Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita co-leads SCOTUS brief ending contrived controversy

The First Amendment does not prevent states from requiring online purveyors of pornography to implement reasonable age-verification measures to protect children from harm. As co-leader of a 24-state coalition, Attorney General Todd Rokita pressed this point in an amicus brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court recently. 

The court is considering a constitutional challenge to a Texas law requiring websites hosting large amounts of obscene material harmful to children to implement a reasonable age-verification system. That law is similar to an Indiana law passed by the General Assembly. It reflects that states have long had the authority to prevent minors from accessing obscene materials, including pornography. 

“Not only do states have the authority to prevent pornography websites from providing children with hardcore porn, but they have a responsibility to do so,” Attorney General Rokita said. “The truth is that exposure to porn — much of which touts sexual violence — causes real harm to minors. It hurts them emotionally, intellectually, psychologically, sexually and socially. So, there are compelling reasons to prevent minors from viewing pornography. Children are a precious gift from God. As a public servant, I’ll always support parents in the mission to protect our kids.” 

Many other adult industries — such as alcohol, gambling and tobacco — already employ age-verification technology. 

• Government
• State of Indiana

Governor-elect Mike Braun announced his plans for a major restructuring of Indiana's executive branch, implementing a new cabinet model to drive efficiency, accountability, and communication in state government.

The cabinet will consist of the Governor, the Chief of Staff, the Lieutenant Governor, the superintendent of state police, the adjutant general of the Indiana National Guard, and secretaries over eight policy areas. Governor-elect Braun will elevate an agency head from each of the eight policy areas to serve as a cabinet secretary where they will oversee the entire vertical along with retaining the responsibility of running their agency.

Key elements of the new cabinet structure include:

• Clustering related agencies into eight separate verticals such as Commerce, Health and Family Services, and Education.
• Empowering each cabinet secretary to drive progress within their vertical.
• Holding cabinet members directly responsible for agency performance and continuous improvement.
• Enabling the cabinet to collaboratively implement cross-government initiatives.
• Assembling a lean, agile senior management team within the Governor's office to execute the administration's priorities.

"This new cabinet model will allow us to be laser-focused on delivering results for Hoosiers," said Governor-elect Braun. "By aligning agencies and reorganizing the executive branch, we can drive accountability for leaders and agencies, promote better coordination and communication between our administration and the Indiana General Assembly, and create efficiency across state government."

The restructured cabinet model will be assembled as follows:

Cabinet Position: Secretary of Management and Budget

• Role: Responsible for developing the budget to realize the Governor's vision, providing management of agencies in finance, technology, and shared services, and serving as operational oversight across secretary verticals
• Reporting Offices and Agencies: Department of Administration, Office of Technology, Archives and Records Administration, State Department of Personnel, Inspector General, Public Access Counselor, Office of Administrative Law Proceedings, Ethics Commission, and Management Performance Hub, Public Retirement System, State Budget Agency, State Employees’ Appeals Commission, Department of Local Government Finance, Board of Tax Review, State Board of Accounts, Distressed Unit Appeal Board, Department of Revenue, and Indiana Finance Authority

Cabinet Position: Secretary of Commerce

• Role: Responsible for driving economic opportunity for the state and for Hoosiers
• Reporting Offices and Agencies: (not including quasi-agencies) Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Indiana Destination Development Corporation, Department of Workforce Development, Governor’s Workforce Cabinet, Hoosier Lottery, Ports of Indiana, and Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority

Cabinet Position: Secretary of Health and Family Services

• Role: Responsible for improving coordination across constituent-facing health and well-being services, addressing public health policy holistically
• Reporting Offices and Agencies: Department of Health, Family and Social Services Administration, Department of Child Services, and Department of Veteran Affairs

Cabinet Position: Secretary of Public Safety

• Role: Responsible for ensuring the safety and security of residents by overseeing law enforcement, emergency preparedness, and public safety policy development
• Reporting Offices and Agencies: Department of Corrections, Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, Law Enforcement Academy, Homeland Security, Office of School Safety, Integrated Public Safety Commission, Parole Board, and Department of Toxicology

Cabinet Position: Secretary of Energy and Natural Resources

• Role: Responsible for driving energy and recreation policy to protect the needs of Hoosiers while pursuing sustainable economic development
• Reporting Offices and Agencies: Department of Natural Resources, Office of Water Quality, White River State Park, Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Office of Energy Development, Utility Consumer Counselor, and Utility Regulatory Commission

Cabinet Position: Secretary of Education

• Role: Responsible for programming across the full spectrum of education, from Pre-K to college, as aligned with Senator Braun’s agenda
• Reporting Offices and Agencies: Board of Education, Charter School Board, Education Employment Relations Board, Commission for Higher Education, Department of Education, Dolly Parton Library, School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and School for the Deaf

Cabinet Position: Secretary of Transportation and Infrastructure

• Role: Responsible for maintaining state’s transportation, infrastructure, and broadband systems to support Indiana’s economic growth and quality of life for Hoosiers
• Reporting Offices and Agencies: Department of Transportation, Northwest IN Regional Development Authority, Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and Broadband Office

Cabinet Position: Secretary of Business Affairs

• Role: Responsible for managing the state's regulatory framework, ensuring that businesses and industries operate safely, ethically, and efficiently
• Reporting Offices and Agencies: Department of Insurance, Department of Financial Institutions, Department of Labor, Civil Rights Commission and Commission for Women, Workers Compensation Board, Professional Licensing Agency, Gaming Commission, Alcohol and Tobacco Commission, Horse Racing Commission, Office of Indiana State Chemist and Seed Commissioner, and Board of Animal Health

Cabinet Position: Lieutenant Governor

• Role: Serves as president of the Indiana Senate and assumes the role of Governor, should the sitting Governor be unable to fulfill the duties of office or if the office falls vacant due to death
• Reporting Offices and Agencies: Indiana State Department of Agriculture and the Office of Community and Rural Affairs

Cabinet Position: Superintendent of the State Police

• Role: Serves as executive head of the Indiana State Police (ISP) and handles oversight of the ISP and its operations
• Reporting Offices and Agencies: The Indiana State Police

Cabinet Position: Adjutant General of the Indiana National Guard

• Role: Serves as commander of the Indiana National Guard and provides essential administrative functions related to legislative and legal affairs, contracting, purchasing and accounting, facilities management, human resources and youth education.
• Reporting Offices and Agencies: Indiana Guard Reserve, the Ceremonial Unit, Hoosier Youth Challenge Academy, Readiness Centers, State Armory Board and the state’s relationship with Camp Atterbury, Muscatatuck Training Center and the Ivy Tech Cyber Academy at Muscatatuck.

The Secretary of Management and Budget will oversee the overall transformation of state government and will work with cabinet secretaries to identify future opportunities for consolidation within and across agencies to improve service delivery and drive cost savings. This functional, results-oriented structure is designed to ensure the Freedom and Opportunity agenda is executed with discipline and excellence.

Further integration will be informed by dedicated analytical efforts, stakeholder inputs, and lessons that emerge from the initial reorganization. The cabinet will meet frequently to coordinate efforts and address challenges. The Governor's Chief of Staff will set the agenda and may include other senior leaders as needed.

To access the Transition Team website, please visit: https://www.brauntransition.com/team/

• Washington County
• Wellness

By Becky Killian, Staff Writer

Officials have approved the first reading of an ordinance that details the requirements for private and commercial septic systems in the county.

The decision was made during the Tuesday, Nov. 19, meeting of the Washington County Board of Commissioners.

Chris Boling, the environmentalist for the county’s Health Department, presented the ordinance to the Commissioners during the Nov. 6 meeting. Any decisions were delayed so the Commissioners’ attorney could review it.

The ordinance will now be advertised, and a public comment period will be held. If commissioners approve a second reading of the ordinance, it will become effective.

The county had a septic system ordinance previously, but a July 2023 state law voided all local ordinances passed before that date that pertain to septic systems. That law also formed a nine-member state level technical review panel.

Boling said the new state law was prompted by a couple counties that passed what some state officials considered extreme requirements for septic systems. Now the state has taken control of such ordinances and removed some requirements, such as a minimum acreage requirement for septic systems.

Boling told commissioners that the proposed ordinance has been reviewed at the state-level and has been approved by the county’s Health Board. He said it will restore some of the local enforcement powers that were lost when the county’s original septic system ordinance was voided.

The local ordinance would require installers to register with the Health Department. The registration will be reviewed annually. Unless the installer is registered to install septic systems in another county, the installer will have to pass a certification examination.

Soil testing will still be required prior to the installation of a new septic system or before any changes are made to an existing system.

The ordinance does allow sewage holding tanks; however, Boling cautioned that the legal requirements for such systems can make them more costly than a septic system. State law lists several requirements for holding tanks including a contract with a septic system pumper to routinely empty the holding tank as well as alarms that will indicate when the tank is more than 75 percent full. Applications for these systems must be submitted to the county Health Department as well as construction plans.

Any violations of the proposed ordinance or state law concerning septic systems could result in a notice of violation being sent to the property owner, who will have a set amount of time to remediate the violation. The local Health Department could also issue a stop work order.

If the violation isn’t remedied within the allotted time frame, violators could face a fine of $2,500 each day the violation occurs.

The ordinance details the appeals process the property owner can follow to dispute any permit denials, revocations, stop work orders, and penalties,

• Elections
• State of Indiana
• Federal

Congresswoman Erin Houchin (IN-09) has been elected by her colleagues to serve as the House Republican Conference Secretary for the 119th Congress, making her the second highest ranking woman among House Republicans. Her election represents a historic achievement for Indiana’s congressional delegation, amplifying their values and priorities at the highest levels of House leadership.

As Conference Secretary, Congresswoman Houchin will play a key role in supporting the leadership team while advancing President Trump’s America First agenda.

"The Republican Party is moving forward as a unified team, committed to working together to deliver results for the American people," said Congresswoman Houchin. "I am honored by the trust my colleagues have placed in me to serve in this leadership role and look forward to working alongside them and President Trump."