Happy Tuesday!
A new tax study found Indiana is able to maintain lower business taxes by relying more on individual income and sales taxes than comparable states. And Jay Chaudhary will step down next month as director of the state’s Division of Mental Health and Addiction. More news below. — Howey Politics Indiana/State Affairs
Tax study: Indiana’s low business taxes balanced by income, sales taxes — Individual income taxes, sales taxes and property taxes make up 31%, 27% and 23% of Indiana’s total tax revenue, respectively, while corporate income taxes in Indiana contribute 4%. (Meeks, State Affairs)
Former Sen. Earline Rogers’ legacy praised: State leaders and legislative colleagues praised the career of former state Sen. Earline Rogers, D-Gary who died last week at the age of 89. (Davies, State Affairs)
STATE
Mental Health Division’s director leaving after 5 years: Jay Chaudhary has been director of the state’s Division of Mental Health and Addiction since 2019 and also served as chair of the Behavioral Health Commission since 2022. He will depart office Oct. 11. (Davies, State Affairs)
Rokita claims Biden administration’s EPA rule invasive, unlawful: Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita filed an opening brief in a federal appeals court, claiming the Biden administration’s Clean Power Plant 2.0 rule is invasive and unlawful. (The Indiana Lawyer)
Monroe County sheriff calls Rokita immigration policy complaint ‘baseless,’ asks court to dismiss: The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is asking a circuit court to dismiss a complaint by the Indiana Attorney General that a local policy on immigration violates state law. (Sandweiss, Indiana Public Media)
Morales hosts regional exercises on election security: Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales announced he is hosting a series of regional training and coordination sessions for election administrators and community first responders, including local IT directors, emergency management offices and law enforcement agency personnel. (Howey Politics Indiana/State Affairs)
State agencies racked up $5 million on travel in 2024 fiscal year: The top five spenders were the Indiana Department of Health, Department of Child Services, Department of Revenue, lieutenant governor’s office and Indiana Department of Correction. (Hilkowitz, Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Indiana cities cashing in on sports tourism as new facilities rise: Cities across the state are investing in sports facilities to attract revenue and economic development. (Kaufman, Inside Indiana Business)
Equity alliance proposes locations for EV chargers in Black communities: The Indiana Alliance for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure and Economic Opportunities Development proposed 38 locations in underserved communities that could host EV chargers and qualify for federal grants through the Biden administration. (Thiele, Lakeshore Public Media)
Pollution Prevention Conference & Tradeshow set for Sept. 17: Sandra Vijn, managing director at Kipster U.S., will keynote the 27th Annual Pollution Prevention Conference & Tradeshow at the Indianapolis Marriott North beginning at 8:30 a.m., according to a news release from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. (Howey Politics Indiana/State Affairs)
Notre Dame surpasses $1 billion in research funding proposals: The University of Notre Dame submitted 1,310 proposals for external funding totaling just over $1 billion, the first time it has surpassed that mark. (Brown, Inside Indiana Business)
Nominations open for Farm Family of the Year: The award aims to highlight the pivotal role farm families play in shaping the agricultural landscape and enriching rural life. (AgriNews)
LOCAL
Evansville City Council ends legal intervention into CenterPoint Energy rate case: Evansville City Council is ending its legal intervention into the current CenterPoint rate case, citing an unwillingness on the utility’s part to make “significant” concessions. (Loesch, Courier & Press)
Former Pigeon Township Trustee Mariama Wilson pleads guilty in corruption case: The former Pigeon Township trustee, whom federal prosecutors accused of bilking $38,000 in township funds as part of an unlawful kickback scheme, will plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, court records state. (Harwood, Courier & Press)
Indianapolis pilot program will help pay rents for some people who lack permanent housing: The newest approach to curbing homelessness in Indianapolis involves the city paying private landlords to lease their vacant rental units to people who would otherwise sleep in emergency shelters or outdoors. (Smith, IndyStar)
Westfield creating roadmap for growth as population explodes: Westfield is the fastest-growing city in the state and the sixth-fastest-growing city in the country. (Allen, IndyStar)
Plymouth Municipal Airport receives $3.3M federal grant for new taxiway: The Plymouth Municipal Airport was awarded a $3,275,604 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to construct a new taxiway. (Marshall County Post)
Lake County visitation and innkeepers tax revenue up significantly this year: Lake County innkeeper’s tax revenue is up by more than $269,000 so far this year, which tourism officials attribute to an increase in the number of visitors. (Pete, NWI Times)
Terre Haute mayor to focus on public health improvements: Mayor Brandon Sakbun intends to visit every neighborhood in the city to better understand underlying physical and community health issues. (Verbanic, WTHI-TV)
Ivy Tech to close Lawrence campus: Ivy Tech Chancellor Stacy Atkinson said the closure of the Lawrence campus is part of the college’s capital master planning project that started in 2021. (The Current)
Indy receives $19.9M federal grant for safer street designs: Indianapolis was awarded a $19.9 million federal grant to study and redesign six road segments beginning next year. (Wooten, IBJ)
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Senate Democratic Caucus backs steelworkers in proposed US Steel takeover: “The Indiana Senate Democratic Caucus unequivocally supports the United Steelworkers’ efforts to safeguard American jobs, uphold union contracts and protect the future of Indiana Steelworkers,” according to a news release. (Howey Politics Indiana/State Affairs)
Today: Schmitt to be sworn in as state senator for District 48 — State Sen.-elect Daryl Schmitt will be sworn in for District 48 at 11 a.m. in the Senate Chamber at the Statehouse, according to a news release. (Howey Politics Indiana/State Affairs)
CONGRESS
GOP opposition appears to doom Speaker Johnson’s initial plan to avert shutdown: Speaker Mike Johnson’s, R-La., opening bid to avert a government shutdown appears doomed to fail in the House this week amid widespread — and growing — Republican opposition, thwarting the top lawmaker’s hopes of the proposal squeezing Democrats in both chambers. (The Hill)
Congressional schedule: The House will meet at 10 a.m. Legislative business begins at noon with multiple proposals to be considered. Last votes are expected by 4 p.m. The Senate will convene at 10 a.m. to resume consideration of the nomination of Adam B. Abelson to be United States District Judge for the District of Maryland. The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations will hold a hearing “to examine U.S. companies’ technology, focusing on the Russian war machine” in the afternoon.
PRESIDENTIAL 2024
Here are the rules for the Harris-Trump ABC debate: The event will start at 9 p.m. and go for 90 minutes with two commercial breaks. The moderators, David Muir and Linsey Davis, will be the only ones asking questions, and the candidates will not be allowed to ask each other questions. (The Hill)
Mike Pence, other former top Trump officials featured in Harris campaign ad: A new ad from the Harris campaign slamming Trump as “dangerous” will feature comments from several former top Trump officials, including former Vice President Mike Pence. (Fox)
NATION
White House schedule: President Joe Biden will host the University of South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball team in the morning and the University of Connecticut Huskies men’s basketball team in the afternoon to celebrate their NCAA championships. Afterward he will travel to New York. Vice President Kamala Harris will receive briefings and conduct internal meetings with staff before participating in the presidential debate at 9 p.m. in Philadelphia. She will travel to New York later tonight.