The deadline for Indiana legislators to file bills for this year’s session was last Wednesday for the House and last Friday for the Senate. From physician-assisted death to eliminating sales tax on menstrual products, here’s what lawmakers representing Bloomington submitted.
Rep. Matt Pierce, D-61
Pierce, a Democrat, represents most of Bloomington. He authored one bill and co-authored four bills and one resolution.
He authored House Bill 1011, referred to the Committee on Public Health on Dec. 1. If passed, the bill would allow those with terminal illness, under certain conditions, to request a prescription for medication that they will self-administer to “bring about the patient’s peaceful death.” The bill specifies that it does not authorize someone to end a patient’s life via lethal injection.
The bill has no co-authors. Illinois recently passed a law with similar language, which went into effect Dec. 12, allowing for terminally ill patients to obtain a prescription for medication that will end their life.
Sen. Shelli Yoder, D-40
Yoder, a Democrat, represents most of Monroe County. She authored 23 bills and co-authored three.
Senate Bill 56 amends the Indiana Code to allow a veterinary license to be given to qualified applicants without an examination if they have licenses and experience from other states. It eliminates previously set requirements, such as holding certain certificates or graduating from an accredited college of veterinary medicine, with the goal to address Indiana’s veterinary shortage.
Applicants would still need to meet other requirements under Indiana Code to receive their license, such as having a similar licensing in another state or jurisdiction.
Senate Bill 66 requires Indiana's Early Learning Advisory Committee to create and publish a set of “kindergarten readiness indicators,” which would include descriptions of skills and behaviors of children from 0-5 years old.
She also authored Senate Bill 67, which would require the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to study the impact of natural lands on public health.
“Access to our public lands should not become another barrier,” Yoder said in a press release. “This bill is about using the resources we already have more wisely, protecting access, improving public health and planning responsibly so families are not paying more down the road because we failed to prepare.”
Yoder authored Senate Bill 68. It would require state educational institutions that offer two-year graduate degree programs in mental or behavioral health to determine if they can slim down programs to be completed in one year or five years if the program is combined with a bachelor’s degree.
Senate Bill 116 concerns Medicaid, requiring the secretary’s office to post the criteria for determining whether an individual is considered medically frail. It clarifies the requirements for a notice of Medicaid termination and would ensure the Healthy Indiana Plan, a state-run health insurance program, includes, at a minimum, 30 days of retroactive coverage.
Yoder authored a bill that would exempt tampons, pads and other menstrual products from the state’s gross retail tax. It was referred to the Committee on Tax and Fiscal Policy.
Senate Bill 198 requires state employees’ health plans to provide coverage for doula services and treatment for maternal mental health. It also requires Medicaid pregnancy services to include reimbursement for doula services. It requires the Office of Women’s Health to offer continuing education courses regarding postpartum depression and prohibits employers from discriminating against employees who have pregnancy or childbirth-related conditions.
She authored Senate Bill 186, which would establish a family leave insurance program to provide benefits to those on family leave for the birth of a child, to care for relatives with serious health conditions or if someone has their own serious health condition.
Rep. Dave Hall, R-62.
Hall’s coverage area includes parts of Monroe County and southern Bloomington. Hall is a Republican and authored four bills.
House Bill 1203 allows research facilities to offer dogs or cats up for adoption after they are no longer needed for research. He also authored House Bill 1204, which allows certain counties to impose a $1 or less additional charge on state park entry fees.
He also authored House Bill 1205, which would impact requirements for municipalities to annex surrounding areas.
Rep. Robert Heaton, R-46
Heaton represents Ellettsville, Spencer and a small area of western Bloomington. The Republican state representative authored two bills.
House Bill 1316 prohibits the government from discriminating against people who provide adoption services in a way that is consistent with their religious beliefs, as well as adoptive parents or foster parents who raise their adoptive child with their religious beliefs.
Arizona passed a similar law in 2022, allowing religious adoption agencies to make decisions based on their beliefs without being sued for religious discrimination and letting parents raise children in their care with their religion.
He also authored House Bill 1386, which would make it a misdemeanor for massage establishments to employ massagers without professional liability insurance.
