Senate Democrats Mark Halfway Point For Current Session

Senator Jim Arnold
Senator Jim Arnold

Indiana Senate Democrats say the halfway point of the long session in Indianapolis has been reached.

That mark was reached on Wednesday according to a release from the caucus this week.

Lawmakers ran into their first round of deadlines for the legislative session. Bills were required to pass their respective house to be considered in the other body. Any bills not passing by Wednesday’s deadline were considered dead for the session.

Among the bills Senate Democrats are advising their constituents on is an ethics bill. The bill will go to a conference committee to be reconciled with a house version of the bill.

If signed into law, the ethics reform package would bar lawmakers from becoming lobbyists for one year after leaving office. It would also disallow fundraising during budget sessions.

220 bills developed in the Senate will now be sent to the House for further consideration. Those bills were out of more than 500 filed in Indianapolis.

Senate Democrats expended some effort bringing attention to bills they considered “controversial” prior to the deadline. Among those bills were a religious freedom bill and a balanced budget amendment to the state constitution.

The caucus took the time to explain to constituents where certain bills stand in the General Assembly prior to further discussion.