Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox.
Hundreds of protesters line the Wicker Avenue sidewalk Aug. 16, 2021, in front of Lake Central High School, to protest the district’s face mask mandate. Legislation approved Tuesday by the Indiana House would guarantee every person in attendance at a school board meeting the opportunity to address the school board for at least three minutes.
State Rep. Tim O’Brien, R-Evansville, right, is originally from Hobart.
State representatives believe Indiana school board members should have to hear from every constituent who wants to address them — no matter how long it makes their meetings last.
The Indiana House voted 92-1 Tuesday to approve House Bill 1130 mandating the governing body of school corporations allow any person physically present at a school board meeting to address the board for at least three minutes.
State Rep. Tim O’Brien, R-Evansville, said he filed the proposal in response to some local school boards cutting off public comment to avoid having to hear from parents opposed to school mask mandates, curriculum components and other controversial issues.
This episode of the “Riding Shotgun with NWI Cops” series takes viewers around Munster in the midst of the holiday season.
“This is a transparency bill,” O’Brien said. “Public input is vital, and Hoosiers must be able to voice their opinions on matters of importance to their communities.”
Under the plan, a school board “may adopt reasonable rules to govern the taking of oral public comment” and school boards retain the right to take “reasonable steps to maintain order in a meeting,” including “removal of any person who is willfully disruptive of the meeting.”
School board members also would not be required to interact with a speaker or answer any questions posed by a speaker, but every person in the audience who wishes to speak must be given time to do so at some point during the meeting, O’Brien said.
The proposal now goes to the Senate for further consideration.
The first-term lawmaker is a Hobart native and withstood some good-natured ribbing by state Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago, as O’Brien presented his first proposed new law to the House.
“Did you have to move because you knew you couldn’t get elected in Northwest Indiana,” asked Harris, continuing the “first bill” inquisitor role previously played by former state Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary.
In response, O’Brien hinted at perhaps some future statewide ambitions: “I could get elected,” he said.
State Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago
2nd Senate District
Represents: Hammond, Whiting, East Chicago, Gary (west side), Griffith, Hobart, Merrillville
Experience: State senator since 2008, previously served 1994-98; attorney
Committees: Commerce and Technology; Insurance and Financial Institutions (ranking member); Judiciary (ranking member); Rules and Legislative Procedure; Tax and Fiscal Policy; Utilities (ranking member)
State Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary
3rd Senate District
Represents: Gary, Lake Station, New Chicago, Hobart, Merrillville, Crown Point
Experience: State senator since 2016; community relations manager
Committees: Appropriations (ranking member); Education and Career Development; Health and Provider Services; Joint Rules; Rules and Legislative Procedure
State Sen. Rodney Pol Jr., D-Chesterton
4th Senate District
Represents: Ogden Dunes, Portage, Chesterton, South Haven, Burns Harbor, Beverly Shores, Michigan City, Westville
Experience: State senator since 2021; attorney
Committees: Corrections and Criminal Law (ranking member); Environmental Affairs; Local Government; Pensions and Labor; Public Policy
State Sen. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso
5th Senate District
Represents: Valparaiso, Hebron, Kouts, Jasper County
Experience: State senator since 2007; attorney
Committees: Appropriations; Ethics; Health and Provider Services (chairman); Rules and Legislative Procedure; Tax and Fiscal Policy
State Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell
6th Senate District
Represents: St. John, Cedar Lake, Crown Point, Winfield, Lowell, Newton County
Experience: State senator since 2014, state representative 2012-14; small business owner
Committees: Environmental Affairs; Local Government; Tax and Fiscal Policy
State Sen. Mike Bohacek, R-Michiana Shores
8th Senate District
Represents: LaPorte County
Experience: State senator since 2016; consultant
Committees: Corrections and Criminal Law; Insurance and Financial Institutions; Judiciary; Local Government
Vacant following Jan. 11 resignation of state Sen. Frank Mrvan, D-Hammond
1st Senate District
Represents: Hammond (south side), Munster, Highland, Griffith, Dyer, Schererville
State Rep. Carolyn Jackson, D-Hammond
1st House District
Represents: Hammond, Whiting
Experience: State representative since 2018; retired Cook County, Ill., probation officer
Committees: Environmental Affairs; Family, Children and Human Affairs; Natural Resources
State Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago
2nd House District
Represents: East Chicago, Gary (west side)
Experience: State representative since 2016; small business owner
Committees: Government and Regulatory Reform; Roads and Transportation; Ways and Means
State Rep. Ragen Hatcher, D-Gary
3rd House District
Represents: Gary (downtown and east side), Lake Station, New Chicago, Hobart
Experience: State representative since 2018; attorney
Committees: Commerce, Small Business and Economic Development; Courts and Criminal Code (ranking member); Government and Regulatory Reform
State Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso
4th House District
Represents: Valparaiso
Experience: State representative since 2006; aviation safety consultant
Committees: Elections and Apportionment; Roads and Transportation; Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications (chairman)
State Rep. Pat Boy, D-Michigan City
9th House District
Represents: Michigan City, Chesterton, Beverly Shores, Long Beach, Westville
Experience: State representative since 2018; retired small business owner
Committees: Environmental Affairs; Natural Resources (ranking member)
State Rep. Chuck Moseley, D-Portage
10th House District
Represents: Portage, Chesterton, Ogden Dunes, Burns Harbor, South Haven
Experience: State representative since 2008; financial solutions associate
Committees: Employment, Labor and Pensions; Roads and Transportation (ranking member); Veterans Affairs and Public Safety
State Rep. Mike Aylesworth, R-Hebron
11th House District
Represents: St. John, Cedar Lake, Lowell, Schneider, Hebron, Kouts
Experience: State representative since 2014; farmer, former state environmental regulator
Committees: Agriculture and Rural Development (vice chairman); Courts and Criminal Code; Environmental Affairs
State Rep. Mike Andrade, D-Munster
12th House District
Represents: Munster, Hammond (south side), Highland, Griffith
Experience: State representative since 2020; small businessman
Committees: Commerce, Small Business and Economic Development; Employment, Labor and Pensions; Veterans Affairs and Public Safety
State Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary
14th House District
Represents: Gary (south side), Merrillville
Experience: State representative since 1990; education professor at Indiana University Northwest
Committees: Education (ranking member); Judiciary; Local Government
State Rep. Hal Slager, R-Schererville
15th House District
Represents: Dyer, Schererville, St. John, Griffith
Experience: State representative 2012-18, reelected 2020; small business owner
Committees: Environmental Affairs; Ways and Means
State Rep. Douglas Gutwein, R-Francesville
16th House District
Represents: Newton, Jasper counties
Experience: State representative since 2008; small business owner
Committees: Agriculture and Rural Development; Environmental Affairs (vice chairman); Veterans Affairs and Public Safety
State Rep. Julie Olthoff, R-Crown Point
19th House District
Represents: Crown Point, Merrillville, Winfield, Lakes of the Four Seasons, Hobart
Experience: State representative 2014-2018, reelected 2020; small business owner
Committees: Family, Children and Human Affairs; Public Health (vice chairwoman); Veterans Affairs and Public Safety
State Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie
20th House District
Represents: LaPorte County
Experience: State representative since 2016; small business owner
Committees: Commerce, Small Business and Economic Development; Roads and Transportation (chairman)
Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox.
Chief Political Reporter
Dan has reported on Indiana state government for The Times since 2009. He also covers casinos, campaigns and corruption.
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Lake Central schools parents protest the wearing of masks by their children at school.
Hoosier lawmakers are working to bring a swift end to Indiana’s COVID-19 state of emergency that’s persisted since the first case of the coronavirus was diagnosed in Indiana on March 6, 2020.
One woman with a megaphone alternately announced “God loves you” and “Trump loves you” to people attempting to patronize the businesses on the courthouse square.
All employees and visitors inside Lake County government buildings again are required to wear face masks, and a similar mask mandate soon may apply to all school buildings in the county.
“He has a lot of flags. Personally, I just hope he takes this one down and puts another on in its place, and God bless America,” said Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr.
An Evansville-based group of Donald Trump supporters say they’re planning to drive more than five hours to Hammond Saturday to protest outside city hall and the home of Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr.
Senate Enrolled Act 187 not only commands the state police to prioritize monument protection generally, but also requires troopers be dispatched to protect any monument at risk of vandalism.
“As a black man in Indiana, seeing this proposal pass with overwhelming, unanimous support gives me hope for our future,” said state Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary.
During their deployment, the Indiana Guardsmen helped with crowd and traffic control at the National Mall and near the White House.
No Trump supporters, opponents, or anyone else determined to make mischief showed up at the Indiana Statehouse before or after Biden’s swearing-in Wednesday to protest the new federal administration.
Not a single Trump supporter, opponent, or really anyone else showed up to protest, demonstrate or make a scene Sunday at the Indiana Statehouse.
The Indiana Statehouse will be closed to the public and the General Assembly will not meet next week due the high number of threats against governmental entities across the country.
The Senate Public Policy Committee voted 9-0 to authorize the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission to issue up to 10 additional permits for restaurants to sell beer, wine and liquor in downtown Lowell.
The leader of the Republican-controlled House used a procedural maneuver Thursday to prevent a chamber vote on a proposal to return Indiana elections to solely paper ballots.
The Indiana House voted Thursday to prohibit trans girls assigned male at birth from participating in any elementary or high school athletic competition designated as a “girls” or “female” sport.
Hundreds of protesters line the Wicker Avenue sidewalk Aug. 16, 2021, in front of Lake Central High School, to protest the district’s face mask mandate. Legislation approved Tuesday by the Indiana House would guarantee every person in attendance at a school board meeting the opportunity to address the school board for at least three minutes.
State Rep. Tim O’Brien, R-Evansville, right, is originally from Hobart.
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.
