Lawmakers To Meet Monday For Potential Veto Overrides

Gov. Eric Holcomb’s veto of a bill tying the hands of local health officials during emergencies may have only postponed the inevitable.

The Indiana House and Senate will come into session Monday for a potential veto override.

Every year, lawmakers set themselves a “technical session” day, a few weeks after their regular session ends. It allows them to come back to fix any significant technical errors with bills they just passed and consider overriding any vetoes the governor issued.

The Indiana House and Senate will use their technical session day this year after Holcomb vetoed two bills. One, SB 303, requires a new label at the pump for gasoline with 15 percent ethanol. The other, SB 5, bars local health officials from imposing emergency restrictions that go further than the state’s.

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Holcomb also vetoed another bill earlier this year, HB 1123. That involved the legislature's ability to call itself into a special session during a public emergency. Lawmakers already overrode that veto. There are now two lawsuits over the measure.

The Senate will meet first next week, since both measures are Senate bills. The House will also meet Monday. A simple majority in both chambers is all it takes to override a veto.

Contact reporter Brandon at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.