Indiana Governor Mike Pence’s approval rating took a beating in a poll conducted by the Republican firm Bellwether Research for Howey Politics. Pence’s approval rating stands at 45 percent with 46 percent of voters disapproving of the job the governor is doing. The tanking numbers, down nearly 20 points since February, come just weeks after…
Echoing the incredulous police chief in the movie Casablanca, proponents of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act say they are shocked to discover that anyone objects to protecting religious believers from government oppression. As the nuclear reaction that has engulfed us for the past week continues to burn, one wonders how so many legislators got this…
The mayor of Hammond, Indiana is calling on Governor Mike Pence to step down over the state’s anti-gay “religious freedom” law and the ensuing national firestorm. “I woke up this morning to the nation and world taking our state to task again for a measure signed into law by our governor that should have never…
Indiana lawmakers are scrambling to backpedal as a fierce backlash has taken hold against Republican Governor Mike Pence since he signed into law legislation that effectively permits discrimination against people thought to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer. Under the handle #BoycottIndiana, LGBTQ activists and supporters across the nation are vowing economic retribution against…
Area business leaders met with South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg on Friday afternoon to show their support for an inclusive community in the wake of Indiana’s passage of the divisive Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). The impromptu gathering was meant to show that South Bend businesses and its city government are committed to treating all…
The ink barely dried from Governor Mike Pence’s pen when word came that Indiana is already feeling negative economic impacts of a highly controversial bill that would legalize discrimination in the state. The bill — known as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act — was signed into law today by Governor Pence. It passed the Republican-dominated…
Barely a week ago, a group of local community activists, elected officials, and LGBT allies were celebrating the third year anniversary of the passage of South Bend’s Human Rights Ordinance. The Human Rights Ordinance bans discrimination in education, employment, and access to public accommodations based on race, color, sex, disability, national origin and ancestry. An…
Folks, who know me well, know I love history. History is a great teacher – and what happened earlier this week in the Indiana House of Representatives reminded me of that. In darkest days of the Great Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt passed the Davis-Bacon Act, which created something known as the common construction wage or…
The Indiana House has passed a bill that would eliminate the common construction wage law in the state, allowing the state and municipalities to decide the pay for each position of a public works project. The common construction wage law sets base pay rates on public building projects in the state to ensure a decent…
The Indiana Senate passed a bill Tuesday that strips the elected State Superintendent of her chairmanship on the State Board of Education. The change allows the State Board of Education to select its own chairperson. It would also change the composition of the board from ten members to nine members. The Indiana Senate approved the…
