SENATE REPUBLICANS ANNOUNCE 2018 AGENDA – Straight From The Senate

The Indiana General Assembly is now in session, and I recently joined some of my fellow senators to announce the Senate Republicans’ 2018 Agenda.

This year, we are working to continue to fight the drug epidemic, improve Indiana’s workforce, support Hoosier schools, reform civil forfeiture laws, and allow Sunday alcohol sales.

To combat the opioid epidemic plaguing our state, State Sen. Erin Houchin (R-Salem) authored Senate Bill 221, which would help prevent opioid abuse by phasing in a requirement for doctors to check INSPECT, the state’s prescription-monitoring service, when prescribing opioids to a patient.

We need Hoosiers to be prepared to fill the more than one million jobs projected to open in Indiana over the next decade. To help prepare them for the future, State Sen. Doug Eckerty (R-Yorktown) authored Senate Bill 50, which would expand financial aid for job-training programs, and State Sen. Jeff Raatz (R-Richmond) authored Senate Bill 172, which would require Indiana high schools to offer computer science courses.

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To ensure Hoosier students continue to receive a quality education, State Sen. Ryan Mishler (R-Bremen) authored Senate Bill 189, which aims to increase school funding to account for higher-than-expected enrollment, and State Sen. Dennis Kruse (R-Auburn) authored Senate Bill 177, which works to adjust Indiana’s diploma system to ensure all high-school graduates are provided with a better, more effective pathway into college or the workforce.

To reform Indiana’s civil forfeiture laws, State Sen. Rodric Bray (R-Martinsville) authored Senate Bill 99, which would modify the laws to create a better balance between law-enforcement needs and property owners’ Constitutional rights.

Finally, Indiana’s alcohol laws have been debated among state legislators for years, which last summer resulted in the creation of Alcohol Code Revision Commission. Per their recommendation, State Sen. Ron Alting (R-Lafayette) authored Senate Bill 1, which would allow the carryout sale of alcohol on Sundays in Indiana.

My colleagues and I have created a strong agenda this session. Every year, we set our priorities with Hoosiers in mind, and I am confident these bills will improve our state, making it an even better place to live, work and raise a family.

As always, if you have any questions, comments or concerns about these or other issues, contact my office by phone at 800-382-9467 or by email at Senator.Long@iga.in.gov.