General Assembly Gears Up For Busy Day

The 2019 legislative session began today.

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The General Assembly is nearing key voting deadlines for the 2018 legislative session and will use Monday to catch up on several loose ends. Dozens of bills will go before committees or the full House and Senate, including measures concerning township government consolidation, a cigarette tax increase and industrial hemp production.

The deadline for bills on third reading in the House is February 5 and February 6 in the Senate.

Select House bills slated for action Monday include:

• House Bill 1002 – slated to be heard in the House Ways and Means Committee – reorganizes funding and setup of state educational and workforce training programs
• House Bill 1005 – slated for a vote in the House Ways and Means Committee – calls for consolidation of township governments where the population is 1,200 or less
• House Bill 1065 – slated for a vote in the House Committee on Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications – would place supervision and administration of the Indiana Economic Development Corp.’s high-speed Internet service deployment and adoption initiative to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission and adjusts certain broadband definitions.
• House Bill 1137 – slated to be heard in the full House – clarifies laws regarding industrial hemp production in Indiana
• House Bill 1267 – slated to be heard in the full House – would create a statewide, 14-member water infrastructure task force
• House Bill 1290 – slated for a vote in the House Ways and Means Committee – involves multiple funding and taxing mechanisms for Indiana drivers and vehicles
• House Bill 1318 – slated to be heard in the full House – would create a designated construction and demolition site in Gary
• House Bill 1380 – slated to be heard in the House Committee on Public Health – would raise the cigarette tax by $2 per pack
• House Bill 1426 – slated for a vote in the House Ways and Means Committee – changes to the type of high school diplomas Hoosiers can earn

Select Senate bills slated for action Monday include:

• Senate Bill 171 – slated for second reading in the Senate – limits on annexation ordinances in a given year
• Senate Bill 172 – slated for second reading in the Senate – establishes the "Next Level Computer Science Grant Program and the Next Level Computer Science Fund
• Senate Bill 326 – slated for second reading in the Senate – sets standards for redistricting with regard to U.S. Senate and Congressional Districts
• Senate Bill 35 – slated for a vote in the full Senate – sets a food and beverage tax to pay for improvements or construction on facilities like a convention center.
• Senate Bill 361 – slated for vote in the full Senate – establishes a water infrastructure task force