THE SECOND HALF OF SESSION IS UNDERWAY – Straight From The Senate

During the first half of the legislative session, my colleagues and I researched, discussed and voted on legislation authored by members of the Senate. Now, with the 2018 session in its second half, we have started considering bills passed by the House of Representatives.

Below are some of the major topics passed by the House that our chamber will review in the remaining half of session.

School funding
Last year, the General Assembly passed a two-year budget, which included school funding based on estimated enrollment numbers for the 2017-18 school year. However, the Indiana Department of Education predicts the actual numbers will be higher than expected. To address this issue, House Bill 1001 would provide the additional funding needed for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 school years.

Short-term rentals
Short-term rental services like Airbnb have been widely debated in Indiana over the past few years. To protect property owners’ rights, House Bill 1035 would preempt local bans on the use of short-term rentals for a person’s primary residence.

Click to advertise on this website

Self-driving cars
Technology continues to develop at an incredible rate and has spread to a variety of platforms, including vehicles. To ensure our state is prepared for this advancement, House Bill 1341 would create a regulatory framework to allow the testing of self-driving cars.

Drug Dealing
A drug epidemic continues to attack Indiana and the rest of the United States. To help reduce the manufacturing and selling of drugs, House Bill 1359 would increase the penalty for drug dealing if it results in the death of a user.

While these topics are being considered in our chamber, my colleagues and I will also continue to work to find a consensus with Gov. Eric Holcomb and the House on topics like workforce development, opioid abuse and Indiana’s diploma system.

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