COVID-19 Still Tops Discussions As General Assembly Kicks Off 2022 Session

• By Alexa Shrake, Ashlyn Myers and Ariana Lovitt, TheStatehouseFile.com
• Jan 6, 2022 

INDIANAPOLIS—The Indiana General Assembly gathered Tuesday for the second year during a worldwide COVID-19 pandemic that is still dominating discussion.

Legislators spoke about tackling issues such as COVID-19, economic growth and education.

Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, said he looks forward to working with everyone together again.

“People are welcomed to wear masks if they feel they need to,” said Bray, who was not wearing a mask himself. “We don’t have the same scenery we had last year. We wanted to try to get back to the circumstance where we could have people in committee.”

Last year, the Senate was split, with half the senators at their usual desks in the chamber and the rest in the balcony, and the Indiana House met in the government building next door rather than its customary chambers.

“It’s really a matter of personal responsibility to take care of yourself,” Bray said.

He said he encourages people to get the COVID-19 vaccine and wear a mask if they feel unwell. While a few senators wore masks, Bray said he is unsure how many legislators are vaccinated. There is no specific contingency plan if there is an outbreak, but he said he plans to address that as it comes.

“In regards to the vaccine mandate, we’ll take a look at what the House sends over, and we’re going to have a spirited debate about it and try to figure out what is the best course for the state of Indiana,” Bray said.

He said he talks to House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, every day and will continue to talk about issues.

Senate Republicans’ Optimism

A press release for the Indiana Senate Republicans highlighted specific objectives for the 2022 session.

The supermajority’s goals include state taxpayer refunds, school funding stability for students currently in quarantine, and ending the COVID-19 public health emergency first declared by Gov. Eric Holcomb in March 2020.

Senators laugh and catch up before session convens. The Senate begin 2022 session with a late start. Photo by Alexa Shrake, TheStatehouseFile.com.

The end of the 2021 fiscal year resulted in a refund of $545 million to Indiana taxpayers and provided a budget surplus. Sen. Travis Holdman, R-Markle, will make adjustments to Senate Bill 1 to allow for an additional 900,000 eligible Hoosiers to receive a tax refund of $125 in 2022.

Of the funding received by Indiana public schools, 85% goes to benefit students utilizing virtual learning tools for at least half of their semester. These students were set to receive less funding than their in-person peers. SB 2 assesses the attendance disparities between in-person and virtual students and offers equal funding for both groups.

The supermajority is hoping to end the public health emergency while also preventing “undue harm” to Hoosiers receiving certain healthcare and insurance benefits. SB 3 ensures the continuation of these benefits despite this call to action.

—Ariana Lovitt

Hopeful House Leaders

During the House of Representatives session Tuesday, minority leader Rep. Phil GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne, opened his speech by welcoming the new year as a chance to become “united” in making Indiana a state that benefits every resident.

While taking a positive stance, GiaQuinta also talked about what he finds to be Indiana’s major economic challenges. He said the state has ranked 46th in median wage growth, with it currently being around $56,000.

“Only 42% of workers in the state earn a living wage and have employer-provided health insurance,” GiaQuinta said.

Some of the minority leader’s other concerns are unaffordable childcare, student loan debt, and medical debt, paid family leave, a child tax credit, employment, addiction and education.

GiaQuinta also talked about the turbulence the pandemic has brought to Indiana. With the recent COVID-19 variant Omicron, Indiana’s numbers have risen significantly, hitting over 4,000 daily positive cases on Jan. 2, according to Indiana’s COVID-19 dashboard.

Majority leader Matt Lehman also discussed the current state of the pandemic while mentioning his excitement about having all legislators back in the House chamber.

“It’s great to be back in the people’s house,” Lehman said.

Lehman then went on to discuss how he and GiaQuinta do share some common ground, which differs from in other states.

“I’ve been in front of my colleagues in the states that only talk about their divide,” Lehman said. “While we don’t always agree, we don’t have the divide that other places have.”

Lehman did use some of his time on the House’s floor to discuss Indiana’s population growth from the Republican perspective.

“The only issue I maybe take some umbrage with is that we are growing. We’re the only state that grew in the Midwest by the highest percentage,” Lehman said. “If you look at our neighbors, you know, Michigan went up like 2%, Kentucky went up about 2%, Ohio about 2%. We went up almost 5%—4.7%.”

FOOTNOTE: Alexa Shrake, Ariana Lovitt and Ashlyn Myers are reporters for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students