Around 200 bills will be addressed in session this week. Graphic by Ollie Fitzgerald.
OLLIE FITZGERALD | ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR | ofitzgerald@butler.edu
The Indiana legislative branch has 91 active Senate bills and 96 active House bills that have actions being taken on them. Many of these bills can directly impact students and staff at Butler.
Indiana residents have the ability to contact their local officials regarding concerns with different legislation being passed.
Here are 10 of the current active bills to keep an eye on:
Bill 9 regards victim impact statements in court, making it required for the defendant to be in the room while a victim shares details of the crime committed. If the defendant fails to show, the court will be allowed to hold a later hearing where the victim will recount details in front of the defendant. The bill would become relevant in cases such as the sex abuse case that was filed against Butler’s former assistant athletic trainer, or if a student might choose to follow legal proceedings after a Title IX report.
If the Attorney General determines that government-funded locations — such as postsecondary institutions — have limited or restricted the enforcement of immigration law, he has the opportunity to bring the institution to court. Specifically in county jails, the bail of individuals who are on immigration detainee requests may be denied, and the court records must document that the individual has an immigration detainee request. The bill also details that it will become illegal for employers to knowingly hire or continue to employ “illegal aliens.” It will also protect employees from termination if the employer finds that they have “communicated or cooperated with” the attorney general.
County election boards will be required to publish a computerized list of the votes cast for each candidate and on each public question no later than 14 days after each election. It will also extend the required period of preservation of election materials from 22 to 34 months.
Regarding grooming, Bill 119 will prohibit sex offenders from working at facilities that provide programming and entertainment directed towards children. It will also rename the offense “inappropriate communication with a child” to “sexual grooming,” and include that cellular telephones are included in the definition of “computer network.”
After discussion by Governor Mike Braun about leniency in cannabis legislation during the gubernatorial debates — in which Braun did note that he would first listen to the legislature — the Senate is seeking to introduce harsher THC enforcement. It will require the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission to conduct random searches on businesses that sell products containing THC. The bill will also prohibit the sale of cannabinoid derived products by delivery. As well, for the purpose of motor vehicle law, the definition of “schedule I drug” will include marijuana, hemp and THC.
For pharmacy students in Indiana, it will now be required for individuals to pass the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination to be eligible to be licensed as a pharmacist.
The period in which individuals may conduct absentee voting will be reduced from 28 to 16 days, ending at noon before election day.
This bill also concerns cases of child exploitation, while also adjusting sex offender reporting requirements. It will create a new category of crimes specifically for child sex abuse material (CSAM) and will enhance the enforcement of possession and distribution. This is incredibly relevant considering the pending court case of a former Butler sorority chef, who was arrested on eight counts concerning CSAM. The bill will also include the term “high risk missing person” in the definition of “missing child,” which could have been pertinent in the case of Fishers teen Hailey Buzbee, who was classified as a runaway by police.
Bill 1119 will allow the death penalty to be carried out by firing squad under the conditions that it happens at the Indiana state prison and before sunrise.
This will include the 10 Commandments in a list of protected writings and documents, but simultaneously provides that a principal or teacher may not read them aloud when students are present.
