11/22 Torchbearer Policy Update

Please enjoy your special Organization Day edition of the newsletter. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Indiana General Assembly Meets for First Day of 2024 Legislative Session
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Let’s dive in.

Indiana General Assembly Meets for First Day of 2024 Legislative Session

What’s new: Today, the Indiana General Assembly met for the first day of the 2024 legislative session, also known as Organization Day. The day is mostly ceremonial, where both caucuses “organize” themselves for the beginning of session. The legislature has officially adjourned until January 8th, 2024 where we will be in a short session - where no budget will be considered, and only bills without a fiscal component will move.

The details:

House of Representatives:

Representative Todd Huston (R-Fishers) gave a speech on his goals for the upcoming legislative session - first and foremost he hopes that this short session will indeed be short. This is likely because the General Assembly will not be considering the budget, but also due to the first open and competitive Gubernatorial race in 2024. The Speaker outlined his caucus’ priorities which include, protecting Jewish students from anti-semitism in classrooms and on campus, boosting reading proficiency, making I-65 and I-70 three lanes, and continuing to adjust how the state views K-12 education.
Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta (R-Fort Wayne) will speak about House Democrat priorities on the first day of session in January.
The House will allow each member to author up to 5 bills during the short session. There are some exceptions for Committee chairs, bills that come from recommendations from interim study committees, etc.
The House will reconvene on Monday, January 8th at 1:30pm

Senate:

Senator Rodric Bray (R-Martinsville) spoke on the floor and said that the Senate will tackle issues related to workforce, childcare, and addressing health care costs. Similar to the House Republicans, they will also seek to discuss literacy and student truancy enforcement.
Senate Democrats held a press conference after session concluded outlining policy priorities which include addressing high utility and health care costs, housing availability, childcare, addressing minimum wage, paid family leave, legalization of marijuana, and changing the law to allow for ballot initiatives.
The Senate will also allow each member to author up to 5 bills during the short session with exceptions for Committee chairs, bills that come from recommendations from interim study committees, etc.
The Senate will reconvene on Monday, January 8th at 1:30 pm.

More Information:

It sounds like little-to-no gaming legislation will move in 2024, likely due to the drama from a retired House legislator.
Another policy area not likely to see traction? Legalization of marijuana.
The 2024 Senate schedule can be found here. The 2024 House schedule has not been posted to date but will be posted here.