The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration is seeking $200 million in improper payments from Indiana’s five largest attendant care providers after an audit of Medicaid claims found errors in nearly all claims reviewed.

FSSA Secretary Mitch Roob said the audits, which reviewed claims submitted to Medicaid between Jan. 1, 2022 and March 31, 2025, were initiated following a $150 million surge in Medicaid claims submitted between 2021 and 2022 he says could not be explained by changes in member need or program structure.

“If you bill taxpayers, you must be accurate,” Roob said.

At least one provider reached Thursday pushed back on the allegations.

“I’m surprised we got listed publicly while we are working on our appeal,” said Tendercare Home Health President and CEO Eric Deitchman. “They said our care plans weren’t up to par. We did a clinical review and feel we have extensive care plans for all our patients. We asked for more detail on what’s missing or wrong.”

Audit finds improper payments, missing background checksThe agency used statistically valid random sampling to review 625 claim lines submitted to Medicaid by Guardian Care, Healing Hands Personal Services, Help at Home, Tendercare Home Health and Team Select Home Care, according to FSSA.

The companies employ attendant caregivers, who provide non-medical services like bathing, dressing and cooking for senior and disabled Hoosiers, throughout the state.

The audit uncovered errors in nearly all claims reviewed, Roob said.

The cabinet secretary described instances of attendant care providers failing to activate electronic verification or providing services outside a patient’s location.

Other alleged errors include missing or incomplete consent forms and service plans — including one alleged instance in which the chief operating officer was listed as the patient — blank service plans, and incomplete or missing visit notes.

Roob said the agency found instances of the companies billing for services like physical therapy, which attendant care providers are not authorized to perform.

More concerning to the cabinet secretary were the instances of incomplete, missing, undated or late background checks for attendant caregivers.

“That’s not just a compliance issue,” Roob said. “It’s a direct threat to safety and represents a complete breakdown of the most basic protections we owe the people we serve. When combined with those safety failures, the $200 million in improper payments, missing documentation, prohibited tasks and service plans that didn’t match the services bill — you see a system that is being misused at a staggering scale.”

FSSA expands oversight, seeks full recoveryThe agency sent a letter to the providers Wednesday seeking the return of improper payments, though the providers are likely to appeal.

Roob said FSSA will expand audits to other attendant care providers and begin prepayment reviews for offenders to prevent improper payments from Medicaid.

The agency intends to enhance electronic visit verification reviews and provider education on the rules for attendant care as well.

“For every dollar that is improperly claimed, we will seek full recovery,” Roob told reporters Thursday morning.

“This conduct undermined the trust of taxpayers who fund this program and the Hoosiers who rely on it,” Gov. Mike Braun said in a statement. “Providers who don’t follow the rules should understand clearly: Indiana will protect its people and its dollars with absolute resolve.”

Provider vows appealDeitchman told the Indiana Capital Chronicle he intends to appeal FSSA’s decision.

The company provided FSSA 150 pages of documentation for each patient, as well as electronic verification on all patient visits, he said.

“We’ve gone above and beyond to prevent fraud, and we actually call fraud out on a regular basis,” Deitchman said.

The second-generation family-owned company employs 650 people across the state, with offices in Indianapolis and Lawrenceburg.

Attendant care comprises only a “small part” of the business, originating as a solution to the nursing shortage, Deitchman said.

The 350 families receiving care from Tendercare include medically complex children, he said.

Deitchman said the company’s Medicaid audits have been free of deficiencies since the home health agency opened in 1994.

“We want to be good stewards of Medicaid money,” he said. “I am glad (FSSA does) these audits. We are preparing our appeal and think we will be fine.”

Still, Deitchman said initiating prepayment review could be difficult for his business — “if it takes a month to get payment and I have to pay my employees every two weeks.”

Roob acknowledged possible cash flow issues but said “but with 100% error rate I don’t know that we really have an option.”

Should FSSA recoup three years of Medicaid payments from the company, Deitchman said “it would be a significant operating issue for us.”

Braun administration pushes reformThe audits are part of a broader push by the Braun administration to curtail waste, fraud and abuse within Indiana’s Medicaid system.

The agency stopped advertising Medicaid on Braun’s first day in office and has since removed 400,000 Hoosiers from Medicaid rolls through eligibility checks, Roob said.

Still, he said these actions did not result in a commensurate decline in costs, because the sickest patients remain insured through Medicaid.

More Hoosiers may lose access to Medicaid on Jan. 1 when the state’s work requirements take effect.

FSSA is also examining autism behavior analysis costs for similar irregularities.

The audits follow earlier FSSA reforms of attendant care transitioning parents of medically fragile children to a different program, known as Structured Family Caregiving, amid a $1 billion Medicaid shortfall.

The state had previously paid the families of 1,600 children for unskilled care, but did not include guardrails restricting how many hours or parents could bill the state for basic care.

Roob told reporters Thursday the change did not cut down on waste, fraud and abuse.

“If anything, it’s increased,” he said, alleging people continue to take advantage of “loose” rules.

Parents of medically fragile children praised FSSA’s audit of attendant care providers in a statement Thursday calling on the agency to eliminate policies “allowing providers to capitalize on the health and welfare of our children — the state’s sickest Hoosiers,” mothers Sarah Saylor and Renee Case said.

“The legislature and FSSA must work together to adequately fund Indiana’s attendant care program so families like ours can continue to care for our kids at home instead of expensive and preventative hospital stays.”

Indiana Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com

It’s a gloomy April day, and a small group of people has gathered at a park in West Lafayette to hear organizer Scott Presler.

“In Janaury I said I would come to Indiana to hold accountable any Republican state senator who was not being a true conservative voice,” Presler told the group. “I kept my promise.”

He’s here on behalf of Turning Point USA, one of the national conservative organizations that is trying to unseat Indiana Republicans who voted against President Donald Trump in December.

It’s an effort that will be a test of Trump’s power.

Senate Republicans voted against Trump’s redistricting plan last year, choosing not to approve new legislative maps that could have given Republicans additional seats in Congress.

The president vowed to primary all who had opposed him.

Presler joined a rally of roughly 20 Hoosiers to promote Paula Copenhaver against incumbent Sen. Spencer Deery (R-West Lafayette). Speaking with reporters, Presler said Republicans at the state and national level need to act like the GOP.

“We are a trifecta Republican state government. We have the House, we have the Senate, we have the governorship, and yet our Republican State Senate is not acting like true conservatives and is incapable of putting forth Governor Braun's agenda,” Presler said.

It’s a sentiment that Copenhaver echoed, arguing that the failure of Indiana Republicans to vote for redistricting could have national political consequences and stop Trump’s efforts to “save our Republic”.

“It could be the difference between a majority in Washington, D.C. for the Republicans or not, and when we have the power to do good, and we don't, shame on us for not playing by the same rules that our opponent plays by,” she said.

Copenhaver said her opposition to Deery is bigger than just one vote. The two faced each other in 2022 for the seat, and Copenhaver contends he hasn’t done a good job at representing rural concerns.

But Deery’s vote against redistricting has undeniably boosted Copenhaver’s campaign. Earlier this year, she was invited to the White House to meet with President Trump.

Copenhaver said she does not usually get star-struck, but recalled getting sweaty hands when she realized she’d be meeting the President.

At that meeting, Copenhaver said the President was genuine and found it humbling to hear that Trump was paying attention to her race because of redistricting.

“He was very straightforward and direct about the issue, and he told us that we have his support and that we're going to win,” she said.

Experts say it’s unusual for a U.S. President to become as involved in state races as Trump has this year, particularly during a midterm.

“The President sometimes will get into, certainly, congressional races, and even on occasion, we've seen presidents enter the fray with regards to gubernatorial races at a state level,” said Laura Merrifield Wilson, a political science professor at the University of Indianapolis. “For State Senate races in a state in which the President has no personal or meaningful connection is incredibly unusual.”

Wilson said what’s interesting about Trump’s push to redistrict is how unpopular it’s been for both Republicans and Democrats across the country. Even in Virginia, where voters recently approved new maps favoring Democrats, it was passed on a relatively thin margin.

“I think it just speaks to how unfortunate the whole process is,” Wilson said. “You spend a lot of money, a lot of time, a lot of resources, a tremendous amount of political capital on behalf of so many individuals. And at the end of the day, you may have just canceled out the number of new Democratic seats to the number of new Republican seats.”

Outside groups at the national level have committed millions to help Copenhaver and other primary challengers win in Indiana. She said she doesn’t have much control over those ads and what they say.

According to Indiana Campaign Finance reports, Deery is outspending Copenhaver nearly fifty to one. But Deery told WFYI, outside PAC spending on Copenhaver’s behalf is already well over $1 million.

Deery said his campaign cost roughly $140,000 in its entirety in 2022. His most recent campaign finance reports show expenditures of more than half a million.

“Spencer Deery’s campaign is bankrolled by corporate and union PACs. I’m not beholden to anyone, I won’t be a bought and paid for politician,” Copenhaver said when reached for comment on the ads bought on her behalf.

Like Copenhaver, Deery also describes this fight over redistricting as an existential one.

“I think we do need to have some tough conversations as conservatives, because I think that there are a lot of things that have been pushed around the country and excused as conservativism that really aren't, that are more about just winning,” he said.

Deery said if Republicans lose the House in November, it won’t be because of Indiana’s decision not to redistrict and will instead speak to bad policy decisions at the national level - particularly a failure to address affordability issues.

Deery, who sees himself as a strong conservative, said some of Trump’s endorsements have gone to more moderate Republicans - showing a broader voting record isn’t important.

“So clearly, it is not about who's with him, who's conservative, who's not a conservative. Is it about one issue,” he said.

But it’s an issue that has ultimately divided Indiana Republicans, with the Indiana House overwhelmingly supporting redistricting. During the debate, Republicans in the Senate repeatedly argued their voters did not support redrawing the state’s maps.

Because of that, Deery said he stands by his vote. And as for the primary, he said if he loses, the election will show that Washington outsiders can push Indiana elected officials around.

“It is not about me, it's about intimidating Indiana's elected officials into listening to outside voices, not Hoosiers,” he said. “And that should concern anybody, no matter their politics.”

Indiana’s primary election is May 5.

Contact Government Reporter Benjamin Thorp at bthorp@wfyi.org

Indiana has more coal ash dumpsites than any other state in the country and has already seen the effects of what can happen when too much coal ash contaminates local drinking groundwater.

However, the Trump administration is proposing a rollback of previous cleanup rules around coal ash that have been in place for a decade.

Indiana environmental groups say that this kind of move could be extremely harmful to residents and their waterways, especially since the state has an excess of coal ash dumpsites.

The rule change, initially proposed on April 9, would affect how utilities must clean up these sites.

It would also allow ash to be reused as “fill” or be used in concrete and cement mixes.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency commissioner, Lee Zeldin, said that he views the change as “commonsense” and that it is about “restoring American energy dominance.”

“Our proposed changes will increase transparency and promote resource recovery while continuing to protect human health and the environment for all Americans now and into the future,” Zeldin said.

However, environmental groups like the Citizens Action Coalition said that the rule change would gut coal ash protections at both operating and former coal plant sites.

“This proposal by the Trump administration would absolutely decimate those requirements and allow utilities to just leave these toxic messes in place, threatening public health, threatening Hoosiers' precious water, and all in the name of increasing utility profits,” said Ben Inskeep, the program director for Citizens Action Coalition.

Coal ash contains various heavy metals like arsenic, boron, lithium, molybdenum, radium and others.

Indra Frank, a coal ash advisor for the Hoosier Environmental Council, told WFYI that these heavy metals can lead to serious health complications.

“That mix of heavy metals has a variety of health impacts,” said Frank. “Some of them are carcinogens that increase the risk of cancer. Some of them are toxic to the nervous system, and some of them interfere with the development of the unborn child.”

Frank said the majority of Indiana’s coal ash has ended up in unlined pits, often located near flood plains, which enable the toxic ash to easily contaminate groundwater.

Numerous communities in Northwest Indiana, like those in Lake, Porter, LaPorte and Jasper counties, have seen the effects of years of contamination due to improper disposal of coal ash.

Ashley Williams, founder of Just Transition Northwest Indiana, said towns like Michigan City have been locked in a cycle of “environmental sacrifice” and that the rollback of the coal ash clean-up rules will only further hurt that community.

“This is just accentuating a myriad of consequences we're already feeling in terms of more fossil fuel build out, big tech build out, and now we are looking to the potential for millions and millions and tons of coal ash that will continue to remain in groundwater, in place, in our backyards,” Williams said.

According to the group EarthJustice, utilities have reported contaminated groundwater in the areas surrounding coal ash dumpsites at levels that often far exceed the federal health-based guidelines.

Indiana could pass its own laws to enforce further clean up of the coal ash pits, but the likelihood of that happening is slim.

Indiana law currently requires the state's regulations around coal ash cleanup to be no more stringent or burdensome than federal regulations.

It also allows the state to use coal ash materials for uses like structural fill, road base material and mine reclamation or stabilization.

Inskeep says if the federal rule is gone, then there won’t be anything left to hold the utility companies accountable for cleaning up their sites.

“Of course, they could if they wanted to, but no utility wants to spend hundreds of millions or billions of extra dollars on cleaning up something that they don't have to clean up,” Inskeep said.

Federal push to keep two Indiana coal plants online 

On top of the proposed rule change, the federal government has also issued emergency orders for two power plants to stay online past their planned retirement dates.

The R.M. Schahfer plant in Jasper County and the F.B. Culley plant near Evansville have been ordered to stay open, despite calls from the utilities that operate them who say continuing operations will be extremely costly.

“The units that are being ordered to continue burning coal are so outdated that they're unnecessary, they're inefficient, they're unreliable, they've had a lot of downtime, and they're expensive to operate,” said Frank.

The cost of keeping these plants up and running will likely fall on the utility rate payer, Inskeep said.

Leaders at CenterPoint Energy, which operate the Culley plant, sent a letter to the federal government in February saying that keeping the plant running would cost up to $18 million.

Coal ash dump sites affected by the rule change 

According to the environmental groups, these are the current and former Indiana power plants that would be affected by the coal ash dumpsite rule change:

• Wabash River Generating Station, Terre Haute 
• Michigan City Generating Station, Michigan City 
• Harding Street Generating Station, Indianapolis 
• Eagle Valley Generating Station, Martinsville 
• Petersburg Generating Station, Petersburg 
• Former Breed Plant, Fairbanks 
• Clifty Creek Generating Station, Madison 
• Schahfer Generating Station, Wheatfield 
• Rockport Plant, Rockport 
• Legacy Edwardsport Station, Edwardsport 
• Cayuga Generating Station, Cayuga 
• Gibson Generating Station, Owensville

Public comment period open, virtual public hearing

Anyone can submit a public comment about the rule change now through June 12.

The EPA will also hold a virtual public hearing on the proposal May 28.

Contact Government Reporter Caroline Beck at cbeck@wfyi.org

Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said Tuesday that the Trump administration will require every state within 30 days to turn in a plan to revalidate the health care providers that participate in their Medicaid programs.

The Trump administration has pledged to root out what it calls rampant fraud in state Medicaid programs. But thus far, it has focused almost exclusively on Democratic-led states, even though fraud involving government benefits isn’t any more prevalent in Democratic-led states than in Republican-led ones, according to federal data.

Oz said Tuesday that the administration will expand its Medicaid anti-fraud effort to all 50 states.

“We’re asking the states to own that problem… red and blue, all of them,” Oz said during a health care summit hosted by Politico. “If you don’t take it seriously, it indicates to us that we might have to take the audits… more aggressively,” he added.

In announcing earlier this month that Vice President JD Vance would lead the administration’s anti-fraud effort, President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that Vance would focus on fraud “‘EVERYWHERE,’ but primarily in those Blue States where CROOKED DEMOCRAT POLITICIANS, like those in California, Illinois, Minnesota (Somalia beware!), Maine, New York, and many others, have had a ‘free for all’ in the unprecedented theft of Taxpayer Money.”

During the interview with Politico, Oz said that his agency had already halted payments to about 450 hospices and home health care centers in Los Angeles. Oz also referred to the decision to hold back $259.5 million in federal Medicaid payments to Minnesota, noting that the state will have an opportunity “to go back and prove to us that they actually have the backup to some of the bills they’ve sent us.”

Andy Schneider, a research professor at the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy, said he was pleased that Oz “did not use this forum to announce more deferrals against Minnesota or other states.”

“Perhaps he’s beginning to understand that withholding federal funds from states does not actually do anything to reduce fraud against Medicaid. Time will tell,” Schneider said.

Laith Quasem, a Seattle-based attorney at the Chapman Law Group who represents Medicaid and Medicare providers and suppliers in fraud cases, said many of his clients have been swept up in the California crackdown and have either had their payments suspended or been removed from the government programs.

“I truly believe CMS is really abusing its discretion right now, and they’re revoking and suspending, but asking questions later,” Quasem said.

“Some of it may certainly be well-founded. Under any administration there are always program integrity concerns,” he said. “But it’s not OK during a crackdown to just put providers out of business without a credible allegation of fraud.”

“Let’s say you’re a hospice, right? What do you do if you’re not getting paid? You’re not going to be able to keep the doors open,” he said. “What do you do with your patients?”

Stateline reporter Shalina Chatlani can be reached at schatlani@stateline.org

This story was originally produced by Stateline, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Indiana Capital Chronicle, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.

Indiana Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com

A new effort to bring 800 miles of Central Indiana trails and greenways under a single banner, called Greater Indy Trailways, kicks off this weekend.

The project spans across nine counties: Marion, Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Shelby, Johnson, Morgan, Madison, and Hendricks.

Morgan Snyder from Visit Indy said this is phase one of a larger vision to grow the trail network.

"I do think that this is a campaign and a platform and initiative that is going to really help with some momentum and continuing to build out our trail system," Snyder said.

The kickoff event, the inaugural TrailMixer Festival, starts this Saturday and runs through May 3.

There are over 50 events happening across Central Indiana trails where anyone can participate, with businesses offering swag and special deals throughout the week.

"We continue to see outdoor recreation becoming an increasingly more important decision in travelers' decisions on when and where they're choosing to travel to," Snyder said.

According to the TrailMixer Festival website the event is free with a couple exceptions, as each day and event is different. Greater Indy Trailways will update the public on social media if rain is expected.

Contact WFYI Digital Producer and Reporter Zach Bundy at zbundy@wfyi.org

The Indianapolis R&B community is mourning the loss of Da’Ron Washington, an Indianapolis-based vocalist who rose to national attention with her 1990 album “A Love Like You’ve Never Seen.”

She passed away earlier this month at the age of 66.

Washington was a familiar presence on stages across the city for decades, performing at events like Indiana Black Expo and appearing in local theater productions with Civic Theatre and the Indiana Repertory Theatre.

This transcript has been edited for style and clarity.

Kyle Long: An Indianapolis native, Da’Ron graduated from Pike High School in the late 1970s. By the early 1980s, she'd become a familiar presence in the city's R&B club scene, performing with local groups like Sky and Kamaron. It was during this time that she caught the attention of keyboardist, songwriter, and producer Rodney Stepp, best known for his work with the legendary soul group the Spinners.

Rodney Stepp: As I went on the road with the Spinners and Sister Sledge and traveled the world, when I would come home, she was in a band called Kamaron, and they used to play at a place called Excalibur. I would go see them and just be in awe.

Long: Stepp contributed to Da’ron's debut album, released in 1990 on the Chi-Sound label.

Stepp: John Howcott was producing her album on Chi-Sound Records. She had just gotten signed, and he told me, “Man, I need one of your strong ballads. I need one of your ballads.” So James Walker Jr. and I, we sat down and we wrote “To Get Over You” and we demoed it.

Long: They forged a lasting artistic partnership, with Da’Ron becoming a go-to session vocalist at Stepp’s Brook Street Music Studio.

Stepp: I used her in a lot of commercials back in the day. I used her in a lot of lottery commercials. I can't even name them all.

Long: Music industry veteran Sid Johnson is equally generous in his praise for Da’Ron.

Sid Johnson: In terms of female soul singers, she's one of the best. She touched the soil of Naptown with her incredible vocals, and she's the kind of person that, when you heard her sing, you're going to remember her.

Long: Johnson is a songwriter, producer, and artist manager, best known for his songwriting work with the R&B icon Babyface. In 1991, Johnson collaborated with Da’Ron on a recording of his song, “Blood Is Thicker Than Water.” That track featured a large ensemble of Indianapolis performers and was adopted as the theme song for Indiana Black Expo

Johnson: During that period of time when we were assembling people for the song, it was like, we gotta have Da’Ron on this record, because she can really bring it.

Long: “Blood Is Thicker Than Water” has been out of print for 35 years, but Johnson reissued the song this month in Da’Ron's memory.

Johnson: Certainly, the passing of Da’Ron triggered the importance of releasing it as a tribute to her, for her wonderful contribution and her wonderful artistry. She will truly, truly, truly be missed, and I'm so glad that she is a part of this song, and that we have this forever to remember this woman who was one of the best that ever did it.

A federal judge ruled a Brown County man and Chicago woman are likely to succeed in their First Amendment lawsuit alleging the federal government pressured Apple and Facebook to remove platforms tracking U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity.

The lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of Illinois, alleges former Attorney General Pam Bondi and former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem censored platform creators by threatening Apple and Facebook to remove applications that document or “doxx” ICE operations.

U.S. District Court Judge Jorge L. Alonso granted a preliminary injunction late Friday evening for Kassandra Rosado and the Kreisau Group, finding the plaintiffs are likely to succeed on the merits.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, also known as FIRE, filed the lawsuit in February.

Judge finds evidence of government censorshipApple removed Eyes Up ICE — a mobile application created by Brown County resident Mark Hodges through his company, the Kreisau Group — and several other ICE trackers from the App Store in October.

Days later, Facebook removed Rosado’s Facebook group documenting ICE activity in Chicago.

In both cases, Alonso found Apple and Facebook independently determined the platforms met content requirements until defendants contacted the companies.

Apple informed Hodges of its decision after receiving “information” from “law enforcement” indicating the application violated the company’s guidelines for “defamatory, discriminatory or mean-spirited content,” according to the ruling.

The judge found Apple made no mention of these alleged violations when it independently reviewed and approved Eyes Up ICE months earlier, flagging only “unrelated” issues the Kreisau Group resolved.

He cites public statements Bondi and Noem made last October, suggesting the Department of Justice pressured companies to remove platforms suspected of “doxxing” ICE agents as evidence of possible government censorship.

“They reached out to Facebook and Apple and demanded, rather than requested, that Facebook and Apple censor Plaintiff’s speech,” Alonso wrote.

The federal government “intimated that Facebook and Apple may be subject to prosecution for failing to comply,” he concluded.

“FIRE is extremely encouraged by this ruling,” senior attorney Colin McDonnell said in a statement Saturday. “Even though it’s not the end of the case, it bodes well for the future of our legal fight to ensure that the First Amendment protects the right to discuss, record and criticize what law enforcement does in public.”

Indiana Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com

Indiana’s sales tax on gasoline is poised to jump by 6.1 cents per gallon in May if Gov. Mike Braun doesn’t extend his temporary suspension of the tax.

The amount charged for the 7% state sales tax on gasoline is determined monthly by the state Department of Revenue based on the statewide retail gas cost average.

The agency announced Monday that the rate which stood at 17.2 cents per gallon when Braun announced its suspension April 8 would increase to 23.3 cents for May.

Braun’s suspension continues until May 8, which is when he said he would consider whether to extend his executive order.

Indiana’s statewide average for a gallon of regular gas stood at $4.14 when Braun suspended the sales tax.

That average had fallen to $3.76 as of Monday, according to AAA, after costing $2.68 in late February before President Donald Trump launched the war with Iran that prompted a worldwide spike in oil prices.

Taxes on fuel in Indiana are made up of the federal gas tax of 18.4 cents per gallon, the state excise tax of 36 cents per gallon and the 7% state sales tax.

State Rep. Greg Porter, the top Democrat on the budget-writing House Ways and Means Committee, called Monday on Braun to also suspend the excise tax.

Suspending both state taxes would increase the savings on a 16 gallon fill up from $2.75 to $8.51.

“I support the sales tax suspension, but Hoosiers need more than a couple of dollars,” Porter said in a statement. “Prices have started to fall. But gas is expected to stay above $3 a gallon for the rest of the year. Prices go up like a rocket and come down like a feather.”

Braun said in his initial announcement that he would need legislative permission, but Porter contends there is nothing in the law differentiating between the two taxes — only past precedent.

Indiana Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com

The Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development released draft zoning rules Tuesday that would regulate where data centers can be built in Marion County, how close they can sit to homes and how much noise they can generate.

The draft rules would create a new category for data centers, which currently aren’t covered by any zoning definition in the county.

The proposal caps noise at 65 decibels at the property line, requires a 200-foot buffer between data center buildings and residentially zoned land, and limits backup generators to emergency use — with testing banned between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m.

The rules come as data center projects face growing pushback in Indianapolis over energy use, water demand and impacts on neighborhoods. Residents argue that data centers are much different from traditional industrial developments.

Developers would also have to submit a “will-serve” letter from utility providers such as AES Indiana and Citizens Energy Group verifying that electrical and water capacity is available. Developers would also be required to file an operations plan detailing cooling, water discharge, noise mitigation and decommissioning.

The department will hold two virtual meetings next week, and residents can submit comments on the city’s website. The City-County Council will vote on final approval.

Data centers are large facilities that house the computer servers behind cloud computing, streaming services and artificial intelligence. Because those servers run constantly and generate significant heat, the facilities can draw enormous amounts of electricity and water.

Critics say rules are too weak

Throughout the zoning process for the proposed data center in Decatur Township on Marion County’s southwest side, Pat Andrews, chair of the Decatur Township Civic League’s Land Use Committee, criticized city leadership for not creating a specific zoning classification for data centers.

"This was deliberate to deprive us of our rights," Andrews said after the Metropolitan Development Commission’s March 18 vote approving the Sabey Data Centers development.

Ben Inskeep, program director at Citizens Action Coalition, a consumer and environmental advocacy organization in Indiana, told WFYI the draft ordinance fails to include “meaningful protections to residents of Indianapolis, while establishing a clear pathway for more data centers to come to Indianapolis.”

Inskeep said the draft ordinance still allows data centers to generate high levels of noise, doesn’t place meaningful limits on where they can be built — including near neighborhoods, schools or parks — and still allows the use of diesel generators.

While critics including Inskeep have called for a moratorium on new data centers, Indianapolis City-County Council members — including former Council President Vop Osili, a Democratic candidate in the 2027 Indianapolis mayor's race — have not publicly backed any effort to halt development entirely.

Instead, some officials have pushed for more oversight and community input.

Councilor Jesse Brown introduced a special resolution in January calling on developers to engage transparently with residents — without non-disclosure agreements — and to pursue Community Benefit Agreements. “The City-County Council would prefer to avoid the need for a total moratorium on all data centers,” the proposal said.

“We are not a city that will be banning something like infrastructure,” Osili said at a City-County Council meeting earlier this year. “I think many of us look upon power and data centers as infrastructure in the very same way that we view power lines, telephone lines and sewer lines.”

Clarification: An update was made to clarify that Councilor Jesse Brown introduced a special resolution in January, not a proposal.

Farrah Anderson is an investigative health reporter with WFYI and Side Effects Public Media. You can follow her on X at @farrahsoa or by email at fanderson@wfyi.org

A new law that bans people from camping on public land in Indiana was signed by Gov. Mike Braun. The law also criminalizes the act.

Braun says the legislation passed by lawmakers this year is meant to help people experiencing homelessness connect with shelter and services.

Opponents argue the legislation does not provide any additional support, and that criminal charges will only create more barriers for a vulnerable population.

Under the new law, when law enforcement first encounter someone camping on public property they should assess mental health needs, give a warning, and provide information about available shelter and services.

If someone continues to camp in the area for more than two days they may be charged with a class C misdemeanor for illegally camping.

Braun says years of policy work to end homelessness by housing people first was not working.

"Before this action, Indiana's approach to the issue of homelessness had focused on housing first legislation that has demonstrably not reduced homelessness," Braun said.

The number of people experiencing homelessness in Indianapolis has increased in recent years. But people who work in the sector say providing permanent housing along with services has been shown to reduce chronic homelessness.

Pastor David Greene is part of a local partnership addressing homelessness in Indianapolis. He questioned how the law will work since there is already a shortage of services and places to divert people.

"You cannot legislate people out of homelessness without first investing in housing, mental health care, and addiction treatment. What this bill does is push people further into the shadows, further into instability, and deeper into a system that was never designed to solve poverty," Greene wrote in a statement.

The statute states that individuals cannot be convicted if there are no available shelter beds within five miles. It also requires reporting encounters to better direct federal funding for programs.

Braun says homelessness is a serious problem that acutely impacts the capital city.

"Indianapolis is a convention capital and hosts some of the greatest sporting events in the world. More and more that's the case," Braun said. "And more and more, I think we see short term measures to maybe do something about it that hasn't addressed it in a meaningful way."

Indianapolis launched an initiative to end chronic homelessness that is showing success. Streets to Home Indy was established last year through a private-public partnership in Indianapolis. The program has closed three camps and housed 114 people.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police stated it will continue to work with its Homeless Outreach Unit and alongside community partners to provide services and support to individuals experiencing homelessness.

"We understand that an arrest is not always the appropriate response to the complex issues surrounding homelessness, but IMPD will take law enforcement action when crimes are committed," an IMPD statement read.

The law goes into effect July 1, 2026.

Contact WFYI Managing City Editor Jill Sheridan at jsheridan@wfyi.org

At least 162 state officials nationwide have been publicly accused of sexual harassment across more than 424 distinct incidents over the last 12 years — including in the Hoosier State, according to the latest “Abuse of Power” report from the National Women’s Defense League.

The nonpartisan organization is dedicated to preventing workplace sexual harassment and protecting survivors.

About 93% of accused state officials are men, the league has found, and most targets are women. The partisan split is more even: 52% of those accused are Republicans and 48% are Democrats.

That holds true in Indiana.

Elise Shrock, an Indiana political strategist and member of the National Women’s Defense League advisory council, speaks during a virtual news conference on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (Screenshot) The report featured former House Republican Speaker Brian Bosma, who was accused of sexual harassment by a former intern in 2018, and Republican former Attorney General Curtis Hill.

Hill was added to the report for the first time as part of an expansion beyond state lawmakers to all statewide officials. Three female staffers and a lawmaker accused him of unwanted touching during a post-legislative session celebration in 2018.

Two Democrats are also included: Rep. David Niezgodski of South Bend, who was accused by a former employee, and Sen. Greg Taylor of Indianapolis, with a whopping six accusers.

The league found that just 30% of accused lawmakers face any formal consequences and 40% resign. Only seven have served jail time.

In Indiana, Bosma didn’t seek reelection when his term ended two years later, while Hill was disciplined by the state Supreme Court and lost his reelection bid. Both Democrats remain in office, although Taylor lost his position as caucus leader.

Staffers are about 40% of those targeted for harassment in statehouses.

“Staff are uniquely vulnerable in legislative spaces,” said Elise Shrock, an Indiana political strategist who previously spent eight years working for the Senate Democratic Caucus.

“We work in close quarters with those who hold power,” added Shrock, who is now on the league’s National Advisory Council. “Staffers’ livelihoods depend on them; recommendations, future jobs.”

She spoke during a virtual news conference on Tuesday.

Although the league has logged more than a decade of data, the report is still likely incomplete, Founding Director Emma Davidson Tribbs told reporters.

“Understand that what we’re presenting are conservative, public-facing counts,” she said. “The reality is much worse. These numbers understate the harm. They don’t deny it.”

Davidson Tribbs noted that roughly 70% of people who experience workplace sexual harassment never report it. She also criticized opaque and biased government processes for handling accusations.

Most sexual harassment policies governing state legislatures are in chamber rules or other internal procedures instead of public law, according to the report.

Emma Davidson Tribbs, founding director of the National Women’s Defense League, speaks during a virtual news conference on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (Screenshot) Many states use panels with lawmaker members selected by legislative leadership, which “remain subject to partisan leverage and conflicts of interest.”

The league recommended putting policies in state statute, using independent third-party enforcement systems, maintaining transparency without exposing survivors, imposing meaningful consequences on violators and more.

“The stakes are so high for survivors, but the reporting mechanisms fail them at every turn,” Shrock said. “These are incredibly talented people, and we’ve lost them in these workplaces because our leaders and our systems close ranks, and simply lack courage.”

Also on Tuesday, the league released its first “Abuse of Power” report focused on Congress. Former U.S. Rep. Mark Souder, a Republican who resigned in 2010, was Indiana’s only entry.

Souder left Congress after news broke of an extramarital affair with a married staffer. He described the relationship as consensual and the case focused on ethical standards about relations with subordinates.

Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com

Two Democrats are competing in the May 5 primary for Indiana's 2nd Congressional District for the chance to challenge Rep. Rudy Yakym (R-Granger), who is running unopposed in the Republican primary and seeking a second full term.

The Democratic candidates are Jamee Decio and Shaun Michael Maeyens. Decio is a native of Elkhart with an adoptive son. A lawyer and screen writer, WVPE reported that Decio lived in Los Angeles before moving back to Northern Indiana last year to challenge Yakym in the congressional race.

Top issues in the race include federal spending, public benefits, affordability and immigration enforcement.

Maeyens is an eighth-grade social studies teacher and former owner of a coffee roastery and cafe. Born in South Bend, he is married with three children. Maeyens said in an interview he wants to improve affordability in his community.

"I hear my students talking about how their electric was shut off, or how their water was shut off, or how their gas was shut off," Maeyens said. "A lot of their parents work two jobs. So it's not like they're not doing the right thing."

The seat has been held by Yakym since 2022, following the death of U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski in a car crash. A native of South Bend, Yakym has a background in business. He lives in Granger with his wife and three children.

U.S. House members serve two-year terms, write and vote on federal legislation and direct federal resources to their districts.

The 2nd Congressional District extends south from Michiana. It includes areas in the following counties: Elkhart, Fulton, Marshall, Miami, Pulaski, St. Joseph, Starke, Wabash, Cass, Kosciusko and LaPorte.

WFYI contacted each campaign to ask why the candidate is running and what their priorities are. For candidates who did not respond, information was gathered from their campaign websites and social media. Candidate statements have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Jamee Decio
Party: Democrat
Occupation: Lawyer and screenwriter
Website: decioforcongress.com

Campaign message: On her campaign website Decio said that she wants the federal government to "refocus on the basic needs of all Americans, instead of seeking to control Democratic-led cities." Decio said that her parents taught her "party lines meant little compared with character, community service, faith, and charity."

Top priorities: Decio wrote on her website that she condemns ICE efforts "to deport undocumented immigrants who hold jobs and pay taxes." She opposes "spending $1.71 billion on deportations when millions of Americans are losing Medicaid and struggling with rising costs of food, fuel and housing."

Shaun Michael Maeyens
Party: Democrat
Age: 47
Residence: South Bend
Occupation: Teacher
Website: mrmforcongress.com

Campaign message: An eighth-grade social studies teacher, Maeyens said in an interview he was inspired to run so his students could see somebody in office "that looks like them, that lives in their neighborhood, that knows their life experiences."

Top priorities: Maeyens said his top priority is legislation to promote affordability, including increasing the minimum wage and making housing more affordable. Maeyens also cited improving immigration policy and encouraging environmentally sustainable business growth as priorities.

Rudy Yakym (incumbent)
Party: Republican
Age: 42
Residence: Granger
Occupation: U.S. representative
Website: rudyforindiana.com

Campaign message: A South Bend native, Yakym was elected to Congress in 2022. Yakym's website describes him as a "Christian, family man and conservative." It said he "is working tirelessly to bring common sense, conservative values to Washington, D.C."

Top priorities: Yakym's website said that as a Congressman he has fought for: "shrinking the bloated federal bureaucracy; restoring fiscal responsibility; and ensuring veterans receive the care and benefits they have earned."

Contact WFYI Education Reporter Dylan Peers McCoy at dmccoy@wfyi.org