The states new, two-year budget allows funding for kindergartners who are 5 by Sept. 1 this year.

In the Indiana Statehouse, education was the star of the legislative session. On Monday, Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb acknowledged, Were not there yet" on increasing teacher pay.

An effort to raise Indianas tobacco tax failed during this years legislative session as well as other attempts to reduce smoking in the Hoosier state.

Lawmakers regulated short-term rentals in 2018, but left taxing issues alone until this year. And a bill to tax those rentals stalled until its language was put into the new two-year state budget.

Gov. Eric Holcomb signed the states next two-year budget into law Monday as he defended how Republican budget writers prioritized the states dollars.

The bill largely bans the second trimester procedure known as dilation and evacuation abortions.

Lawmakers wrapped up the 2019 legislative session with passage of a new, two-year state budget and a major gambling bill. But a vaping tax couldnt make it to the finish line. Heres what you might have missed this week at the Statehouse.

Heading into 2019, most agreed on what would be the biggest issues of the session: funding for teacher pay and the Department of Child Services, major changes to the gambling industry, and a hate crimes law.

The 2019 legislative session has officially come to an end, and lawmakers attempts to address a number of education issues are receiving mixed reviews.

Hoosiers now know what the state budget will look like for the next two years. It boosts funding for education, but schools with declining enrollment will still lose money.