This week marked a number of important deadlines, all of which signal the looming conclusion of the Indiana General Assembly’s Legislative Session. Tuesday was the committee report deadline, meaning all committee business had to conclude by that day. Thursday was the 2nd Reading deadline - the last chance for members to amend bills from the House floor. And Monday will be the 3rd Reading deadline, the final set of votes on Senate bills in the House.
Next week will also commence the conference committee process, the first meetings of the Rules Committee, and our final march toward a completed budget for the State of Indiana. It’s a complicated process, so we covered all the details in this week’s podcast.
As for legislation, a few bad bills to watch:
Senate Bill 242 changes floodplain map requirements, opening up the state to issues on new builds and compliance for insurance purposes. A Democrat amendment attempted to make administrators utilize the best floodplain mapping data when reviewing a permit application for a structure, but it was defeated on Party lines.
Senate Bill 486 is expected to receive a final vote on Monday. The bill removes a 50-year precedent requiring district leaders to discuss key topics with their staff, further eroding the teaching profession in Indiana and putting us at greater risk in the face of a growing teacher shortage.
A few good bills moving through the House:
Senate Bill 369 places an operational automated external defibrillator (AED) in places where students have an increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest
Senate Bill 4 provides that the state department may provide district or regional services to local health departments and requires each local board of health to establish a local public health services fund to receive state funding.
And lastly, we’ve had a few victories among House Democrats. Bills by two of our members now await the governor’s signature to become law:
Rep. Maureen Bauer’s House Bill 1228 to strengthen child seduction laws.
Rep. Garcia Wilburn’s House Bill 1321 to establish annual mental health training for first responders.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me.