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Chicago Tribune
a day ago
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Afternoon Briefing: What new Indiana laws went into effect today
Good afternoon, Chicago. Dozens of new laws that affect education in Indiana, from sex education to teacher pay, become effective today. State lawmakers spent three months, from January to April in Indianapolis, crafting the bills that Gov. Mike Braun would eventually sign into law. The GOP-dominated legislature focused closely on education, from establishing a new K-12 grading system to creating new rules for teaching sex education. Today is also the deadline for requiring state and local agencies in Indiana like county commissions, town and city councils and school boards to livestream public meetings. State lawmakers passed the new law in 2023, deliberately giving elected bodies two years to prepare. Here's what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices. Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History An Illinois lawmaker who represented parts of Chicago's South Side from 2013 to 2019, Christian Mitchell also served as a deputy governor in the administration of Gov. JB Pritzker from 2019 to 2023 when he was a lead strategist on energy issues. Read more here. More top news stories: Some Clarendon Hills residents are speaking out against the proposed addition of a downtown plaza on Prospect Avenue, an idea being considered by village officials. Read more here. More top business stories: June went by quickly for the Chicago Cubs, who went 13-13 and missed out on a chance to put some space between them and their closest pursuers, the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals. The outlook for the White Sox isn't quite as rosy as that of the Cubs, but neither is the short-term goal. Read more here. More top sports stories: Tyler, the Creator got comfortable yesterday at the first of a two-night stand at a packed United Center. He sat down, unlaced his shoes and slipped them off. He sprawled on a chaise, had a snack and sympathetically complained about body aches that greet people in their mid-30s. He made a B-stage on the floor his own domain — a personal den complete with an old-school hi-fi. Read more here. More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories: Senate Republicans hauled President Donald Trump's big tax breaks and spending cuts bill to passage Tuesday on the narrowest of votes, pushing past opposition from Democrats and their own GOP ranks after a turbulent overnight session. Read more here. More top stories from around the world:
Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Indiana schools ready for bevy of new education laws
Dozens of new laws that impact education in Indiana, from sex education to teacher pay, become effective Tuesday. State lawmakers spent three months, from January to April in Indianapolis, crafting the bills that Gov. Mike Braun would eventually sign into law. The GOP-dominated legislature focused closely on education, from establishing a new K-12 grading system to creating new rules for teaching sex education. According to Gary Teachers Union president GlenEva Dunham, there are 87 new laws relating to education. 'It's crazy. I'm going to try to have a lawmaker come in and explain it all at our next union meeting,' Dunham said. Most Indiana K-12 leaders are focused on the fallout from a tax reform measure, Senate Bill 1, that provides property tax relief to taxpayers, but slashes revenue for schools and local governments. The taxpayer relief at the expense of local governments was part of Braun's 'do more with less' mantra. Braun, a businessman, argued that local governments and school districts could find efficiencies to help them trim costs. The law also calls for school districts to share referendum revenue with charter schools attended by students in their district beginning in 2028. It would impact about 30 districts and hit the Gary Community School Corp. hard since more than half its eligible students attend charters. The tax relief law is estimated to cost districts about $744.4 million, per a legislative estimate. The measure also limits referendums to the fall ballot only. That's already had an impact as the Duneland School Board voted last week to shift the renewal of its $71.2 million operating referendum from May 2026 to the Nov. 4 ballot to ensure funding is available next year. 'The impact of SEA 1 will be news for a while as public entities come up with ways to keep quality services intact, as per the expectations of many constituents,' said Lake Central Superintendent Larry Veracco. In the state budget, the legislature also provided schools with 2% additional money or about $640 million. Braun and GOP lawmakers continued to expand the state's voucher system, dropping income limits and making it a universal 'school choice' program funded by taxpayers. Here's a look at other new laws: The bill drew controversy and plenty of testimony. In the end, the law ushers in party politics into school board races for the first time. The law allows a candidate to declare a party or disregard the party tag and run as a nonpartisan candidate. The federal Hatch Act limits political activities for federal employees and opponents said it prevents them from running for a school board because the contests are partisan. Dormant since 2018, letter grades return next year with a new framework to assess performance. The State Board of Education has until the end of the year to finalize new rules, but it's likely to add IREAD literacy scores, student attendance and chronic absenteeism to the third grade assessment. Schools in grades 4-8 could be evaluated on ILEARN proficiency in math and English, attendance data and advanced courses. High schools in grades 9-12 could be graded on measures that dovetail with the state's new diploma standards just approved by the state board in December. Within the 200-page bill is a provision that caps the percentage of teachers eligible for Teacher Appreciation Grants at 20%. Veracco said it's problematic in a time when salary increases will likely be small and won't keep pace with inflation. Dunham said it creates a 'divide and conquer' system as some teachers could receive a $7,500 stipend for high performance while other teachers would not receive anything. 'It's selective and subjective, we argued against it,' said Dunham, who also heads the Indiana Federation of Teachers. State Rep. Tonya Pfaff, D-Terre Haute, said previously 90% of teachers are considered effective or highly effective and presently could receive grants between $250 and $600. The new system would mean about 54,000 won't receive the stipend. It increases the minimum salary from $40,000 to $45,000. It also increases the amount of tuition support required from 62% to 65%. Just 44 districts had minimum salaries over $45,000 last year. It requires the State Board of Education to establish chronic absenteeism guidelines and create a list of best practices to reduce student discipline. Chronic absenteeism was defined as missing at least 10% of school for any reason. It allows county prosecutors to hold 'intervention meetings' with parents before any legal action is taken. Teachers will be required to show 'age-appropriate' students a three-minute ultrasound video tracking fetal development and a computer-generated look at fertilization and development. Teachers will also discuss the importance of consent in sexual relations. Parental consent forms must say if the class will be taught by gender or in a unified setting, as well as the teacher's sex. Schools will be required to provide early intervention for K-8 students at-risk of not meeting grade level proficiency. It calls for schools to give a screening test for K-2 students for targeted support. The wide-ranging bill from House Education chairman Robert Behning, R-Indianapolis, takes aim at current education law. He said its purpose is to lighten the load of regulations off school districts. One of those regulations halts state guidelines for teacher preparation to include training on social-emotional learning, cultural competency and restorative justice. Right-learning groups have opposed the concept saying those values could conflict with what students learn at home. Opponents said the training helped reduce suspensions and behavioral incidents. Republicans said the bill doesn't ban the practice, it just makes it no longer a requirement. The bill also discards the education requirement so the governor could appoint a Secretary of Education with no education experience. Added, was the removal of a 2018 requirement for high schools to offer a semester-long elective ethics course.
Hamilton Spectator
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
North Carolina judges side with GOP lawmakers for who gets say on highway patrol commander
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A panel of North Carolina judges dismissed one of Democratic Gov. Josh Stein's cases against Republican legislative leaders Monday, upholding part of a power-shifting law that prevents Stein from selecting the State Highway Patrol commander. Three Wake County Civil Superior Court judges made the decision unanimously. The judges' decision means that the dispute won't go to trial, but it can be appealed. The lawsuit focuses on a portion of a more sweeping law passed by the GOP-dominated General Assembly that eroded the governor's powers , as well as the abilities of other top Democrats that hold statewide offices, last year. A day after its passage, Stein and former Gov. Roy Cooper filed the legal challenge that the judges dismissed Monday. The law says Stein cannot select his own commander to the State Highway Patrol and, instead, State Highway Patrol Commander Col. Freddy Johnson will keep the job until 2030. Johnson was appointed by Cooper in 2021 and is a defendant in the lawsuit. In the order that sided with legislative leaders and Johnson, the judges wrote there were 'no genuine issues of material fact' and that the plaintiff — Stein — did not prove that the provision was unconstitutional. An attorney for Stein, Eric Fletcher, had argued in court Monday that the provision guts the governor's abilities and violates the separation of powers. The commander would not be 'directly accountable' to the governor, Fletcher said, but rather 'indirectly accountable' to the General Assembly. Fletcher insisted that the lawsuit was not a reflection of Johnson's character and ability to do his job. Lawyers representing Republican legislative leaders Destin Hall and Phil Berger argued the case should be thrown out because Stein hasn't publicly contended that he wants to remove Johnson from his post and the governor's arguments were largely hypothetical. Johnson's lawyer, William Boyle, further affirmed that there is 'no crisis here' between the governor and the State Highway Patrol commander and that they aren't 'at odds with each other.' Granting the governor the ability to appoint a new commander as the suit makes its way through the courts would also cause 'lasting detrimental harm,' Boyle said. Stein's office is separately fighting another provision in the same state law passed last year that transferred the power to appoint State Board of Elections members from the governor to the state auditor, who is a Republican . Appointments have stayed in place as the provision's constitutionality continues to be debated in courts. They shifted the state elections board from a Democratic to Republican majority. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
San Francisco Chronicle
16-06-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
North Carolina judges side with GOP lawmakers for who gets say on highway patrol commander
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A panel of North Carolina judges dismissed one of Democratic Gov. Josh Stein's cases against Republican legislative leaders Monday, upholding part of a power-shifting law that prevents Stein from selecting the State Highway Patrol commander. Three Wake County Civil Superior Court judges made the decision unanimously. The judges' decision means that the dispute won't go to trial, but it can be appealed. The lawsuit focuses on a portion of a more sweeping law passed by the GOP-dominated General Assembly that eroded the governor's powers, as well as the abilities of other top Democrats that hold statewide offices, last year. A day after its passage, Stein and former Gov. Roy Cooper filed the legal challenge that the judges dismissed Monday. The law says Stein cannot select his own commander to the State Highway Patrol and, instead, State Highway Patrol Commander Col. Freddy Johnson will keep the job until 2030. Johnson was appointed by Cooper in 2021 and is a defendant in the lawsuit. In the order that sided with legislative leaders and Johnson, the judges wrote there were 'no genuine issues of material fact' and that the plaintiff — Stein — did not prove that the provision was unconstitutional. An attorney for Stein, Eric Fletcher, had argued in court Monday that the provision guts the governor's abilities and violates the separation of powers. The commander would not be "directly accountable' to the governor, Fletcher said, but rather 'indirectly accountable' to the General Assembly. Fletcher insisted that the lawsuit was not a reflection of Johnson's character and ability to do his job. Lawyers representing Republican legislative leaders Destin Hall and Phil Berger argued the case should be thrown out because Stein hasn't publicly contended that he wants to remove Johnson from his post and the governor's arguments were largely hypothetical. Johnson's lawyer, William Boyle, further affirmed that there is 'no crisis here' between the governor and the State Highway Patrol commander and that they aren't 'at odds with each other.' Granting the governor the ability to appoint a new commander as the suit makes its way through the courts would also cause 'lasting detrimental harm,' Boyle said. Stein's office is separately fighting another provision in the same state law passed last year that transferred the power to appoint State Board of Elections members from the governor to the state auditor, who is a Republican. Appointments have stayed in place as the provision's constitutionality continues to be debated in courts. They shifted the state elections board from a Democratic to Republican majority.
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
North Carolina judges side with GOP lawmakers for who gets say on highway patrol commander
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A panel of North Carolina judges dismissed one of Democratic Gov. Josh Stein's cases against Republican legislative leaders Monday, upholding part of a power-shifting law that prevents Stein from selecting the State Highway Patrol commander. Three Wake County Civil Superior Court judges made the decision unanimously. The judges' decision means that the dispute won't go to trial, but it can be appealed. The lawsuit focuses on a portion of a more sweeping law passed by the GOP-dominated General Assembly that eroded the governor's powers, as well as the abilities of other top Democrats that hold statewide offices, last year. A day after its passage, Stein and former Gov. Roy Cooper filed the legal challenge that the judges dismissed Monday. The law says Stein cannot select his own commander to the State Highway Patrol and, instead, State Highway Patrol Commander Col. Freddy Johnson will keep the job until 2030. Johnson was appointed by Cooper in 2021 and is a defendant in the lawsuit. In the order that sided with legislative leaders and Johnson, the judges wrote there were 'no genuine issues of material fact' and that the plaintiff — Stein — did not prove that the provision was unconstitutional. An attorney for Stein, Eric Fletcher, had argued in court Monday that the provision guts the governor's abilities and violates the separation of powers. The commander would not be "directly accountable' to the governor, Fletcher said, but rather 'indirectly accountable' to the General Assembly. Fletcher insisted that the lawsuit was not a reflection of Johnson's character and ability to do his job. Lawyers representing Republican legislative leaders Destin Hall and Phil Berger argued the case should be thrown out because Stein hasn't publicly contended that he wants to remove Johnson from his post and the governor's arguments were largely hypothetical. Johnson's lawyer, William Boyle, further affirmed that there is 'no crisis here' between the governor and the State Highway Patrol commander and that they aren't 'at odds with each other.' Granting the governor the ability to appoint a new commander as the suit makes its way through the courts would also cause 'lasting detrimental harm,' Boyle said. Stein's office is separately fighting another provision in the same state law passed last year that transferred the power to appoint State Board of Elections members from the governor to the state auditor, who is a Republican. Appointments have stayed in place as the provision's constitutionality continues to be debated in courts. They shifted the state elections board from a Democratic to Republican majority. Makiya Seminera, The Associated Press
