Lifeline bill passes in House, awaits governor’s signature

The Indiana Lifeline bill, which would grant immunity from prosecution to students who call for emergency assistance in cases of alcohol overconsumption, passed unanimously 95-0 in the Indiana House.

Tuesday’s passing continued the unanimous vote trend the bill has followed in the General Assembly. The bill received a unanimous 50-0 vote of support in the Indiana Senate on Jan. 24.

The House of Representatives was one of the last hurdles in the state legislature.

However, due to minor amendments made while in the House, the bill will go back to the Senate for a new vote, said Bryan Corbin, public information officer for Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller’s Office. 

“There are a handful of bills that the Attorney General’s Office does support, and this particular bill is one of them,” Corbin said. “The general impression is that there is wide support on both sides.”

If the Senate agrees with the changes made to the bill in the House, then the unified bill will be passed to the governor’s office.
 
IU Student Association President Justin Kingsolver, who along with other student body leaders helped bring the bill to the General Assembly, said he expects this to happen this week.

If an agreement between the Senate and House versions of the bill cannot be reached, a conference committee made up of senators and representatives will form to resolve the disagreement, Corbin said. 

“We really wanted the state of Indiana to see that student government isn’t where we spend $100,000 on things that students don’t care about,” Kingsolver said.
 
“We’ve moved more toward having a student advocacy role, looking out for students’ issues at all levels.”

— Matthew Glowicki