Education, human rights, elections, marijuana and a “lame duck”—journalists and academics shared their thoughts on the upcoming Indiana General Assembly session Tuesday at the Statehouse.

The Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics and The Indiana Capital Chronicle hosted a panel discussion on Organization Day, when legislators gather to officially open the 2024 session, even though they will not convene again until Jan. 8.

After an eventful 2023 session, Gov. Eric Holcomb may take a step back during his final year in office—his “lame duck session”—and the speakers expect it to be a calm session for him.

Many offices are up for grabs in Indiana in November 2024—governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, not to mention U.S. president—so the focus is expected to shift to the primaries and holding the majority rather than pushing through legislation this session. With elections come policy promises versus political action, the group indicated.

Brandon Smith, Statehouse bureau chief for Indiana Public Broadcasting, said he “1,000%” expects to see anti-LGTBQ+ legislation, such as bans on gender-affirming care, to continue.

Dr. Greg Shufeldt, associate professor of political science at the University of Indianapolis, said leadership likely wants to “do no harm” and focus on the elections. He expects to see a push for an Indiana citizens ballot initiative but noted it is unlikely to happen. He also brought up the tension between politics and policy on the campaign trail.

“Greg is absolutely right,” said Smith. “It’s really easy for a gubernatorial candidate to say, ‘Oh, I want to do X or Y or Z,’ because if they don’t get it done, they can just go, ‘Well, I tried but the legislature’—which is accurate, but it does make it a lot easier for them to say almost whatever they want, as long as it’s politically popular for them, without needing necessarily to follow through from the legislature.

“As far as what we’ll see in the 2024 session ahead of actually having a new governor, it’ll be really interesting to me to see whether or not they weigh in during the legislative process.”

Niki Kelly, editor-in-chief of The Indiana Capital Chronicle, gave her take on issues to come. She said marijuana legislation is unlikely to pass but thinks it will come up after a new governor takes office. She also expects clarification on legislation in regards to artificial intelligence and some possible child-care tax credits for employers.

Dr. Laura Wilson, associate professor of political science at the University of Indianapolis, brought up the possibility of legislators focusing on critical race theory and LGTBQ+ legislation.

The conversation was moderated by Dan Spehler, an anchor at Fox 59 and host of IN Focus: Indiana’s Week in Politics. It ended with a conversation on advocacy. Smith said one of the most common questions he receives is how people can advocate for themselves and their issues at the Statehouse, and he directs them to Civically, Indiana. That is an IPB “project to help lower the barrier to entry for Hoosiers to engage with their state government,” according to the website.

Despite talk of a slow session, hot-button issues—anti-LGTBQ+, banned books, critical race theory, child care, wetlands and environmental laws, and even artificial intelligence—are still expected to come up, even if no legislation passes on the issues.