Attorney General Todd Rokita & Comptroller Elise Nieshalla tell IU’s Kinsey Institute to follow state law

Submitted by Office of the Attorney General

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita and State Comptroller Elise Nieshalla are calling on Indiana University (IU) to show proof of compliance with a clear and unambiguous state law, which prohibits the Kinsey Institute from using taxpayer funds.

Rokita

“My office works tirelessly to protect Hoosiers’ hard-earned tax dollars and Indiana law is clear – no state funds may be used to fund the Kinsey Institute,” Rokita said. “More than a year has passed since IU assured the public and state officials that it would follow the law, yet we have seen no indication that any serious actions have been taken. IU is not above the law, and Hoosiers deserve answers.”

An Indiana law passed by the General Assembly prohibits state funding of the Kinsey Institute in any way. The 2023 law cites more than a dozen potential funding loopholes which must now operate using zero taxpayer dollars. A joint letter sent this week by Rokita and Nieshalla demands IU’s President and Trustees confirm compliance with the state law that went into effect on July 1 – of last year – which they say is more than ample time to provide such proof.

Nieshalla

“As the state elected leader responsible for the accounting and reporting of state funds, I take seriously my responsibility to document and provide complete transparency for tax dollars spent within state government,” Comptroller Nieshalla said. “With the absence of evidence per state law that tax dollars are no longer supporting the Kinsey Institute, we are calling for necessary financial information to prove adherence to state statute.”

Indiana University issued a press release in April of 2023 promising a “thorough legal review to ensure the University follows state law.”

But, Rokita and Nieshalla say, rather than show simple proof of compliance, the administrators of Indiana’s largest public university school system voted to table and ultimately declined to separate the sex research center from the University itself. Instead, IU proposed a plan to use accounting methods to ensure compliance, yet two quarterly meetings have passed since this proposal with no public update as to the implementation of an appropriate accounting plan.

The law passed by the General Assembly uses succinct language forbidding state funds from being used in the administration, operation, or any programs of the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction.