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Attorney General Todd Rokita and State Comptroller Elise Nieshallaare calling onIndiana University (IU) to show proof of compliancewith a clear and unambiguous statelaw,whichprohibits the Kinsey Institute fromusing taxpayer funds.

“My office works tirelessly to protectHoosiers’ hard-earnedtax dollars and Indianalaw is clear – no state funds may be used to fund theKinsey Institute,” Attorney General Rokita said.“More than a year has passed since IU assured the public and state officials that it would follow the law, yet we have seen no indication that any serious actions have been taken. IU is not above the law, and Hoosiers deserve answers.”

An Indiana lawpassed by the General Assembly prohibits state funding of the Kinsey Institute in any way. The 2023 law cites more than a dozen potential funding loopholes which must now operate using zero taxpayer dollars. A joint letter sent this weekby Attorney General Rokita and Comptroller Nieshallademands IU’s President and Trustees confirm compliance with thestate law that went into effect on July 1 – of last year – more than ample time to provide such proof.

“As the state elected leader responsible for the accounting and reporting of state funds, I take seriously my responsibility to document and provide complete transparency for tax dollars spent within state government,” stated Comptroller Elise Nieshalla. “With the absence of evidence per state law that tax dollars are no longer supporting the Kinsey Institute, we are calling for necessary financial information to prove adherence to state statute.”

Indiana University issued a press release in April of 2023promising a “thorough legal review to ensure the University follows state law.”But rather than show simple proof of compliance, the administrators of Indiana’s largest public university school systemvoted to tableandultimately declinedto separate the controversial sex research center from the University itself. Instead, IU proposed a plan to use accounting methods to ensure compliance, yet two quarterly meetings have passed since this proposal with no public update as to the implementation of an appropriateaccounting plan. Now, another semester is set to begin and Indiana taxpayers deserve answers.

The law passed by our General Assembly uses succinct language forbidding state funds frombeing used in the administration, operation, or any programs of the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction.

By: Becky Killian, Staff Writer

Officials have agreed to pay a stipend to the county clerk for handling the extra work associated with general elections. The decision was made during the Monday, Aug. 5, meeting of the Washington County Council.

Clerk Stephanie Rockey will receive $2,000 during general elections.

At the council’s July meeting, Rockey explained a new Indiana law that allows a stipend of up to $2,500 for circuit court clerks who serve as voter registration officers.

Rockey said that Washington County’s population is too small to require a separate voter registration officer, so the work remains her responsibility.

The stipend won’t be paid during municipal election years or during special elections. The law was effective as of July 1.

Rockey said the state assigned more responsibilities to clerks, so the stipend is meant to compensate them for the extra work.

Prior to Monday’s vote, Rockey said a record number of county clerks have resigned due to the additional election work being assigned to them.

In addition to that work, clerks are combatting efforts by hackers to access voter rolls. Rockey said Monroe and Clay counties have been affected by hacking efforts.

In other business, the Council also approved a 10-year real estate property tax abatement for Sullivan’s Concrete Coating. The business bought property at the J.F. Helsel Commerce Park and are operating out of a 10,000 square foot facility. Officials hope the purchase will lead to more businesses locating at the park.

Last week, Senator Mike Braun introduced legislation to repeal a Biden administration Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) mandate for new housing construction that would add significant costs to the purchase of new homes. Senators Marsha Blackburn, John Barrasso, Cynthia Lummis, Shelley Moore Capito, Roger Marshall, Pete Ricketts, Eric Schmitt, and Todd Young cosponsored the legislation.

“Buying a home is more expensive than ever for Americans. We shouldn’t be making them even more expensive with government mandates that could add as much as $31,000 to the price of a new home. My bill will repeal this new Biden administration mandate so we can lower the cost of housing for American families.”—Sen. Braun

The HOUSE Act would:

Repeals the HUD/USDA Final Determination, and requires the agencies to revert to the 2009 standards already in effect;
Prohibits VA from implementing a similar mandate for VA mortgages;
Clarifies that FHFA has no statutory authority to impose similar mandates;
And reforms the underlying law by prohibiting HUD and USDA from adopted new efficiency mandates unless 26 states have already adopted similar standards.

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Erin Houchin (IN-09) issued the following statement in response to the Education Department's announcement on Wednesday that it will delay the release of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA):

“The Department of Education has once again announced a delay in the rollout of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). It is another blunder of the Biden-Harris Administration, and a gut punch to students, families, and universities across the country.

Originally scheduled for release on October 1st, the application will now be available as late as December 1st for some. This delay comes on the four-year anniversary of the passage of the bipartisan FAFSA Simplification Act, a timeframe during which the Department had ample time to perfect the system. Instead, the Department was and continues to be hyper-focused on the illegal student loan bailout.

This situation underscores the urgent need for legislative action, which is why I introduced the FAFSA Deadline Act earlier this Summer. This act would prevent such delays in the future, ensuring that students and families are not subjected to unnecessary burdens and uncertainty. It is imperative that the Department of Education fulfills its obligations in a timely and efficient manner, and be held accountable when they don’t.” – Rep. Erin Houchin