This week start of the second half of the Indiana General Assembly’s 2015 legislative session. The Senate will now consider bills that passed out of the House during the first half of session. Senator Randy Head took time to highlight some important issues the Senate will address.
Head said, “The Senate is committed to passing a new two-year state budget (House Bill 1001) that is balanced, avoids tax increases, maintains Indiana’s hard-fought reserves and focuses spending on the most important priorities, like education, public safety and road infrastructure.”
Government Ethics Reform, House Bill 1002 includes numerous changes to improve government ethics requirements, including stronger financial disclosure requirements for legislators and expanded disclosure requirements for state employees with potential conflicts of interest.
Another bill the senator will consider isHouse Bill 1003 which is a study on establishing a state redistricting commission. This bill requires a dedicated legislative study committee to investigate the pros and cons of using a non-partisan redistricting commission to draw legislative and Congressional districts in Indiana.
The final Senator Head highlighted was the one to ease access to lifesaving medications. House Bill 1065 would allow terminally ill patients to bypass the FDA’s compassionate use application for experimental medicine with the recommendation of the patient’s doctor. This would allow critical patients to receive pharmaceuticals which have passed the first phase of the FDA’s approval process. Currently, patients must wait a minimum of two to four months to receive approval on an FDA application for expanded access.
To follow these and other proposals, watch committee and session meetings live and view Senate calendars visitwww.in.gov/iga.
