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House Republicans quickly approve their preferred hate crimes language. Dramatic changes made to a major gaming bill. And the House unanimously passes a bill to improve school bus traffic safety.
Here’s what you might have missed this week at the Statehouse.
Hate Crimes
The House GOP hate crimes language allows a judge to impose harsher sentences if a crime was motivated by bias – and it references a list of victim characteristics already in state law.
But that list doesn’t include sex, age, or gender identity, which has many advocates (and Democrats) arguing it isn’t enough.
Gov. Eric Holcomb, who had previously said a hate crimes law without specific protections for gender identity would fall short, endorsed the amendment. He argues the amendment isn’t the end of the conversation.
Gaming Bill
A House committee adopted major changes to this session’s gaming bill. The measure would now impose a $100 million fee on the owner of a Gary casino, Spectacle Entertainment, if Spectacle moves that casino to a more desirable location in the city.
If Spectacle wants to use another license to open a new casino in Terre Haute, the bill would take away that license, forcing Spectacle to re-bid for it.
The committee also eliminated a provision that would allow mobile sports wagering.
School Bus Safety
And the House approved a measure that creates harsher penalties for all crimes or infractions when a driver passes a school bus that has its stop arm out.
The bill responds to an incident in Rochester, Indiana, last year in which three children were killed.
The bill now goes back to the Senate, which can agree to changes made by the House or take the bill to a conference committee.
Holcomb Signs Newborn Screenings Bill
Gov. Eric Holcomb signed the first legislation of the session. The bill adds Krabbe and two other diseases to Indiana’s list of medical screenings for newborns.
An Indianapolis baby named Bryce Clausen gave the bill momentum. The Clausen family brought the boy to committees, and told lawmakers his condition would have been identified earlier if they lived in another state.
Pompe disease and Hurler syndrome are the other two conditions added to the state’s list of newborn screenings.
Both the House and Senate passed the bill unanimously.
D&E Abortion Ban Clears Senate Committee
A Senate panel approved legislation Wednesday along party lines that largely bans dilation and evacuation abortions, second trimester procedures also known as D&Es.
Doctors disagree on the issue. Those in favor of the ban claim the fetus feels pain and call the procedure barbaric.
The ACLU of Indiana has already said it will sue the state if the bill becomes law.
Democrat Forest Management Amendments Fail
House Democrats tried to pass two amendments this week that could have changed the way Indiana manages its forests. They added them to a bill covering a variety of things regarding the state’s natural resources.
One amendment would create a task force to examine state forest management, the other would set aside 10 percent of state forest for old growth trees. Both failed.
State data shows that in about 15 years, Indiana has increased logging in state forests by nearly 200 percent.
Civics Test Graduation Requirement Scaled Back
Lawmakers are scaling back a proposal to make the U.S. citizenship civics test a high school graduation requirement for Hoosiers.
But lawmakers in the House last week pushed back on adding a new test specifically tied to graduation as they considered the bill.
House Education Committee vice-chair Tony Cook (R-Cicero) says he agrees civics knowledge is lacking, and while most conversations focus on the issue among students, adults don’t know enough either.
School Radon Testing
A bill that encourages schools to test for radon is headed to Gov. Eric Holcomb’s desk. It passed unanimously in the House on Tuesday.
Radon is a naturally-occurring, odorless gas that seeps into buildings from the soil. Exposure to radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in people who don’t smoke in the U.S. It’s estimated to cause more than 21,000 deaths every year.
Exonerated Prisoners Payouts
Some state senators pushed back Thursday on a bill that provides payouts to innocent people wrongfully imprisoned.
The legislation would pay people who are proven innocent $50,000 for each year they were behind bars. It also says if they take that money, they can’t sue the state, seeking money in civil court.
Prescription Opioid Labeling
A bill that would require Indiana pharmacies to identify drugs that contain opioids on the label is moving through the Indiana legislature.
Indiana opioid prescription rates have declined, but the state’s drug monitoring system still shows more than 5 million opioid prescriptions were written last year.
Water Infrastructure Funding
Legislation to fund water infrastructure improvements in the state is headed to Gov. Eric Holcomb’s desk. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate on Tuesday.
It would create a $20 million annual loan and financial assistance program to help communities replace things like aging pipes. To be eligible for financial help, cities must try to collaborate with other towns on projects and create a plan for how they’ll use the dollars.
Education Dispute Resolutions
Lawmakers are looking at ways to improve the resolution process when parents file formal complaints against a school for not providing services their child needs, but it could be some time before changes are implemented.
Parents of students with disabilities can file complaints if they think a school isn’t offering special education services to their child required by law.
CO2 Storage Bill Passes House
A bill that would create a pilot program to store carbon dioxide underground is going back to the state Senate. The legislation, which passed the House on Monday, has undergone a lot of changes.
The original proposal would have allowed companies to store CO2 underground as long as they got consent from owners of about half the land. This current bill creates a pilot program that allows one company to take ownership of the land through eminent domain, if approved by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
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