A total of about 200 Senate bills have died, and 300 House bills have died. The casket will close on the 2022 legislative session by March 14.

Here we go again

Some bills that are filed every year will have to be reborn again in the next session.

For example, Senate Bill 75, a cold beer sales bill, has been attempted in various forms by Sen. Phillip Boots, R-Crawfordsville, for years. The bill has died again this year, so Boots may need to have another go at getting cold beer sold in grocery and convenience stores during the next session.

The initiative to get marijuana legalized in Indiana will also have to wait, with all bills in the legislature that regulate, decriminalize, or legalize cannabis dying this session.

The Senate Democrats released a statement on the failure of the legislature to pass marijuana legislation.

“While nearly 40 other states are creating industries and jobs and using hundreds of millions in cannabis tax revenue on schools, mental health, crime prevention and drug recovery programs, Indiana is spending millions on policing, prosecuting and holding our communities back,” said Sen. Rodney Pol, D-Chesterton in the statement. “It’s past time for this legislature to listen to the vast majority of its constituents and make progress on cannabis reform.”

Conflicting legislation

Bail was a point of contention, with a bill seeking to get rid of pre-trial bail for nonviolent misdemeanor arrests dying while a Republican-authored bill limiting charitable bail organizations is still trucking.

Two bills authored by Democrats, Senate Bill 71 and Senate Bill 221, sought to remove absentee voting restrictions and requirements. Both of these bills have been killed by the legislature, but a bill restricting mail-in absentee ballots by Rep. Tim Wesco, R-Osceola, has passed in the House and is headed to the Senate.

In response to the midpoint of the session, Senate Minority Leader Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis, released a statement.

“I have mixed feelings about where we are at this point,” Taylor said. “We’ve seen a mashup of legislation pass out of the Senate: some good, some bad and some very bad.”

Some Indiana Black Legislative Caucus priorities fail

Several anti-discrimination bills, many authored by lawmakers within the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus, also died this session. Among the dead bills are one requiring implicit bias training for employers and one that would outlaw race-based hair discrimination.

House Bill 1414, the bill that would remove the requirement for pre-trial bail, is by IBLC member Rep. Ragen Hatcher, D-Gary.

Two bills that would create safer conditions for incarcerated women and change the use of restraints on pregnant, delivering or post-partum incarcerated women failed this year. House Bill 1272 was authored by Rep. Renee Pack, D-Indianapolis, and House Bill 1179 was authored by Vanessa Summers, D-Indianapolis. Both were legislative priorities for the IBLC.

Lawmakers will have the opportunity to rework and resurrect some of these bills beginning this fall when bills can begin to be filed for the 2023 legislative session.