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Graphic by TheStatehouseFile.com.<\/p>\n
Indiana lawmakers are keeping this session short. With only one week left, this is what the big moves have been the past couple weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chicago Bears more like Hammond Bears<\/p>\n
On Thursday morning, the House Ways and Means Committee\u00a0unanimously passed an amended version of Senate Bill 27<\/a>. 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hope Moring.<\/p>\n Photo provided.<\/p>\n If you live under a non-sports rock, the Chicago Bears are a professional football team based in Chicago. They released a statement<\/a> on the step forward for stadium planning.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe 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,\u201d it said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now, I wonder, will the team be renamed \u201cHammond Bears\u201d? Guess we will see soon.\u00a0<\/p>\n How is the state handling homelessness?<\/p>\n Lawmakers want to crack down on the number of people camping on state and government property. Senate Bill 285<\/a>, which handles homelessness in public, is now heading to its third reading in the House.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n If lawmakers approve and Gov. Mike Braun signs, the bill will go into effect July 1.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n FAIRNESS Act<\/p>\n A controversial topic nationwide recently has been federal immigration laws and the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.\u00a0<\/p>\n Indiana has made its move on this chess board by passing Senate Bill 76<\/a>, 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n The bill has not passed without a fight. Democrats, civil rights activists and local officials have spoken on their opposition.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSenate 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,\u201d said WISH TV<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n This majorly controversial bill for ICE support could potentially upset a lot of Hoosiers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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