Por Leslie Bonilla Muñiz, Indiana Capital Chronicle

The report used 15 metrics to rank the Capitol’s lawmakers across 21 policy areas.

Former U.S. Sen. Mike Braun — now governor of Indiana — and U.S. Rep. Erin Houchin were among the 118th Congress’ most effective lawmakers, in an issue-specific analysis by the Center for Effective Lawmaking.

The center is a nonpartisan collaboration between the University of Virginia’s Batten School and Vanderbilt University.

Researchers there used 15 indicators of effectiveness to calculate scores for lawmakers who served from January 2023 to 2025. The metrics gauge how many bills a lawmaker sponsored, how substantial the policy proposals within were, and how far those ideas moved though the legislative process.

Then, they identified the top two performers — a Republican and Democrat — across 21 policy areas. The results were published last week.

Braun was named the most effective Senate Republican on housing policy. He got points for sponsoring two “substantive” pieces of housing-related legislation, one of which passed the Senate chamber, but didn’t become law.

Houchin was named the most effective House Republican on education matters. She sponsored one “substantive and significant” education proposal that became law, plus two “substantive” bills that died early on.

Committee chairs are often among best performers, but neither Braun nor Houchin led committees handling their respective top policy areas.

A broader analysis of the 118th Congress, released in March, identified Braun as the ninth-most effective lawmaker in the Senate, as well as the chamber’s fourth-best Republican.

He was lauded for introducing 116 bills, seven of which passed the Senate and four of which became law. Braun was also listed among first-term senators “exceeding expectations” by outperforming a benchmark.

“With Sen. Braun concluding his service in the Senate to become Governor of Indiana in January 2025, it is clear that there will be one less effective lawmaker among the more senior ranks in the Senate moving forward,” researchers wrote at the time.

All members of the 118th Congress, including the rest of Indiana’s delegation, are scored in an online database. They’re ranked by party.

Sen. Todd Young was lower than Braun despite sponsoring nearly three-dozen bills; one passed the Senate but it didn’t become law.

Rep. Larry Bucshon, who retired from the House in January, was the most effective Hoosier overall in that chamber. He was followed by Houchin and former U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, who has since won Braun’s seat in the Senate.

Former Rep. Greg Pence and current Rep. Jim Baird are next. Reps. Rudy Yakym and Victoria Spartz were near the bottom of the 228 Republicans.

Indiana’s two Democratic lawmakers, Reps. Frank Mrvan and André Carson, were also near the bottom of the 220 Democrats.

State lawmakers plan to meet in December to consider redrawing Indiana’s congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Those efforts will target Mrvan and Carson.

BY: LESLIE BONILLA MUÑIZ– Indiana Capital Chronicle

Cigarette consumption in Indiana dropped 40% during the first three months of a long-sought tax increase, according to the Indiana Department of Health. Enrollment in the agency’s smoking cessation program jumped almost 40% over that time.

“[Cigarette] use impacts, really, every aspect of health,” said Miranda Spitznagle, director of IDOH’s Division of Tobacco Prevention and Cessation. But it’s a risk factor that is “fully preventable.”

Using taxes to raise the price of tobacco helps current users quit and may dissuade others from starting, Spitznagle said.

“It’s a huge policy factor for public health,” she added.

State legislators stuck a $2-per-pack hike into the two-year budget, House Enrolled Act 1001. They also proportionally increased taxes on electronic cigarettes and other tobacco products.

Spitznagle said that across-the-board approach prevents users from switching products instead of quitting or pulling back.

“This year, Indiana lawmakers stood up to Big Tobacco” by boosting the taxes, said Allie Kast Gregg, government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.

But public health wasn’t the only motivation.

The Indiana Senate resisted for years, but in the wake of a dismal budget forecast, agreed to include the hikes in the budget’s final draft.

The boost to a nearly $3-a-pack tax on cigarettes went into effect July 1 is already paying off.

Indiana has collected $188 million in cigarette taxes from July through October, according to the State Budget Agency’s latest monthly revenue report. That’s almost three times the $68 million earned over that time period last year.

IDOH used the first three months of data — July, September and October — to calculate a 40% drop in consumption.

Meanwhile, Hoosiers are flocking to the state’s cessation help program, Quit Now Indiana.

“The month of July specifically, we doubled our enrollments,” Spitznagle said, compared to that month last year.

Participation was up 38% over those first three months, rising from 620 to 1,241 people.

Quit Now Indiana is up to eight times more effective than solo efforts, Spitznagle noted. Going it alone has a single-digit success rate, while the state program has a 32% quit rate.

“What Quit Now Indiana offers is multiple touch points with a trained quit coach who knows how to talk through and make a quit plan … that understands nicotine addiction,” she said.

The program can also provide two weeks of nicotine patches or gum and helps enrollees see if their employers or health plans can offer further medical support.

The American Cancer Society also runs an email-based Empowered to Quit program.

Nearly 15% of adults in Indiana smoke, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data from 2023.

Thousands of Hoosier deaths annually are attributable to smoking. An oft-cited CDC estimate from 2014 places the death toll at 11,000 a year.

Spitznagle said that for every one death, however, 30 people live with chronic health conditions linked to their smoking.

By Casey Smith, Indiana Capital Chronicle

A year after his prison sentence, former Clark County Sheriff Jamey Noel’s belongings have sold for millions toward the $3.1 million in criminal restitution he owes.

The funds — now sitting in court-controlled escrow accounts — have come from sweeping liquidations of Noel’s properties, classic cars, firearms and various luxury items.

But civil judgements against Noel are rolling in, too. In October, he was ordered to pay back more than $900,000 — plus interest — to reimburse the county jail’s commissary fund. Another $122,000 was awarded earlier this month to resolve Noel’s mismanagement of his brother’s estate. Numerous other civil cases are still pending and could result in other restitution mandates.

Noel pleaded guilty in 2024 to 27 felony charges — including corrupt business influence, theft, tax evasion and official misconduct — and was ordered to repay millions to New Chapel EMS, Indiana tax officials and state and local law enforcement agencies.

He’s currently serving his 15-year sentenceat the New Castle Correctional Annex. Three of those years will be suspended to probation, and he could be released earlier with good behavior and programming credits.

Findings from a lengthy Indiana State Police investigation found that Noel used millions of taxpayer dollars from the Utica Volunteer Firefighters Association and New Chapel EMS to buy cars, planes, vacations, clothing and other personal luxury purchases. Investigators said public funds were also used to pay for college tuition and child support.

The disgraced former sheriff was additionally accused of tasking county employees with jobs related to his personal collection of classic cars. At least 40 vehicles were confiscated by law enforcement, including a bevy of classics, such as two 1970 Plymouth Superbirds, a 1959 Corvette and 1966 and 1968 Chargers, according to search warrant returns.

More than $2.7 million has been raised so far through a series of auctions and forced property sales overseen by the Clark and Washington county courts, with most of the proceeds held until a special judge determines how to divide the funds among criminal-restitution recipients and claimants in ongoing civil litigation.

Not all of that money is available for restitution due to outstanding mortgages, auction fees and other obligations.

Escrow accounts now exceed $1.2 million

Two escrow accounts maintained in Washington County hold the bulk of restitution dollars. As of Nov. 20, balances reached $1,171,415.10 in one account and $74,380.97 in another. Those accounts contain auction proceeds and other property-sale revenue tied to Noel’s criminal case.

Clark County also holds escrow funds from multiple pre-judgment property sales — including two Jeffersonville-area homes sold earlier this year.

Any funds deposited after liens, mortgages, taxes and fees will eventually be distributed once the Indiana Attorney General’s civil lawsuit — alleging years of financial misconduct surrounding New Chapel EMS, a nonprofit ambulance service that contracted with Clark and Floyd counties — is resolved.

Court records show judges have so far only authorized limited withdrawals from escrow to cover essential expenses on Noel’s remaining unsold property, the home at 3001 Old Tay Bridge Road in Jeffersonville. In July, Special Judge Roger Duvall approved the release of $2,000 to Lopp Realtors to maintain the property. In November, the judge approved another $1,000 for the same purpose.

Nearly all of Noel’s Indiana real estate has already been liquidated.

A Utica-area property sold for $800,000 in January. Included in the sale were adjacent properties on Old Salem Road in Jeffersonville — a pole barn used to store dozens of vehicles and a log-cabin-style home where family members lived.

In March, Noel’s 7,982-square-foot Jeffersonville mansion sold for $635,000, less than the $699,000 the Noels paid in 2022.

Still unresolved, however, is the Old Tay Bridge Road home, which is the subject of a foreclosure case filed in October by MSR Asset Vehicle LLC. The property carries tax debt and a significant mortgage — more than $261,000 still owed, according to court documents.

Separately, Noel’s Naples, Florida, residence is under contract for roughly $570,000, though that property also has an outstanding mortgage. Once it closes, its net proceeds are expected to be added to the escrow holdings.

Car auctions generated more than $1.27 million

But the biggest single boost to Noel’s restitution came from the sale of 43 classic cars, which brought in $1,277,950 during a two-day auction in May. The auction took place in French Lick as part of Freije & Freije Auctioneers’ annual “Big Boy Toy Auction,” but the proceeds were supervised by Washington County’s special judge appointed in the Noel case.

Among the highest-value sales were a 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon that sold for $160,000, two 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner Superbirds that fetched $162,500 and $175,000, and a 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner that brought $100,000.

Court documents describe how Noel used $52,504 from his brother’s estate to buy the Roadrunner, then reimbursed the estate by withdrawing nearly the same amount from New Chapel EMS the following month.

Vehicles seized from Noel’s pole barn — including a 1959 Chevy Corvette, a 1968 Dodge Charger and several restored muscle cars — rounded out the nearly $1.3 million total.

Earlier, in January, Freije & Freije auctioned off more than 150 of Noel’s firearms, dozens of custom suits and several Rolex watches.

Many of the suits — some lined with sheriff’s emblems or embroidered with Noel’s name — sold for around $200 despite initial prices in the thousands. Auction officials said all items moved in less than two hours.

A later online auction in March brought in $72,425. More than 100 people previewed the items in person, and 404 bidders competed for nearly 300 lots, which included a heavy-duty tool chest that sold for $3,250, as well as sheriff’s plaques, furniture and personal items from Noel’s pole barn.

Court approves separate payouts

The escrow accounts are also being tapped to resolve civil cases lodged by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, which seek to force Noel to pay back the state agencies he allegedly took public funds from to pay for personal spending.

In one lawsuit, Rokita argued that Noel should be required to reimburse the Clark County jail commissary fund more than $900,000 for “funds misappropriated, diverted, or misapplied,” which were cited in an audit report filed by the State Board of Accounts last year.

Duvall ordered last month that Noel must pay a sum of $918,000 as punitive damages, in addition to $122,500 in interest. The judge’s order noted that additional annual statutory interest of 8% will be applied until the judgment is fully satisfied, meaning the total balance owed could top nearly $1.5 million by the time Noel is expected to be released from prison in June 2033.

The amount is in addition to the more than $3 million Noel agreed to pay as part of his criminal case.

The judge also ordered payout in a separate civil matter filed by Noel’s three nieces and nephew, who alleged that he mishandled their father’s estate funds after being appointed executor.

On Nov. 6, Duvall approved a $122,000 mediated settlement — including damages and attorney fees — and authorized the money to be released from escrow.

In the ruling, Duvall wrote that the children “join a long list of persons and entities that have been damaged by the unlawful acts of Jamey Noel and family members.”

He emphasized that the money originated from the sale of estate property and that paying the children did not come at the expense of victims connected to the New Chapel EMS scheme.

Noel agreed to a plea deal nearly a year after he was arrested and state police investigators raided his home in southern Indiana.

His agreement requires him to pay back $2,870,924 in public funds to the Utica Volunteer Firefighters Association, which did business as New Chapel EMS; $61,190 to the Clark County Sheriff’s Department; $173,155 to the Indiana Department of Revenue; and $35,245 to the Indiana State Police.

Court documents further point to at least $33,000 worth of public funds used by Noel to make contributions to various Republican candidates and campaigns between 2020 and 2023. Some of the candidates and campaignshave since been returned or donated those dollars elsewhere.

It’s up to the court to decide how restitution payments should be prioritized and how to reconcile claims across Noel’s multiple criminal and civil dockets.

Until then, court officials said all remaining escrowed funds will remain frozen except for court-approved costs and payouts.

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Governor Mike Braun announced Wednesday that he signed a proclamation declaring Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, as Small Business Saturday in Indiana and encouraging Hoosiers to shop local and support the Main Street entrepreneurs who drive the state’s economy.

“Indiana’s Main Street businesses are the heartbeat of our communities and the engine of our economy. These entrepreneurs take risks, hire local workers, and strengthen the towns and cities they call home. If you’re going shopping after your Thanksgiving celebrations this week, I hope you’ll join me in shopping local at one of Indiana’s small businesses.” — Governor Mike Braun

Governor Braun has made Main Street entrepreneurship a central pillar of his economic strategy. This year, he launched the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation—a first-of-its-kind effort to help founders start, grow, and scale their businesses while lowering barriers, accelerating job growth, and keeping Indiana one of the best states in America to pursue the American Dream.

Moreover, in the last year, Governor Braun has visited numerous thriving small businesses in cities and towns across the state. They are among the more than 591,000 small businesses that operate in Indiana. Those businesses make up an impressive 99.4% of all businesses in the state and employ 1.2 million Hoosiers, or 43% of the state’s workforce.

Indiana also ranks in the top five nationally for small-business survival, with 84% of new businesses still operating after one year, and companies under five years old generating 74% of all new job growth statewide.

Small Business Saturday is part of a national movement encouraging citizens to invest in local businesses during the start of the holiday shopping season.