Indiana's governor is asking a court to block a new law passed by state legislators giving themselves more authority to intervene when the states chief executive declares an emergency.

At a time when more Hoosiers are getting outside, the legislature has made even more budget cuts to Indianas underfunded and understaffed environmental agencies.

"Unprecedented." "Very, very unique." "Nothing was normal." "Nothing was easy." That's how lawmakers described this year's legislative session.

The groups delivered a letter to Gov. Eric Holcomb on Monday with the signatures of city leaders and groups representing environmentalists, wildlife advocates, hunters, and more.

Indiana's legislative session came to an end Thursday, though lawmakers expect to return in the fall for redistricting.

As the legislative session came to a close, lawmakers chose not to expand a program aimed at helping the state's most impoverished families.

The Indiana General Assembly gave final approval Thursday to a new two-year $37 billion state budget that is bolstered by $3 billion in federal coronavirus relief funding. The new budget takes effect in July.

Lawmakers in the House wanted to shield $10,200 of unemployment benefits from state income tax, mirroring federal tax relief provided to out-of-work Hoosiers. But the Senate disagreed and removed that language.

A revenue forecast unveiled a week ago was the game changer. It projected $2 billion more for the new budget, much of it put into K-12 education that all but guarantees teacher pay raises.

Republicans called the 2021 legislative session "transformational." Democrats were not quite so effusive with their praise. But everyone agrees it was a session no one will likely forget, impacted in every way by the COVID-19 pandemic.