Indiana House unanimously supports sanctions against Russia

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana House unanimously supported sanctions against Russia, just hours after the commencement of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week.

An amendment approved Thursday to Senate Bill 388, which deals with foreign gifts and ownership of agricultural land, would block Russian-controlled businesses from acquiring property in Indiana for one year. The bill is scheduled for a final House vote on Monday.

Democratic Rep. Ryan Dvorak of South Bend, who offered the amendment, noted that Indiana invests nearly $40 billion in public pension assets, and said that "not one cent of that money should go toward propping up Russia’s tyrannical regime.”

“The Russian Federation is a kleptocracy that launders its money through real estate transactions all over the world,” Dvorak said. “Our message today is that Indiana will not be a safe haven for ill-gotten Russian funds, nor for its oligarchs trying to find financial shelter in the wake of Putin’s unconscionable invasion of Ukraine.”

A second amendment offered by Dvorak would have required Indiana to divest all pension assets from Russian-controlled businesses, but it was ruled out of order by a vote on procedural germaneness to the bill.

Dvorak, a vocal critic of Putin’s policy in Ukraine, first filed language to divest pensions funds from Russia in 2017.