The Indiana Senate has approved a bill taking administrative steps that Gov. Eric Holcomb has said are needed in order for him to end the statewide COVID-19 public health emergency.

Gov. Eric Holcomb has already laid out the technical side to ending the public health emergency. There are only three legislative changes he needs lawmakers to make to ensure Indiana won’t lose hundreds of millions in federal funding tied to the pandemic.

Gov. Eric Holcomb said Indiana is at a point where he thankfully can contemplate ending the public health emergency around the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gov. Eric Holcomb said he's exploring ways to end the states public health emergency surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Gov. Eric Holcomb renewed his emergency declaration for the 19th time Thursday. That declaration triggers his broad emergency powers and ensures Indiana remains eligible for federal relief.

Indiana’s COVID-19 public health emergency isn’t over yet. Gov. Eric Holcomb extended the emergency declaration another month Wednesday, through the end of July.

Gov. Eric Holcomb is ending the majority of remaining COVID-19 restrictions Tuesday and all state executive orders issued during the pandemic will be repealed at the end of June.

Indiana legislators are returning to the Statehouse for a possible vote on overriding the governors veto of a bill giving local elected officials the power to block county or city public health orders issued during emergencies.

Local health officials across Indiana can no longer impose emergency rules stricter than the states after Republicans overrode the governors veto. Local legislative bodies county commissioners or city councils will have to enact those restrictions instead.

The legislation would have barred local health officials from issuing emergency rules that went any further than restrictions created by the state.