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Congresswoman Erin Houchin (IN-09) has been appointed to the House Energy and Commerce Committee for the 119th Congress. As one of the oldest and most influential committees in the House, Energy and Commerce oversees critical areas such as energy policy, healthcare, telecommunications, and economic development.

“It’s an honor to join the House Energy and Commerce Committee,” said Congresswoman Houchin. “Indiana has a diverse energy sector, a thriving manufacturing industry, and leadership in healthcare innovation. We are eager to get to work advancing policies that secure our energy future, improve healthcare access, and support economic growth.”

Chairman Brett Guthrie praised Houchin’s appointment, emphasizing her qualifications. “Congratulations to Congresswoman Houchin on being appointed to the Energy & Commerce Committee. Erin’s experience representing one of the most dynamic manufacturing districts in the nation uniquely positions her to be a key advocate for domestic manufacturing. I look forward to working with Congresswoman Houchin to lead the way on passing our America First agenda,” said Chairman Brett Guthrie.

As a former Indiana State Senator, Congresswoman Houchin served on the Utilities and the Commerce and Technology Committees, where she gained experience in issues directly aligned with Energy and Commerce’s jurisdiction. Her work included leading one of the nation’s first broadband expansion bills and advocating for bipartisan solutions to strengthen infrastructure and boost regional economic development.

Houchin’s appointment comes at a transformative moment, with the Energy and Commerce Committee playing a major role in addressing some of the nation’s most pressing challenges. This positions Congresswoman Houchin to effectively advocate for Indiana’s 9th District and the critical industries that drive the state’s economy.

Indiana Supreme Court

The Indiana Senate is accepting applications for the 2025 Senate Page Program.

Why it matters: Young Hoosiers are the future leaders of our state, and the Senate Page Program is a unique and exciting way for students to get a real-life civics lesson.

Through the full-day program, students in grades six through 12 have the opportunity to:

Tour Indiana's Statehouse, including an executive branch office

Listen to debates from the Senate floor

Help staff with sge-appropriate tasks

Meet their state senator

The Senate Page Program begins in January and will run through early April.

Pages are scheduled for Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays during the legislative session. Positions fill quickly, so it's important to apply early.

For more information or to submit an application go to https://igapageprogram.as.me/schedule/0b4b8673.

Some Indiana State Parks will be temporarily closed to the public for deer hunts on Dec. 2-3, 2024. The properties will be closed on the evening before the hunt and reopen the morning after. Only individuals selected from the draw may participate at any site.

Participating properties include:

Brown County State Park

Chain O’Lakes State Park

Charlestown State Park

Clifty Falls State Park

Fort Harrison State Park

Harmonie State Park

Lincoln State Park

McCormick’s Creek State Park

O’Bannon Woods State Park

Ouabache State Park

Pokagon State Park and Trine State Recreation Area

Potato Creek State Park

Prophetstown State Park

Raccoon State Recreation Area

Shades State Park

Shakamak State Park

Spring Mill State Park and Cave River Valley Natural Area

Summit Lake State Park

Tippecanoe River State Park

Turkey Run State Park

Versailles State Park

Whitewater Memorial State Park

Deer hunts in Indiana State Parks are carried out to ensure balanced and healthy natural communities and are a necessary management tool that reduces damaging state park deer populations. The hunts manage the impact white-tailed deer have on natural ecosystems, including on rare plants like the Yellow Lady's Slipper. Biologists from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources determine the need for a reduction annually on a park-by-park basis. Reducing deer populations ensures habitat for many sensitive species of flora and fauna protected in our state parks. Information about these hunts can be found at on.IN.gov/reservedhunt.

Amid reported concerns about a largescale influx of illegal aliens and “legal migrants” into local communities, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita announced today that his office has sent a civil investigative demand (CID) to the Tyson Foods in Logansport seeking information related to human labor trafficking.

The CID states Attorney General Rokita’s office has reasonable cause to believe that Tyson Foods may be in possession, custody, or control of documentary materials or may have knowledge of facts that are relevant to an investigation being conducted concerning human labor trafficking and indecent nuisances.

“The vast number of additional people coming into our communities is alarming, and that’s just from the standpoint of seeing the staggering number of resources being put towards this fight – Every. Single. Day,” Attorney General Rokita said. “When you have an open border and an influx of people coming over illegally by the millions, we can’t have companies incentivizing this criminal behavior by offering jobs for cheap labor. It’s not fair to those looking for employment or to our law enforcement, local hospitals and healthcare facilities, taxpayers that fund these services, and our housing and labor markets. We will continue looking into this growing issue.”

Attorney General Rokita said his investigation is focused on the coordinated efforts among international and local nonprofit “refugee resettlement” organizations and employers, like Tyson Foods, to bring large numbers of migrants to Indiana.

On November 9, 2024, Attorney General Rokita announced he sent CIDs to Cass County Health Department, Logansport Community School Corp., Berry Global Group Inc., Tent Partnership for Refugees, God is Good, and Jackson County Industrial Development Corp. over this same growing issue.

Attorney General Rokita’s office is conducting these investigations pursuant to its authority under Indiana’s Deceptive Consumer Sales Act and indecent nuisance statute.

According to the CID, Tyson Foods must respond in writing by December 4, 2024.

The Indiana Chamber’s annual Coolest Thing Made IN Indiana contest is down from a record 90 competitors to the Sweet 16 as the fourth round is now underway through November 21.

The Indiana Chamber is joined this year by the Indiana Destination Development Corporation (IDDC) in putting on the program. The IDDC’s “IN Indiana” marketing campaign is incorporated into the single-elimination, Hoosier Hysteria-style tournament.

The “Coolest Thing” Sweet 16 manufacturers are from 14 cities throughout the state, with Fort Wayne and Nashville each having two companies still in the field. Remaining competitors and their locations are below:

Bear Wallow Distillery, Nashville
Blue Fox Farms LLC, Wawaka
Clabber Girl, Terre Haute
Country Roads Coffee, Albion
Fort Wayne Metals, Fort Wayne
Gator, Columbia City
Goshen Brewing Co., Goshen
Guardian Bikes, Seymour
Hard Truth Whiskey Co., Nashville
Harpsicle Harps, Rising Sun
Hiker Trailers, Columbus
Kimball International, Jasper
L3Harris Technologies, Inc., Fort Wayne
Polygon Company, Walkerton
Rolls-Royce North America, Indianapolis
Smoker Craft, Inc., New Paris

“With such fierce competition, it’s no easy feat to get to the round of 16, so these victors should be very proud to march on in the tournament,” offers Vanessa Green Sinders, Indiana Chamber president and CEO.

“Just one more victory and these organizations will be in the coveted quarterfinals. From there it’s three short, yet difficult, steps to claim the ‘Coolest’ title – and bask in the brightest spotlight. We can’t wait to see how the contest plays out.”

The matchups and product descriptions can be seen on the event’s website atwww.indianachamber.com/coolestthing; it’s also where fans and followers of the competitors can vote.

A person must vote for all matchups in any given round.

The quarterfinals take place November 22-26, followed by the semifinals November 27-December 2 and the finals December 3-5.

New this year, the IDDC will produce high-quality videos showcasing the eight quarterfinalists, which those companies will be able to use for their own promotions – and bragging rights.

Entry in the Coolest Thing Made IN Indiana contest is free. To participate, a company did not need to be headquartered in Indiana, but the product entered must be manufactured in the state. Companies are limited to having one product nominated for entry.

Last year, Hoosier Racing Tire was crowned as the producer of the Coolest Thing Made IN Indiana for its racing tire. Janus Motorcycles of Goshen took top honors in the inaugural competition, and in 2022 the Indiana Chamber honored Maple Leaf Farms of Leesburg for its roast half duck.

Awards for this year’s top finishers will be presented at the 2024 Best IN Manufacturing Awards Luncheon on December 11 at the Indiana Roof Ballroom.

The Coolest Thing Made IN Indiana and Best IN Manufacturing endeavors are supported by spirit sponsor Purdue Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Purdue MEP), with gold sponsor Kalenborn Abresist Corporation and silver sponsors Evonik Tippecanoe Laboratories and Kimball Electronics Jasper.