In what may be one of the final days of the session, the Indiana Senate met twice on Wednesday to push as many bills to the finish line as possible.

11 a.m session

The senators voted on one concurrence, four Senate concurrent resolutions (CCRs), and four House CCRs.Photo by Hannah Johnson, TheStatehouseFile.com.

Concurrence

Senate Bill 43 was the one concurrence that got voted on and is about gambling locations. The bill would hire an independent research firm to decide where the best two locations for riverboat casinos would be. The results of this study must be presented to the State Budget Committee by Nov. 1.

The bill’s House amendments passed 37-11 and will head to the governor’s desk.

Senate CCRs

Senate Bill 5, dealing with state fiscal and contracting matters, Senate Bill 118, entitled drug program reports, and Senate Bill 371, updating various workplace matters, all passed unanimously.

Senate Bill 331 is about updating vehicle registration if the color of said vehicle was changed. SB 331’s report passed 45-2.

House CCRs

House Bill 1081, HB 1555 and HB 1666 all passed unanimously.

HB 1081 says that someone applying for a death certificate is considered to have a direct interest if they are named as a beneficiary of the deceased person’s retirement account, brokerage account, annuity or life insurance.

HB 1555 would create a limited medical license for international medical graduates who are sponsored by a health-care facility in an underserved area and meet certain requirements.

HB 1666 would require hospitals, certain health-care entities, insurers, third-party administrators and pharmacy benefit managers to report ownership information to state agencies. The Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) will receive and publish an annual report using this data.

3 p.m session

The senators returned to their chamber in the afternoon to vote on one rule 86(m) conference committee report, a rare occasion in which the House and Senate cannot reach a conclusion, leading to the bill’s language to be compromised. They also voted on four Senate CCRs and three House CCRs.

Rule 86(m) conference

Senate Bill 525 expands privacy protections to correctional services providers, enhances training and certification requirements for Marion County sheriff’s deputies, and upgrades the sheriff’s academy to Tier I status by 2026. It grants statewide authority to trained school resource officers, increases the penalty for criminal recklessness, and makes certain firearm-related offenses felonies.

The bill also extends line-of-duty death benefits to correctional professionals, includes hospital police in existing officer rights protections, and ensures law enforcement immunity applies in some out-of-jurisdiction actions. Additionally, it calls for a legislative study on sheriff merit systems and related statutes specifically in cities with consolidated governments.

SB 525 passed after brief discussion.

Senate CCRs

Senate Bill 146, about teachers compensation, and Senate Bill 255, entitled education matters, both passed quickly before Senate Bill 442 took over an hour of discussion.

SB 442 would require schools to get written consent from parents before providing instruction on human sexuality. The consent form must include specific information about the instruction. Schools must also publish a list of materials used for this instruction on their website and link to it in electronic consent forms.

If schools teach about human sexuality or STIs, the curriculum must now include lessons on the importance of consent and fetal development during pregnancy.

House CCRs

House Bill 1125, HB 1680 and HB 1689 all passed within 15 minutes to end the Senate’s second session of the day.

Caleb Crockett is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news site powered by Franklin College journalism students.