By Niki Kelly | Editor-in-Chief
“We … look forward to showing every other state how it’s possible to administer programs low-income citizens need while still protecting taxpayer dollars.” — Gov. Mike Braun
Dozens of new laws are set to go into effect Wednesday, with topics ranging from immigration and cellphones to a public camping ban and doxing.
Indiana is piloting a 90-day program using artificial intelligence to identify Medicaid fraud.
I’m psyched for the Fourth of July, and our D.C. Bureau has a story explaining the various celebrations being held to celebrate America’s big birthday.
Plus, a commentary that argues lawmakers should use data to make a policy choice on marijuana.
Bills await action in the Indiana House. (Photo by Whitney Downard/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Public camping ban, military police and other laws go into effect July 1
By Jack Forrest
Hoosiers sleeping on public property could soon be hit with a max of 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.
It is one of more than 160 bills that got past the finish line during the legislative session, with dozens of them taking effect in July.
COMMENTARY
A RAND study estimates the 1.3 million Hoosiers who used cannabis in 2024 spent approximately $1.8 billion on marijuana products. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)
Using data to guide cannabis policy decisions
By Claire Fiddian-Green
Indiana’s cannabis policy has recently become a subject of increasing scrutiny. While our state’s cannabis laws are among the most restrictive in the nation, three of our four neighboring states have legalized adult-use cannabis, and the federal government has indicated interest in relaxing federal cannabis laws.
This context means that, even with Indiana’s restrictive policies, cannabis is accessible to most Hoosiers.
NATIONAL NEWS
A 250th anniversary flag on the Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building, location of the vice president’s office, on 17th Street NW in Washington, D.C., on May 5, 2026. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)
Get ready for the semiquincentennial: Americans celebrate a 250th anniversary
By Ashley Murray
WASHINGTON — Parties, protests, displays of historic documents, odes to the Founding Fathers — and a massive political rally by the president — will mark a deeply polarized nation’s 250th anniversary on this Fourth of July.
Pomp and circumstance will abound for the semiquincentennial as the similarly named America250 and Freedom 250 offer different slates of programming on Independence Day and beyond.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
(Tenor)
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