indiana is the biggest threat that we are facing right now,” Randy Head, Republican state chairman, said at the Fulton County Lincoln Day Dinner. Other speakers included Secretary of State Diego Morales, lieutenant governor candidate Micah Beckwith and Speaker of the House Todd Huston. (Patterson, InkFreeNews)
PRESIDENTIAL 2024
Trump plans to visit Springfield, Ohio: Former President Donald Trump plans to visit Springfield, Ohio, “soon,” a source familiar with the planning said. (NBC)
NAACP Poll: 1 in 4 younger Black men back Trump: The NAACP released a poll that found one in four younger Black men are backing Donald Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris. (Politico)
GOP chair vows ‘we absolutely have the resources’ to win in November: Despite facing a fundraising deficit to Vice President Harris’ campaign, Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley said former President Trump’s campaign and the RNC “absolutely have the resources” to win in November. (Fox)
NATION
Alleged would-be assassin criticized Trump in his self-published book on the Ukraine war: Ryan Wesley Routh, who the FBI arrested after an apparent assassination attempt at Donald Trump’s Florida golf course yesterday, decried the former president as an “idiot,” a “buffoon” and a “fool” in his self-published book on the war in Ukraine and geopolitics. (CNN)
Officials warned of elevated threats of political violence after first attempt on Trump’s life: Law-enforcement officials have warned that threats of politically motivated violence, already elevated as partisan tension flares ahead of November’s election, have spiked online since the shooting in Butler, Pa. (The Wall Street Journal)
White House schedule: President Joe Biden will travel to Wilmington, Del., in the morning. In the afternoon, he will be in Philadelphia to deliver remarks at the National HBCU Week Conference before returning to the White House. Vice President Kamala Harris will receive briefings and conduct internal meetings with staff. In the afternoon she will participate in a campaign meeting.
SUNDAY TALK
Vance: ‘Republicans believe American workers should keep more of their own money’ — U.S. Sen. JD Vance, the Republican nominee for vice president, said former President Donald Trump’s plan to eliminate taxes on overtime pay is reflective of the GOP belief that “American workers should keep more of their own money.” (CBS)
ABC host presses Kamala Harris ally on VP’s false claim about active US troops: ABC News’ Martha Raddatz pressed Gov. Maura Healey, D-Mass., to explain why Vice President Kamala Harris falsely said during the presidential debate that “There is not one member of the United States military who is in active duty in a combat zone in any war zone around the world, the first time this century.” (Fox)
Ohio Gov. DeWine says baseless claims about Haitian immigrants are ‘garbage’: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine decried former President Donald Trump’s baseless claims that Haitian immigrants in Springfield were eating dogs and other pets as “garbage” but stopped short of directly condemning Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, for spreading the false claims. (NBC)