Collage by Mike Wolanin | The Republic Local legislators State Sen. Greg Walker, from left, State Rep. Ryan Lauer, State Rep. Jennifer Meltzer and State Rep. Jim Lucas.
State lawmakers from parts of Bartholomew County have almost a third of the bills they authored or co-authored advance in their respective legislative chambers so far this session.
Rep. Jennifer Meltzer, R-Shelbyville; Rep. Ryan Lauer, R-Columbus; Sen. Greg Walker, R-Columbus; and Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, have authored or co-authored a combined 37 bills this session, according to state records.
Of those, 11 have cleared one chamber of the legislature, while another three have cleared committee but have not yet advanced further and the remaining 23 bills were still pending before committees.
Among the four legislators, Meltzer has authored or co-authored the most bills that have cleared their respective chamber, with seven bills passing the House. She is followed by Walker with three, Lauer with two and Lucas with none. One of the bills is co-authored by both Meltzer and Lauer.
Doxxing
A bill co-authored by Walker that would make doxxing a crime in Indiana cleared the Senate in a 44-0 vote on Monday. Doxxing is when somebody collects and publishes private or identifying information about another person online — often their address — to harass, intimidate, threaten or seek reference.
The bill, SB 140, would generally make doxxing a Class A misdemeanor. However, it would become a Level 6 felony if the targeted person or a person closely connected to them suffers serious bodily injury or a Level 5 felony if it results in catastrophic injury or death.
Walker was one of several Indiana lawmakers who were targeted in swatting incidents last month following the Senate’s announcement that it would reject Trump’s push for early redistricting.
Swatting involves making false reports of criminal incidents in an attempt attempting to create a dangerous SWAT response to the residence.
Municipal elections
A bill authored by Meltzer would allow any city or town in Indiana to pass an ordinance that moves municipal elections to even-numbered years.
The bill, HB 1055, passed the House in a 59-35 vote on Jan. 22 and is pending before a Senate committee, according to state records.
The bill could have implications for Columbus. Municipal elections in Columbus are currently held on odd-numbered years. The most recent municipal election was in 2023.
Under current law, only towns and cities with populations under 3,500 can adopt ordinances to move municipal elections to even-numbered years, according to state records. Should this bill become state law, Columbus could consider moving its municipal elections to an even-numbered year.
Local election officials and experts have said in the past that voter turnout is often much lower for municipal elections than in presidential elections or midterm elections because there are no national or state races on the ballot.
Turnout in the 2023 general election in Columbus was 23%, while turnout in the 2024 presidential election was 66.5% and 42.6% in the 2022 midterms, according to the Bartholomew County Clerk’s Office.
Offices contested in municipal elections include Columbus mayor, Columbus City Council, Columbus city clerk, among others.
Child fatalities
A bill authored by Lauer that seeks to improve the transparency and timeliness of the state’s child fatality reports due to abuse and neglect has cleared the House in a 92-0 vote.
The bill, HB 1264, would require the state to publish public reports on the deaths within 90 days and include some details about the fatalities to raise awareness. Currently, the state publicly reports these cases annually, usually about a year and half after the incident, Lauer said previously.
Firing squads
A bill authored by Lucas that would allow the death penalty to be carried out by firing squad or nitrogen hypoxia has cleared committee and will head to the House for consideration.
The bill, HB 1119, cleared the House Committee on Courts and Criminal Code in an 8-5 vote on Jan. 21, according to state records. The measure would allow firing squads or nitrogen hypoxia if the Indiana Department of Correction commissioner determines that it “is advisable in light of availability considerations” or requested by the inmate sentenced to death.
A similar bill, SB 11, has been filed in the Senate but had not cleared committee as of Tuesday morning.
