AG Rokita advocated for immunity in amicus brief

Attorney General Todd Rokita today issued the following statement:

“As Indiana’s attorney general, I was proud to advocate in an 18-state brief for the result we saw today — the US Supreme Court’s decision that former presidents such as Donald Trump have immunity for official acts taken while in office.

“The Left has made an art form out of weaponizing our judicial institutions against their political adversaries, but no matter which side does it, that kind of manipulation is wrong and dangerous to our republic.

“With this ruling, the court took strong and necessary action to protect ALL American presidents from partisan political prosecutions pertaining to conduct involving their official actions.”

Governor Eric J. Holcomb announced that he and Attorney General Todd Rokita are seeking the resumption of executions in Indiana prisons — starting with a convicted murderer responsible for the deaths of four people.
  
“After years of effort, the Indiana Department of Correction has acquired a drug -- pentobarbital – which can be used to carry out executions. Accordingly, I am fulfilling my duties as governor to follow the law and move forward appropriately in this matter,” Gov. Holcomb said. 
  
Joseph Corcoran was found guilty of the 1997 murders of four people. He exhausted his appeals in 2016 and has been awaiting execution. 
  
“In Indiana, state law authorizes the death penalty as a means of providing justice for victims of society’s most heinous crimes and holding perpetrators accountable,” Attorney General Rokita said. “Further, it serves as an effective deterrent for certain potential offenders who might otherwise commit similar extreme crimes of violence. Now that the Indiana Department of Correction is prepared to carry out the lawfully imposed sentence, it’s incumbent on our justice system to immediately enable executions in our prisons to resume. I am filing a motion asking the Indiana Supreme Court to set a date for the execution of Joseph Corcoran.” 

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) is inviting Hoosiers to give their feedback on how the state should spend federal grant money to grow Indiana’s electric vehicle (EV) charging network.

IDEM, in partnership with the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and Drive Clean Indiana (DCI), plans to apply for funding for both corridor and community EV charging enhancements through Round 2 of the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Grant Program.

Hoosiers can visit GOEVIN’s website, goevin.com through July 24, 2024, to learn more and complete an online survey to identify priorities and projects to include in Indiana’s grant application.

Round 2 of the CFI program will provide up to $1.3 billion to deploy publicly accessible EV charging along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFCs) and local communities across the U.S. corridor projects must be located within 1 mile of a designated AFC; community projects can be located on any public road or publicly accessible location. 

Additional information is available on the GOEVIN website at goevin.com/programs-and-incentives. Information on the page includes:

• An overview of the goals and objectives of Indiana’s statewide CFI Grant Program;
• Links to key aspects and requirements of FHWA’s CFI Grant Program;
• A timeline of key milestones for the RFI and statewide application development; and
• A link to the online survey.

Hoosiers are highly encouraged to review available information before taking the survey.

About the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grants Program: (fhwa.dot.gov/environment/cfi) Authorized through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $2.5 billion over five years to strategically deploy electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and other alternative fueling publicly accessible infrastructure projects in urban and rural communities, including downtowns and local neighborhoods, and particularly in underserved and disadvantaged communities.

About GOEVIN: (GOEVIN.com) GO Electric Vehicle INdiana (GOEVIN) is a collaborative, statewide initiative dedicated to advancing the adoption of electric vehicles across the state. The GOEVIN Team is comprised of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), the Indiana Utility Group, and Drive Clean Indiana. GOEVIN aims to raise consumer awareness of electric vehicles (EV) by providing unbiased, educational information on the benefits of driving EVs in the Hoosier State.

About IDEM: (idem.IN.gov) IDEM implements federal and state regulations regarding the environment. Through compliance assistance, incentive programs and educational outreach, the agency encourages and aids businesses and citizens to protect Hoosiers and the environment.  

The Pathways to Prosperity Act would take critical steps to expand federal resources available to community and technical colleges to support partnerships between colleges and employers

WASHINGTON –U.S. Senators Mike Braun and Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) introduced the Pathways to Prosperity Act. This bill is designed to strengthen America’s workforce development pipeline between community/technical colleges and good-paying jobs from local employers.

The bipartisan Pathways to Prosperity Act expands the existing Strengthening Community Colleges Grant Program. This federal program provides competitive grants to community/technical colleges to support partnerships with employers. These partnerships align workforce development programs in community/technical colleges to local industry needs. The idea is to establish, improve, or expand high-quality workforce development programs to get more Hoosiers into jobs that require skills training.

Senator Braun also authored the JOBS Act with Senator Tim Kaine which would make it possible to use Pell Grants for career and technical education programs.

“There are many good-paying jobs out there that go unfilled because of a lack of skills and career/technical training,” said Senator Mike Braun. “This bill will help close the gap and give more Hoosiers access to skills training programs that will put them on the path to a better career and higher pay for their families.” 

“I tell business leaders all the time, come to Georgia; Georgia is open for business. As these new, good-paying jobs come to the Peach State, it’s important that these local jobs are filled locally. That means we need a workforce that’s trained to step into these roles,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “That’s why I’ve introduced new bipartisan legislation to strengthen our workforce development pipeline by giving technical colleges federal resources to collaborate with local industry partners to train Georgians up for the jobs coming to our state. This legislation is a win for workers who will have access to better-paying jobs; a win for businesses that will be able to find more of the workers they need where and when they need them; a win for our community and technical colleges to help keep their classrooms full; and a major win for our state’s economy that will benefit from thriving businesses and a world-class, homegrown workforce.”

Specifically, the Pathways to Prosperity Act of 2024 would provide funding to:

• Set up, enhance, or broaden the quality of educational or career training initiatives at community colleges.
• Enhance opportunities for individuals to attain nationally or regionally recognized postsecondary credentials in high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand industry sectors or occupations.
• Develop or scale up career training, career pathways, or work-based learning options like apprenticeships.
• Assist individuals with barriers to employment with accessing programs.
• Provide support services to help participants complete education and training.