Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita issued the following statement:
"I've had the privilege to travel to every corner of the state, and our neighbors, family members and friends are all calling for property tax relief. Me too.
They cannot be ignored, especially not by those of us elected to serve them right here in the Statehouse. One of our duties at the attorney generals office is to work with legislators on their legislative priorities to ensure for instance that any resulting language is compliant with our constitution.
So, as the Organization Day in November and the upcoming session in January quickly approach, my office is looking forward to working with any lawmaker who is attempting to craft legislation to lower property taxes and the overall tax burden on Hoosiers.
It's critical to get this tax relief right, and we are ready to work with legislators to get it right now."
On Wednesday, August 21, the Judicial Nominating Commission unanimously voted to reappoint Loretta Rush as Chief Justice of Indiana. The four other justices—Mark Massa, Geoffrey Slaughter, Christopher Goff, and Derek Molter—shared thoughts with the Commission, including their support for Chief Justice Rush to continue leading Indiana’s judicial branch.
Rush was appointed to the high court in 2012, selected as Chief Justice in 2014, and reappointed as Chief Justice in 2019. Responding to Wednesday’s reappointment, Rush said, “The past decade has marked a significant evolution in our judicial branch. Through the unwavering dedication of my appellate court colleagues, our trial court judges, and staff across the state, we’ve worked to strengthen our judicial system. But important work remains, and I look forward to continuing our efforts.”
During the past ten years, Rush has overseen the launch of pretrial and problem-solving court initiatives, the finalization of statewide electronic filing and unified case management systems, the overhaul of the administrative agency structure, and the enhancement of access to justice for all. She has also led efforts—both statewide and nationally—to transform how courts address participants with behavioral health issues and substance use disorders. Her full biography and photograph are online.
The Nominating Commission recruits candidates for appellate judicial positions and appoints Indiana’s Chief Justice every five years. Today, the Commission heard from all five justices in a meeting open to the public and press before going into an executive session for discussion. The Commission then convened in a public session to vote on its selection of Indiana’s Chief Justice, naming Loretta Rush. Detailed information on the seven-member Commission and the selection process can be found online.
The Indiana Senate Republican Caucus is offering paid spring-semester internships in our communications, information technology, legal, legislative, page and policy offices during the 2025 session of the Indiana General Assembly.
Qualified candidates may be of any major and must be at least a college sophomore. Recent college graduates, as well as graduate and law school students, are also encouraged to apply.
Interns earn a $900 biweekly stipend and benefit from scholarship and academic credit opportunities, professional development, community involvement and networking.
Senate internships are full-time positions at the Statehouse in downtown Indianapolis that typically begin with a mandatory orientation in late December or early January and conclude at the end of the legislative session in April 2025.
For more information and to apply, click here.
Hoosiers now have more information available to help make important health care decisions.
The Indiana Department of Insurance launched the Indiana All Payer Claims Database (APCD).
Created by a 2020 law championed by Senate Republicans and unanimously supported by the General Assembly, the APCD allows consumers to see where they can get the most cost-effective and highest quality medical services close to home.
Information available in the database includes:
- A list of health care providers that perform a service within certain distances from your zip code;
- The average out-of-pocket cost for a service; and
- The quality rating for that facility.
To learn more about the APCD, click here.
By Becky Killian, Staff Writer
Washington County has four different roads named “County Line,” and it makes it difficult when emergency dispatchers are handling 911 calls from residents.
The possibility of changing the road names was discussed during the Tuesday, Aug. 6, meeting of the Washington County Board of Commissioners.
Evan Bridgewater, a Gibson Township resident, raised the concern about the confusion. He explained he called 911 when his wife experienced a medical emergency. When he gave the dispatcher the address he uses at the request of the U.S. Postal Service – which is County Line Road – the dispatcher couldn’t locate his home. Then he recalled the original street name given to him by the county when addresses were converted from rural routes to the current system – Scott County Line Road. Using that address, the dispatcher found his home and sent responders to it.
Bridgewater said his wife recovered from the emergency and that he was pleased with the county’s response. He asked if county officials could meet with Postal Service authorities to find a resolution that would prevent future confusion.
Commission President Phillip Marshall said he had a similar concern about confusing County Line addresses when he was a volunteer firefighter; however, changing road names can cause inconvenience to residents and can be costly for businesses.
The county’s dispatch director, Kelly Sargent, shared Marshall’s and Bridgewater’s concern. He said in addition to the County Line roads, some roads have similar sounding names that can also be difficult for dispatchers to discern.
It was noted these problems are shared by other counties and that it is unlikely the U.S. Postal Service would participate in any discussion to remedy the situation.
Officials agreed to further discuss the matter to try and find a solution.
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