Senate Votes To Move Protesters Bill To Study Committee

The Senate gutted a bill that deals with protesters who block traffic, sending the entire issue to a summer study committee.

The original bill required police to clear protesters who block traffic from roadways using “any means necessary.”

That language drew significant concerns, prompting a change in committee to remove it.

But the bill’s author, Sen. Jim Tomes (R-Wadesville), changed it once more. He wants a study committee to explore the issue of protesters who block traffic.

“It’s not a big problem yet. It can be, and, in order to maybe ensure we don’t have something like that, it doesn’t hurt to maybe get ahead of this,” Tomes says.

But Sen. Greg Taylor (D-Indianapolis) says the bill doesn’t belong in a study committee; he says it belongs in the garbage.

“We’re going to study whether or not you should be able to stand in the street and protest and whether or not somebody should be able to use water hoses, or whatever you want to use, to move you out of the street,” Taylor says. “Really? That’s what we’re going to study?”

The Senate approved Tomes’ amendment.