Thanks to the help of Ice Miller LLP, the IndyBar Legislative Committee is currently monitoring select family law related legislation, and you can view the report here. Check out additional legislative updates and the full bill watch report below.
It’s WEEK SIX of the 2022 Indiana General Assembly
After a few days off last week at the halfway point of the session, legislators returned to the Statehouse on Monday and got back to business. House committees, with few exceptions, have only two hearings in the second half of the short session. Most Senate committees have three. The House passed just over 100 bills in the first half, while the Senate passed 160. Many of these bills need to funnel through the narrow passage of the next two weeks and, as with the Olympics, we expect many won’t finish this race.
There were several bills that seek to continue policy changes in health care that were necessary during the COVID pandemic with the expansion of telehealth medicine to additional providers (SB 284, telehealth matters), reciprocity for certain health care licenses issued by other states (SB 5, reciprocity), and expediting the issuance of nursing licenses in Indiana (HB 1003, nursing programs and licensing matters).
Fiscal committees had full agendas this week as well, with both SB 1 (automatic taxpayer refund), and SB 366 (higher education funding), requiring the development of a higher education funding formula based on outcomes, easily passing through House Ways and Means. The Ways and Means Committee also took testimony on SB 245 which creates a statewide sports and tourism bid fund. Fifteen other states who often compete with Indiana for sporting and convention business have similar mechanisms.
There was another large rally this week held inside the Statehouse Rotunda in opposition to HB 1041 (transgender athlete participation in school sports). Testimony on this bill was heard in the Senate Education Committee, and the bill was held for a vote until next week.
The updated bill tracking report can be found here. Legislators have filed a number of COVID-related bills; we have included those in a separate “COVID Legislation” tracking report that can be viewed here.
I JUST WANT THE SOUNDBITE
News making its way around the halls this week included some notable numbers from Monday’s filing deadline for the May primary elections.
Twenty-three incumbent House Republicans have primary opponents. There are no primary challengers for incumbent House Democrats. In addition, there are two House districts in which incumbent Republican legislators have filed to run against each other, Rep. Craig Snow and Rep. Curt Nisly in District 22 and Rep. Bruce Borders and Rep. Jeff Ellington in District 45.
In the Senate, two Republican and two Democrat incumbents have challengers in their respective primaries, and one Republican senate district has two incumbents and a third challenger squaring off.
In other news, Governor Holcomb announced that Joe McGuinness, Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Transportation, was stepping down, and that INDOT CFO and Deputy Commissioner Mike Smith would assume the role of Commissioner on Monday, February 14. A link to the Governor’s announcement can be found here.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Tuesday, February 22 – House: Committee Report Deadline for SBs
Thursday, February 24 – Senate: Committee Report Deadline for HBs
Thursday, February 24 – House: 2nd Reading Deadline for SBs
Monday, February 28 – Senate: 2nd Reading Deadline for HBs
Monday, February 28 – House: 3rd Reading Deadline for SBs
Tuesday, March 1 – Senate: 3rd Reading Deadline for HBs
Wednesday, March 2 – Conference Committees Begin
Monday, March 14 – Last Day to Adjourn Sine Die
Please contact Legislative Committee Chair Lacey Berkshire with any questions or concerns.
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