By Niki Kelly | Editor-in-Chief
“In the pursuit of eliminating property taxes, we direct the General Assembly to take up the measure in the next general session.” — Indiana Republican Party Platform
Eli Lilly and Co. is getting tough on providing discounts for a popular drug program that serves low-income and uninsured patients. Some hospitals aren’t eligible until they turn over data.
The state GOP platform was amended over the weekend to add key new priorities — eliminating property taxes and closing primaries. But lawmakers would still have to do the heavy lifting.
Two longtime members of the state Natural Resources Commission have harsh words for Gov. Mike Braun’s administration as they resign from the panel.
Plus, child labor laws have been loosened in Indiana and other states.
Eli Lilly and Company headquarters in downtown Indianapolis on June 23, 2026. (Photo by Jack Forrest/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Eli Lilly suspends access to drug discounts for some hospitals
By Mackenzi Klemann
Drugmaker Eli Lilly and Co. is restricting access to a drug discount program intended for safety-net hospitals in a move the company says is needed to identify waste, fraud and abuse.
The Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical company now requires hospitals to submit insurance claims data for in-house pharmacy dispensing to qualify for discount pricing through the federal 340B program — an expansion of the company's long-standing reporting requirements.
Delegates gather for the Indiana Republican Convention in Fort Wayne on June 20, 2026. (Photo by Tom Davies/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Indiana Republican platform now backs property tax elimination, closed primaries
By Tom Davies
A Republican legislator campaigning for the elimination of property taxes in Indiana is hoping for a boost from the issue being included in the party’s new state platform.
Delegates to last weekend’s state party convention added language supporting property tax elimination to the party’s policy platform over the weekend, along with an endorsement of closed primary voting.
COMMENTARY
Indiana Fever player Caitlin Clark drives to the basket against Madina Okot of the Atlanta Dream during the first quarter at State Farm Arena on June 20, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Colin Hubbard/Getty Images)
Caitlin Clark's argument with her coach went viral. How did Indy sports reporters handle the story?
By Tracey Compton
Because of Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever, Indianapolis is ground zero for the revolution in professional women’s sports. While it’s come a long way, media coverage of women’s professional sports pales in comparison to what the men get.
Figuring out why that is is a vicious circle of blame. Historically, women’s sports have not attracted as many fans as men’s sports. Without hordes of fans, there haven’t been big money sponsors and advertisers. Without the money, there isn’t a lot of media coverage. Without the media coverage, women’s teams get smaller audiences.
NATIONAL NEWS
A fast food restaurant advertises jobs on the first day of summer. The Economic Policy Institute found a handful of states that eased labor laws for teenagers during this year’s legislative sessions. (Photo by Robbie Sequeira/Stateline)
States ease child labor laws ahead of summer hiring season
By Robbie Sequeira
For some teenagers across the country, the summer is the first opportunity to gain work experience for their nascent resume.
In a handful of states, however, teens who find jobs will find fewer protections under child labor laws. Four states — Indiana, Nebraska, Washington and West Virginia — enacted laws this year that weaken child labor protections, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit think tank. In all, 13 states had bills seeking to weaken those protections; some are still under consideration.
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