Appropriations [Source] Translate

The meeting began with the chair introducing the agenda and noting his need to leave for a presentation at 9 o'clock, after which Senator Garten would take over. Representative Pryor presented House Bill 1114, which prohibits step therapy for individuals with stage four cancer under state employee health plans and certain insurance policies. The bill aims to ensure patients receive necessary treatment without having to try other medications first. It received support from organizations like Susan G. Komen and Anthem, passed without amendments, and was approved with a vote of 10 to 1. House Bill 1004 was discussed next, with Senator Cador proposing two amendments. One aimed to ban strip searches in K-12 schools but was not called for a vote. The second sought to restore language in teacher contracts regarding expected working hours, which was opposed by Senator Rodgers as unnecessary. This amendment failed with a vote of 4 to 7, while the bill passed with a vote of 8 to 3. Senator Freeman introduced House Bill 1025, which included Amendment 7 to remove residency requirements for prosecutors and public defenders to address attorney shortages. The amendment passed unanimously, leading to the bill's passage with a vote of 12 to 0. House Bill 1260, an omnibus insurance bill, included an amendment requiring a report on fees collected by the Department of Insurance. The bill, which addressed various insurance practices, passed unanimously with a vote of 12 to 0. Senator Rotz discussed House Bill 1266, a bill on various education matters. An amendment to remove certain sections related to the School for the Deaf and Blind from school safety funding sparked debate but ultimately passed with a vote of 10 to 2, and the bill passed with a vote of 12 to 0. House Bill 1271 included Amendment 9 proposed by Senator Brown, which aimed to shorten the look-back period for health maintenance organizations for repayment claims. Concerns were raised about implications for fraud investigations, but the amendment was clarified to protect smaller providers and passed, leading to the bill's approval with a vote of 11 to 1. House Bill 1303, introduced by Senator Freeman, clarified that Amber Alerts apply to both missing persons and abducted children and updated Indiana's child exploitation statutes. The bill passed unanimously with a vote of 10 to 0. Senator Baldwin presented House Bill 1217, regulating stablecoin transactions, which prohibits interest or yield on such transactions. The bill passed with a vote of 8 to 2 after discussions on fiduciary responsibilities. Senator Baldwin also introduced House Bill 1343, establishing a military police force within the Indiana National Guard. An amendment to ensure operation under the National Incident Management System passed with a vote of 10 to 1, and the bill was approved. The meeting included discussions on the authority of the governor regarding the National Guard police force. Senator Cadora introduced Amendment 18 to limit the governor's deployment authority, which led to a debate about trust in the governor's decisions. The committee ultimately passed the underlying bill with an 8-3 vote. House Bill 1361 aimed to clarify access to Indiana's fertilizer rules and passed unanimously with a 10-0 vote. House Bill 1423 addressed fiscal issues within Indianapolis Public Schools by creating a new corporation that includes public institutions and charters. Senator Cadora proposed an amendment to send the bill to a summer study committee, arguing that financial pressures on IPS were due to previous legislative actions. Several amendments proposed by Senator Cadora failed, and the main bill moved forward. House Bill 1145 proposed a supplemental benefit for retirees, estimated to cost around $62-63 million, and passed with a vote of 10 to 3 after an amendment was accepted. House Bill 1277 aimed to reform the Pathways Program for long-term care, with an amendment to adjust the effective date and implement a financial cap on home care costs, which passed with a vote of 11 to 2. House Bill 1038 involved the transfer of horse racing satellite licenses to a full gaming license in Northeast Indiana. Discussions highlighted concerns about the exclusion of certain counties from gaming opportunities and the removal of referendum language, which shifted decision-making power to county commissioners. An amendment removing certain counties from consideration for gaming licenses passed, leading to mixed reactions among committee members. The meeting concluded with a vote on a seed bill related to agricultural quality, which passed unanimously, and the session wrapped up an hour early, marking the last committee meeting of the year.