Author

Leslie Bonilla Muñiz

Leslie Bonilla Muñiz

Leslie joins the Indiana Capital Chronicle after covering city government and urban affairs for the Indianapolis Business Journal for more than a year. She graduated from Northwestern University in March 2021, and has reported for the Chicago Tribune, Voice of America and student publications in Evanston, Illinois, Washington, D.C., and Doha, Qatar.

Higher jury duty pay, child support bills clear committee but edits to come

By: - March 9, 2023

A Senate judiciary committee on Wednesday approved a bill doubling pay for jury duty and another allowing courts to make fathers pay for a wider range of pregnancy and childbirth expenses, but committee members said they were actively working on changes. Jurors earn less than minimum wage for an eight-hour day and haven’t gotten a […]

Military trial bill splitting state national guard, veterans groups narrowly advances

By: - March 8, 2023

A proposal barring Indiana National Guard members from refusing non-judicial punishment — and from demanding military trials — narrowly survived a hearing Tuesday. The provision is part of a trade-off within the bill that guard officials say would promote efficiency, but that veterans say isn’t a good enough exchange. “House Bill 1076 represents a military […]

Mail-in voter ID bill faces barrage of criticism, vote delayed with changes expected

By: - March 7, 2023

A bill bringing voter identification requirements to mail-in ballot applications got plenty of flak on Monday for provisions opponents said would disenfranchise elderly and disabled voters while also needlessly complicating procedures for election employees. But the bill’s author — Rep. Tim Wesco, R-Osceola — and supporters say the measure would add more security to Indiana’s […]

Transgender disputes and tax reform dominate first half of the session

By: - March 6, 2023

While hundreds of bills made it to the half-way point, two major themes rose to the forefront — disputes over transgender and gay youth and a Republican push for tax cuts. LGBTQ+ issues State lawmakers have directed intense legislative focus toward transgender Hoosiers this session — centered on school-age children — with more than two-dozen […]

bills

Two-thirds of filed Senate bills dead: immigrant help and marijuana legalization among casualties

By: - March 3, 2023

Just one in three of the Indiana Senate’s filed bills — about 160 of 489 total — survived do-or-die deadlines this week. Among the casualties are some bills aimed at helping immigrants residing in Indiana without authorization, a collection of marijuana legalization proposals and even one on craft hemp, plus changes to Airbnbs and seat […]

Townships hope to prove their worth — and get more support — in new report

By: - March 2, 2023

Indiana’s 1,000-plus townships have largely survived nearly three-dozen legislative attempts to reorganize or extinguish them since 2004 — and they’re hoping to deter future tries with a new, graph-heavy report released late last month. The 108-page document lays out a lengthy list of 27 recommendations to better bolster townships, plus data on township demographics, operations, […]

Lebanon farmer to be state’s new ag chief

By: - March 1, 2023

A second-generation farmer from Lebanon, Don Lamb, will be the Indiana State Department of Agriculture’s next executive director, Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Wednesday. He hails from the the site of a proposed innovation district that has some farmers worried. “Don truly cares about the Hoosier ag community and securing Indiana’s place as a global leader […]

rules

Senate passes bill inspired by conversion therapy dispute

By: - March 1, 2023

Indiana’s Senate plodded through more than two-dozen bills during a marathon eight-hour stretch to meet a Tuesday deadline. The body passed several major measures, including a bill originally intended to prevent communities from banning conversion therapy that has since gone much broader. Proposals cracking down on GPS stalking and hospital costs also made the cut, […]

$5.5 million anti-ESG pensions bill passes House

By: - February 28, 2023

A controversial proposal cracking down on alleged ESG investing in public pensions — while supporting “discriminated” businesses in contentious industries — passed the House mostly along party lines Monday. It was a redemption for a bill nearly tanked by its own previous price tag. “House Bill 1008 is about freedom and fairness in financial markets,” […]

‘Grossly underpaid’: Hoosiers would earn more for jury duty under proposal

By: - February 27, 2023

Hoosiers haven’t seen a pay increase for jury duty in at least two decades, but that could change — even double — under a bill advancing steadily through the Statehouse. But corresponding fee increases have sparked debate on how to fund the criminal justice system: as a public service, or through the people using it. […]

bills

Just 25% of House bills have survived session so far. Here’s what didn’t.

By: - February 24, 2023

House lawmakers filed 673 bills this year – but only about 178 survived key deadlines this week. Some of the bills that aren’t advancing have been woven into the budget instead, like a proposal eliminating public school textbook fees. But the language often looks a little different — the budget simply requires schools to waive […]

House passes bill supporting parents in transgender DCS cases

By: - February 23, 2023

The Indiana House on Wednesday approved a bill banning courts from removing transgender children from their parents based only on parent refusal to seek gender-affirming care or otherwise support transitions. The legislation centers on one Hoosier family — and its estranged transgender daughter — whose case is still in court. “All’s I’m trying to do […]