Author

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.
Lebanon farmer to be state’s new ag chief
By: Leslie Bonilla Muñiz - 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 […]
Senate passes bill inspired by conversion therapy dispute
By: Leslie Bonilla Muñiz - 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: Leslie Bonilla Muñiz - 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: Leslie Bonilla Muñiz - 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. […]
Just 25% of House bills have survived session so far. Here’s what didn’t.
By: Leslie Bonilla Muñiz - 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: Leslie Bonilla Muñiz - 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 […]
Anti-ESG bill clears financial panel with new $5.5 million price tag
By: Leslie Bonilla Muñiz - February 22, 2023
A substantially altered bill cracking down on Indiana’s public pensions and external investment managers cleared a key financial panel Tuesday — with a new projected fiscal impact of $5.5 million over the next decade. That’s much less than a previous $6.7 billion estimate, though Democrats still weren’t appeased. House Bill 1008 seeks to block the […]
Commercial dog breeders win out as Senate passes pet store measure
By: Leslie Bonilla Muñiz - February 21, 2023
Indiana’s senators approved a bill Wednesday blocking cities and towns from banning the retail sale of dogs by state-approved sellers. It was a win for a frustrated national pet store chain but went against the wishes of animal welfare advocates. The 29-18 vote was close for a chamber that usually has larger margins. Ordinances in […]
Birth control access and tax deductions bills progress through Statehouse
By: Leslie Bonilla Muñiz and Casey Smith - February 21, 2023
A Republican-backed bill that would make it easier for Hoosiers to access birth control advanced 86-12 from the House on Monday and now heads to the Senate. House Bill 1568, authored by Rep. Elizabeth Rowray, R-Yorktown, would allow pharmacists to prescribe hormonal birth control to people 18 and older without an appointment. That includes contraceptive […]
Bill boosting “distressed” wastewater infrastructure draws mixed testimony
By: Leslie Bonilla Muñiz - February 17, 2023
A Senate panel on Thursday approved a bill that would let utility companies ask the state for permission to pass some wastewater infrastructure costs to regular water ratepayers. “Senate Bill 180 … creates a tool for the [Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission] to use as, essentially, a last resort option when all other solutions won’t work […]
Bill bringing voter ID to mail-in ballot applications advances
By: Leslie Bonilla Muñiz - February 16, 2023
A Republican-led House committee on Wednesday approved a heavily amended bill adding voter identification requirements to mail-in ballot applications, among other restrictions. Proponents said the legislation would boost election confidence and push in-person voting, while opponents said it could lead to confusion and disenfranchisement for Hoosier voters. “The desired intent of this bill is not […]
House passes state-funded gun training for teachers
By: Leslie Bonilla Muñiz - February 15, 2023
The Indiana House on Tuesday passed a bill providing state funding to train teachers who carry guns in classrooms after an emotional debate. School districts can already authorize the arming of teachers, but there isn’t a specific training curriculum — or much money — to go with it. “This is just a standardized [training] format […]