Graphic by TheStatehouseFile.com.
Indiana lawmakers are keeping this session short. With only one week left, this is what the big moves have been the past couple weeks.
Chicago Bears more like Hammond Bears
On Thursday morning, the House Ways and Means Committee unanimously passed an amended version of Senate Bill 27. It helps clear the way for a new stadium for the Chicago Bears, who have chosen a site in Wolf Lake Memorial Park in Hammond.
Hope Moring.
Photo provided.
If you live under a non-sports rock, the Chicago Bears are a professional football team based in Chicago. They released a statement on the step forward for stadium planning.
“We are committed to finishing the remaining site-specific necessary due diligence to support our vision to build a world-class stadium near the Wolf Lake area in Hammond,” it said.
Now, I wonder, will the team be renamed “Hammond Bears”? Guess we will see soon.
How is the state handling homelessness?
Lawmakers want to crack down on the number of people camping on state and government property. Senate Bill 285, which handles homelessness in public, is now heading to its third reading in the House.
Under the bill, if a police officer saw a homeless person on state property, they would give them a warning, then a citation. If the person was still there more than 48 hours later, they would be charged with a Class C misdemeanor, up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.
If lawmakers approve and Gov. Mike Braun signs, the bill will go into effect July 1.
Meanwhile, opponents of the bill worry there aren’t enough resources available to homeless people and such a law will get them caught up in the legal system.
FAIRNESS Act
A controversial topic nationwide recently has been federal immigration laws and the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.
Indiana has made its move on this chess board by passing Senate Bill 76, which requires employers, local governments and educational institutions to cooperate with ICE. The attorney general could fine up to $10,000 per violation of this law.
The bill was authored by Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort-Wayne, and co-authored by multiple Republican senators. It passed the Senate 37-7 and the House 61-28, and now it has returned to the Senate for approval of amendments.
The bill has not passed without a fight. Democrats, civil rights activists and local officials have spoken on their opposition.
“Senate Minority Leader Shelli Yoder (D-Bloomington) said the bill would encourage racial profiling and force staff at schools and hospitals to act as immigration agents upon request,” said WISH TV.
This majorly controversial bill for ICE support could potentially upset a lot of Hoosiers.
Hope Moring is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news site powered by Franklin College journalism students. She regularly rounds up the Statehouse news that may be of most interest to college-age Hoosiers.