GREENFIELD — With the 2020 legislative session looming, Hancock County’s representatives in the Indiana General Assembly are preparing for a demanding few months.
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the dynamics of the legislative session in multiple ways, including limiting to 10 the number of bills a member can introduce. Ordinarily, senators can introduce up to two bills per day, and members of the House can introduce an unlimited number of bills during long-session years such as this one.
The legislature agreed during the ceremonial start to the session last week to restrict the number of bills because of the need to approve a budget and a redistricting plan as well as to tackle issues related to the pandemic.
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The session is set to start in early January.
Sen Michael Crider, R-Greenfield, will continue working on issues he prioritized in 2020, including human trafficking and sexual assault. He plans to introduce six bills on those topics, he said.
The bills will include one that would increase training for police officers who deal with victims of sexual assault and related crimes, as well as one that would increase the penalty for human trafficking if the trafficking victim is under 18. Crider said it is common in such cases for the offense to be reduced to a Level 6 felony, which can result in a fine rather than prison time.
“It doesn’t have quite the same deterrent effect that I’d like to see,” Crider said.
Other bills he plans to introduce include one that did not progress last year, which would increase the penalty for people who cause death or serious injury to a police canine. He also hopes to work on the issue of increasing access to mental health services, which he said is increasingly important during the pandemic.
Rep. Bob Cherry, R-Greenfield, is still considering what bills to introduce this year and is consulting with groups that would be affected. A smaller number of bills will move through the legislature this year, he said, because of the other issues it must confront.
Crider, who sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the budgeting process will likely be difficult this year because tax revenue for the state has decreased. He said he will prioritize keeping education spending at least as high as it was this year. He supports the idea of increasing funding for teachers if possible.
“We have to fund essential government services, so that’s the bulk of the budget, but we hope to use any excess in the way that benefits the greatest number of people,” Crider said.
Cherry, who is vice chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, which writes the state budget, said he expects the budget to be the biggest topic of discussion for the first half of the session. He agrees that decreased revenue will make budget increases difficult.
The state ended its fiscal year June 30 taking in $1.4 billion less than had been estimated. The shortfall could reach $2 billion in 2021, according to an analysis of state budgets by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
“People are going to have to realize that we’re going to have to live within our means,” Cherry said.
The 2021 session will also need to take on the redistricting process that redraws state legislative districts every 10 years, using the data from this year’s census. The legislature will likely not receive Indiana census data until March, meaning it will be one of the session’s last major tasks.
“I’ve never been involved in that discussion before, so it’ll be interesting to see how that works,” Crider said.
During the session, Democrats will likely introduce legislation aimed at creating a nonpartisan redistricting commission that would take away the advantage of the dominant party — in this case, the Republicans — of being able to create legislative districts that favor its own candidates. As was the case with a bill filed in 2020, the measure likely won’t get very far.
Republicans have supermajorities in both chambers.
Crider said he would likely support the whatever process the legislature arrives at.
Althouh COVID-19 cases are rising around the state, legislators will not be able to vote or participate virtually. They also will not be required to wear masks. However, witnesses appearing before committees will be able to testify in separate rooms.
Crider said he was concerned that, if a high number of lawmakers test positive for COVID-19 and are forced to enter quarantine, it could become difficult for committees to form a quorum and complete their work.
“If a lot of members come down with COVID, that could be bad,” he said.