Since before President Trump took office, many of us—the Attorneys General of Indiana, Nebraska, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Wyoming—have argued against the rescheduling of marijuana as a Schedule I drug. See July 2024 Comment of Nebraska and 10 Other States. We all believe the science surrounding marijuana—which has become only more clear in recent weeks—properly establishes it as a Schedule I drug, and we have seen firsthand the harm the drug has caused in our communities. The negative impacts of expanded marijuana use, especially on children and adolescents, are worrisome. And the public policy challenges, such as the exponential increase in difficult-to-combat driving under the influence, are both significant and serious. We have conveyed our concerns to the Administration, and we are grateful for the Administration’s good faith consideration of our views.

Because of our long-held views, we are concerned with the issuance of this Executive Order, which directs the Attorney General to “take all necessary steps to complete the rulemaking process related to rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III.” We will evaluate the order closely to determine how we can best continue to engage, protect the public health, and ensure the safety of our citizens.

Evansville Water and Sewer Utility (EWSU) extends our best wishes for the holiday season. In observance of the holidays, our office hours will be slightly different Christmas week and New Year’s week, and some city trash and recycling pickups will be delayed by one day.

EWSU Holiday Office Hours

EWSU business and administrative offices will be closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, December 24 and 25; and New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, December 31 and January 1, 2026. Our offices will be open on Friday, December 26, and Friday, January 2, 2026. 

For water or sewer emergencies during holidays, at night or on weekends, please call our After Hours Emergency Number, 812-421-2130. Our team remains ready to assist with problems involving EWSU water or sewer lines. 

Republic Services Holiday Trash & Recycling Schedule

Republic Services will not operate on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day. Trash and recycling pickups scheduled on Thursday and Friday will be delayed one day both weeks. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday trash and recycling pickups will operate as usual. 

Christmas Tree Disposal

Disposing of your Christmas tree could not be simpler. From December 29 to January 9, 2026, EWSU city residential customers can place their Christmas trees next to their trash cart on regular pickup days and Republic Services will take care of everything. After January 9, Republic Services will still dispose of your Christmas tree, but it must be placed inside your trash cart for pickup and not on the ground. 

Medicaid eligibility checks result in large decrease in enrollment

BY: TOM DAVIES

Indiana’s state budget surplus could grow to nearly $5 billion by the middle of 2027 under new and much rosier tax revenue projections.

An updated report presented Thursday to the State Budget Committee forecast tax collections growing by 4.2% this fiscal year and by 2.7% the following year.

That would give the state about $2.4 billion more than officials expected when the new state budget was finalized in April — and revenue growth was anticipated at 0.8% and 0.1% for the two years of the spending plan.

But Republican state fiscal leaders showed no signs of any spending boosts for the tight budget that took effect July 1.

“It was a positive forecast and it was good news for our state,” House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jeff Thompson said. “But remember, we’re less than 25% through this biennial budget, so there’s some uncertainty still.”

The revenue growth would push the state’s cash reserves from what had been an expected $2.7 billion in mid-2027 — about 12% of annual state spending — to $5 billion, or about 22% of state spending. That is well above the 10-15% level that leaders usually aim for.

Democrats said the unexpected revenue should allow the state to restore spending cuts made after the Legislature was “spooked” by the dismal April forecast.

Rep. Greg Porter, the top Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee, said the state needed to make better use of the available funds rather than more tax cuts.

“The people who really need it, the special needs individuals, our children, seniors, they’re going to be left out in the cold,” Porter said.

Gov. Mike Braun touted the revenue forecast as “evidence that our focus on jobs and wages to grow the economy is working.”

“We are boosting Hoosier wages and lowering taxes,” Braun said in a statement. “While many other states are struggling to gain momentum, Indiana is thriving and Hoosiers are keeping more money in their pockets.”

Medicaid costs growing slower

New projections also show Indiana’s Medicaid program costs will grow slower than expected as the number of people it covers has dropped about 15% in the first year of Braun’s administration.

Medicaid officials are also planning a 10% cut in the payment rate for an autism therapy program that has drawn particular concern for its fast-growing expenses.

The state’s rising Medicaid expenditures have been a major worry of state budget officialsfor the past several years — and a new forecast of those costs released Thursday indicated some relief.

The previous forecast released in April had Medicaid costs jumping by 9.5% during the current state fiscal year and 7.7% next fiscal year, for a total increase of $1.2 billion over those two years.

The new projections have those growth rates slowing to 3.2% and 6.4% per fiscal year, totaling about $465 million less in state spending for the two-year period.

That cost slowdown comes as Indiana’s enrollment in the low-income health care coverage has dropped from about 2 million people at the beginning of this year to 1.7 million in November — a removal of about one in every seven people who were enrolled.

Family and Social Services Administration Secretary Mitch Roob, who oversees the Medicaid program, attributed much of the enrollment drop to the income verification letters now sent every three months that started in April.

But the state’s Medicaid expenses haven’t dropped by a similar rate because those who’ve not maintained their enrollment are healthy and not often seeking health care, Roob said.

“You have fewer patients, but you’re covering the sicker patients,” Roob told the Indiana Capital Chronicle ahead of Thursday’s State Budget Committee presentation.

Roob said the state agency doesn’t know yet how frequently those dropped from the Medicaid rolls by not responding to the income-verification letters eventually are re-enrolled.

“You’d probably need at least 18 months worth of data to discern that,” Roob said. “I think that’s an important question and it’s worth knowing, but we don’t know it yet.”

Payment cuts for autism therapy

Medicaid officials presented their plan to reduce payments for applied behavior analysis, or ABA, therapy that is often used to improve communication and learning skills in children and young adults with autism or other developmental disorders.

The plan is to reduce the state’s current ABA therapy payment rate of about $68 an hour to near what Medicaid officials say is the national average of $61 an hour.

The payment cut is planned to take effect in April for a program that has seen its use surge in recent years. More than 8,000 Hoosiers rely on Medicaid to pay for ABA therapy, with most of them between three and eight years of age.

Roob said Braun had told him to get ABA therapy costs to a “reasonable” spot.

“We think smack dab in the middle is reasonable,” Roob said. “We value ABA therapy, right? But we can’t afford ABA therapy for all in perpetuity.”

Indiana’s Medicaid program began covering ABA services in 2016, spending about $21 million over the following year.

Expenditures peaked at $611 million in 2023, and dropped slightly to $445 million in

NIKI KELLY, INDIANA CHRONICLE

Just like going to class, there is a lot to glean from watching state government in action. And 2025 was full of lessons.

As we wrap up the year, here are the top five things I learned:

DATA CENTERS

Data centers aren’t going away — and neither is the sentiment of Hoosiers against them. As many as 30 massive data centers are in the works in the state. Lawmakers and state officials seem annoyed that citizens keep fighting them — a form of not-in-my-backyard over and over again. But that’s because citizens don’t see the advantages. There are fair questions about companies using energy and water resources, and the benefits aren’t clear. There is an initial burst of investment and construction jobs, but the full-time employment is often low. Property tax abatements mean local schools and government aren’t getting new revenue. Add to that a massive state sales tax exemption worth hundreds of millions, and it’s legitimately unclear what Hoosiers are getting out of new data centers.

TRUMP

Trump’s popularity has a limit. While Hoosier Republicans gave him an 82% favorable rating in a recent poll, Senate Republicans defeated a move to redraw Indiana’s congressional districts for purely partisan reasons Despite enormous pressure over more than four months, senators stood on their principles and refused to yield to political primary threats and intimidation tactics like swatting. I couldn’t have imagined the president of the United States calling out senators by name — but that’s where we were. And now, everyone will be watching to see if national influencers really plow money into state Senate seats to get retribution.

EDUCATION MATTERS

When education stakeholders focus — with resources, data and effort — it works. Indiana saw big gains in third grade reading proficiency thanks to a literacy effort backed by state and private philanthropy dollars. While some students will be repeating third grade, the additional remediation that lawmakers and state officials made available means it was far less than originally feared. The state’s chronic absenteeism rate is also improving after hitting a “crisis” level. That led to a more intensive law targeting absences. One area that needs similar focus is Indiana’s college-going rate, which continues to disappoint.

HURTING THE POOR

Poor people are the target of cuts in state government. Gov. Mike Braun’s administration is trying to reign in Medicaid enrollment — and therefore expenses — by imposing additional verification checks, work requirements and more. Similarly, those on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will no longer be able to buy a candy bar or a Dr. Pepper. But perhaps the biggest impact is coming from cuts to childcare vouchers. With fewer vouchersand provider rates slashed, day care centers are closing. And that means fewer people in the workforce. I can’t help but note that at the same time these cuts are happening, lawmakers removed limitations for state-paid private school vouchers.

IEDC

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation doesn’t have a blank check anymore. During former Gov. Eric Holcomb’s tenure, the spending by the IEDC was legit insane. And legislators seemed hesitant to question or block any of it. An audit of the quasi-governmental agency and related entities turned up lots of conflicts and lapses in process. Lawmakers slashed the IEDC’s budget. How they spend their money is also still up for debate. And some local officials say the entity lacks a clear vision. With a new board and focus on smaller businesses outside of Indianapolis, it remains to be seen which version of the agency is better for Indiana.

RISING COSTS

I was going to stop at five, but I can’t ignore the growth in utility and health care costs. The latter have grown for decades, and nothing lawmakers do seem to make a dent. And the General Assembly has really tried — putting more work on the health care side than many other issues. But because so much health care policy is controlled at the federal level, state policies can only have so much impact. But the rising energy prices are startling and new. Utility rates have a myriad of culprits behind them, and 2026 will be focused on dealing with those. Everyone has some blame on this one: utility companies living large on massive profits; lawmakers allowing companies to raise rates for many expenses; utility regulators approving hikes that are simply not justified or affordable; and the continued fight over renewables vs. coal.