January is always a dangerous month in Indiana.
Ice, snow and blizzard winds can whip across the state — blocking our roads, closing our schools and trapping us indoors with disagreeable relatives. Meanwhile, charge card bills from carefree holiday overspending flood our mailboxes and freeze our faces in the anxiety of buyer’s remorse.
Luckily, the Indiana General Assembly reconvened in Indianapolis last week, so legislators can begin improving our lives and lifting our spirits.
In even-numbered years, the law only allows them 30 days to make our world more perfect, and they must quit trying to do so by March 15. But, since 2019 is an odd-numbered year, an additional 31 days are provided for the legislators to get everything right. They don’t have to quit making new laws and changing old ones until April 30.
Even better, Hoosiers once again have voted for something close to one-party government, so all of that law making is not likely to be hindered by or a lot of time wasted on boring debates. Once again, the Republicans have what is called a “supermajority” — 40 out of 50 seats in the Indiana Senate and 67 out of 100 seats in the House of Representatives. If they get together, they can pass whatever laws they want, whether or not the Democrats agree. And with a Republican governor in the Statehouse — well, you know — democracy becomes efficient.
So, what will the General Assembly and the governor do with all that efficiency? Last year, the legislators proposed more than 900 new laws with 210 of them reaching the governor’s desk for his signature. He signed all of them.
The new laws were wide ranging — from legalizing Sunday alcohol sales, to formalizing the way parents can keep their kids out of sex education classes at school, to removing sunscreen from the list of medications that must be administered by the school nurse, to prohibiting your local tattoo artist from tattooing your eyeballs.
Along the way, they gave a green light for prosecutors to file murder charges if someone kills a fetus any time since the first moment of conception. (Legal abortions excepted.)
Among bills that failed to pass or reach the floor of the assembly were ones to increase funding for school safety, legalization of medical marijuana and cold beer sales in convenience stores.
Legislators also took a pass on hate crime legislation, higher interest rates for loan sharks, absentee voting by people who die before the election and removal of the few remaining regulations on firearms.
Former state Rep. Milo Smith, R-Columbus, who represented most of Bartholomew County last session, successfully prevented a vote on a bill to reform the politically driven mapping of voting districts. He also authored a bill to require the Indianapolis Colts to refund tickets to any fan offended by a player kneeling during the national anthem, but the bill never received a hearing. (Even the Republican Speaker of the House agreed that one was patently unconstitutional.)
Along the way, lawmakers passed a law requiring themselves to take a one-hour training course in sexual harassment prevention. And, considering the number of sex-related scandals floating around state government — including claims against the Speaker of the House — the training will not come a moment too soon.
So, sleep peacefully. As of Tuesday, the folks we elected to write and amend our laws will be on duty for the next 61 days.
Still, you might keep an eye on them and make an effort to keep up by reading the reports in this newspaper and elsewhere about what they are doing. And now and then, give them a call and tell them what you think. You might even keep your legislators and the governor on “speed dial.” The numbers are online and are published frequently in this newspaper.
Even pure-hearted public servants with no motivation except to protect you from your neighbor (and maybe save you from yourself) can make a mistake.
Bud Herron is a retired editor and newspaper publisher who lives in Columbus. He served as publisher of The Republic from 1998 to 2007. His weekly column appears on the Opinion page each Sunday. Send comments to editorial@therepublic.com.
Bud Herron is a retired editor and newspaper publisher who lives in Columbus. He served as publisher of The Republic from 1998 to 2007. His weekly column appears on the Opinion page each Sunday. Contact him at editorial@therepublic.com.
