Luxury vehicles ban and social media rules killed in first half of Indiana's legislative session
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The first half of the legislative session is officially over, which means the majority of introduced legislation is dead — either because it was never heard, got tripped up along the way or failed to get across the finish line.
Why it matters: When House Speaker Todd Huston made the final third reading calendar for bills to be considered in the first half of the session, he left several eligible bills off the calendar.
- Democrats say this move violated House rules, though the Republican supermajority defeated the challenge to the speaker's decision.
Driving the news: House Bill 1066, which would have prohibited local governments from buying luxury vehicles with taxpayer dollars, was one of the eligible bills left off the calendar on Monday, the final day for House bills to pass out of that chamber despite having bipartisan support.
- The bill followed similar legislation, passed last year, aimed at high-end vehicles purchased by Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith and Secretary of State Diego Morales.
Reality check: The speaker generally exercises discretion over which bills are placed on the House calendar, but withdrawing legislation is usually done in coordination with the bill's author.
- The author of HB 1066, Rep. Mitch Gore (D-Indianapolis), said he was not part of the decision and accused Huston of trying to "quietly kill it."
What they're saying: It's one thing to manage the process," said Rep. Matt Pierce (D-Bloomington). "It's another to just decide you don't like a bill — or maybe you don't like the author of the bill — and you don't put it on the calendar for the final day for third reading."
The other side: Huston did not say why he pulled the bill, but Rep. Ben Smaltz (R-Auburn), a co-author of the measure, defended the speaker's right to set the calendar.
- He said the rules clearly allow for Huston's discretion and that HB 1066 wasn't the only bill held.
Between the lines: A bill that would have allowed the Hoosier Lottery to sell tickets online was pulled from the calendar earlier in the session.
- Huston also held back House Bill 1119, which would have added firing squads and nitrogen hypoxia to the options for death row inmates. The bill failed on third reading for lack of constitutional majority and could have been voted on again.
Zoom out: Other measures to fail this session include an attempt to ban social media accounts for kids.
Catch up quick: The provision, which was stripped from Senate Bill 199, would have required social media platforms to use age verification to prevent young children from holding accounts and older minors get parental consent for access.
- At least eight other states have passed similar restrictions, though some of those have been blocked by the courts for violating free speech rights.
What they're saying: Legal challenges were a concern for some members of the Republican supermajority, Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray (R-Martinsville) told reporters. Another, he said, was parental rights.
- "One of the issues … is at what point is the state taking away from the parents their choice about what's the right thing to do for their child?" Bray said.
What's next: Legislation that passed its originating chamber now starts working through the same process in the other chamber.
- Lawmakers have four weeks to finish their work for the session.