Indiana

Afternoon Delight

By Abdul Hakim-Shabazz

A few big items to report this afternoon.

An Indiana appellate court has struck down the state’s Voter ID law on the basis that it violates the state constitution.   The Court held the law did not treat all voters uniformly because it required ID for voting in-person, but not absentee nor nursing home residents if their nursing home is also a polling place.  Governor Mitch Daniels called the ruling “preposterous” and example of “judicial arrogance.”   He said the state would appeal and predicted the ruling would be overturned.   A similar challenge at the federal level was unsuccessful.

You can read a copy of the opinion here.

Also making some news today, both the City of Indianapolis and the State of  Indiana are looking at the possibility of Eli Lilly having to payback millions in tax incentives and abatements.  Lilly received more than $1.6 billion in tax incentives and abatements in exchange for promising to create new jobs.  Lilly fell short of its goal and is now preparing to layoff employees.  Both city and state officials say they are investigating whether Lilly will have to give back or lose its tax breaks and incentives since the jobs never materialized.

And finally City Controller Dave Reynolds says his office will be able to shore a nearly $3 million hole in the Sheriff Department’s pension fund.  The fund lost money due to the financial market collapse in 2008.  Reynolds says an amendment will be introduced tonight to transfer the funds from the Sheriff’s operating budget and into the the pension fund.

Full post as published by Indiana Barrister on September 17, 2009 (boomark / email).