Miller receives e-mail; calls for campaign reform

State Senator Patricia Miller of Indianapolis announced today that she will introduce another ethics bill during the next legislative session.  This early announcement stems from a message Miller received in her statehouse e-mail account from Secretary of State Todd Rokita’s Congressional campaign.  Indiana Public Broadcasting’s Brian Flood has the story.

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Representative Brown continues fight for smoking ban

As Indiana legislators continue their final negotiations of the 2010, Representative Charlie Brown of Gary continues his push for a statewide smoking ban.

Today in conference committee, Brown added the smoking ban legislation to a health bill along with several other pieces of senate legislation.

Brown says he did this in the hopes of getting senate conferees to agree to the ban that would only exempt casinos and racinos, tax exempt clubs such as VFWs and American Legions and tobacco businesses.

“There was testimony that showed we spend over a billion dollars a year in Indiana alone, a billion dollars, on smoking related illnesses. So why would, in these austere times why would not everyone want to save at least a portion of that billion dollars by having people not come into contact with second hand smoke.”

Brown says he has three of the four necessary signatures. He’s awaiting the fourth from Senator Patricia Miller of Indianapolis who represents the Senate Republicans.

Brian Caoimhghin Flood

Ethics Bill Passes Senate

The Indiana Senate has given its approval to an ethics reform bill that sets new conduct standards for legislators and lobbyists. Indiana Public Broadcasting’s Marianne Holland reports.

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Committee Hears Testimony on Silver Alerts

Senator Patricia Miller of Indianapolis presented a bill today to the Senate Health and Provider Services Committee she chairs that would create the Silver Alert System. The bill proposes using a system similar to Amber Alerts to find missing and endangered adults. Indiana Public Broadcasting’s Marianne Holland reports.