COLUMBUS, Ind. — Two local legislators involved in a Statehouse confrontation over racial matters did not attend Monday’s Third House session, resulting in the focus of the online session turning to COVID-19 liability and education funding.
More than 100 people went online to watch the second virtual Third House session of the year. The forum is designed to allow those in our area to learn about local work of area legislators and talk about proposed legislation.
Emailed questions written in advance were prioritized over those typed in the comment section during the online session, said Chamber President Cindy Frey.
Two legislators with a standing invitation to join the forum, Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, and Rep. Sean Eberhart, R-Shelbyville, did not participate. Both were involved a statehouse confrontation Thursday over allegations of racism.
The first questions Frey posed to Sen. Greg Walker, R-Columbus, and Rep. Ryan Lauer, R-Columbus, dealt with legal protections in regard to COVID-19.
Signed into law by Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb on Feb. 18, SB 01 will protect businesses, nonprofits, schools and churches from lawsuits that claim a liability because a visitor or employee contracted the virus.
The problem with this type of civil suit is that you have to be able to show with a strong degree of confidence that the illness is directly the result of someone else’s behavior, Walker said.
But the senator stressed there are exclusions in the bill when it comes to gross negligence. For example, if an employer says you have to show up for work “no matter what,” there would be no civil liability protection for the employer, he said.
A similar bill, HB 1002, gives an added layer of protection from legal liability, Lauer said. That legislation has already passed the House, and is now considered by the full Senate.
For more on this story, see Tuesday’s Republic.
