1/21/2022 Session Update
By: Dr. Anne E. Mahady
At the close of the third week of the Indiana Legislative Session, we’ve updated our legislative tracker list to reflect the movement of bills through committees, the addition of bills of interest, and action items for those seeking to make their voices heard during the legislative process.
Sexual Harassment, Assault and Consent
House Bill 1079 defines consent to Indiana laws on sexual assault and provides victims with ability to demonstrate a lack of consent. It further expands existing elements of rape to include rape by impersonation as a specific charge.
Fair Voting & Voter Access
Senate Bill 329 prohibits the expansion of vote by mail and absentee voting. In addition, it “[r]equires an applicant for an absentee ballot application to include the applicant's driver's license number and the last four digits of the applicant's Social Security number.”
Status: First reading: referred to Committee on Elections
W4C Position: Oppose.
Women’s Health
House Bill 1047 calls for medically accurate sexual health curriculum in the Indiana school system to accord with federal standards.
Status: First reading: referred to House Education Committee
W4C Position: Support.
Action Item: To make your voice heard on the status of this bill, please follow our advocacy link here.
House Bill 1140 Expands the Medicaid income eligibility requirements for pregnant women, extends additional postpartum coverage from 2 months to 12 months, and removes the Medicaid limitations for pregnant women for pregnancy related services.
Status: Passed in the House, referred to the Senate.
W4C Position: Support.
House Bill 1162 “[r]equires the department of workforce development to establish a paid family and medical leave program to provide payments for employees who take family and medical leave.”
Status: First reading: referred to House Committee on Employment, Labor and Pensions
W4C Position: Support.
Action Item: To make your voice heard on the status of this bill, please follow our advocacy link here.
House Bills 1179 and 1294 establish legal standards for how jails and prisons can use restraints on pregnant incarcerated people and create a reporting mechanism to document all occasions where restraints are used in Indiana prisons.
Statuses: 1179- First reading: referred to Committee on Courts and Criminal Code, 1294 passed in committee and is headed to the full House.
W4C Position: Support.
Action Item: To make your voice heard on the status of this HB 1294, please follow our advocacy link here.
House Joint Resolution 7 seeks to provide “a pre-born child” with the rights established in the Indiana Constitution and the Indiana Code.
Status: First reading: referred to House Judiciary Committee
W4C Position: Oppose.
Senate Bill 160 defines the phrase “child care desert” and calls for a study on child care deserts in Indiana.
Status: First reading: referred to Senate Family & Child Services Committee
W4C Position: Support.
Senate Bill 169 creates a sales tax exemption for “feminine hygiene products and products used to manage incontinence.”
Status: First reading: referred to Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee
W4C Position: Support.
Action Item: To make your voice heard on the status of this bill, please follow our advocacy link here.
Senate Bill 189 Allows certain pharmacists to prescribe hormonal contraceptives and describes requirements for pharmacists who would qualify to dispense them. Creates exceptions for nonprofit religious employers.
Status: First reading: referred to Senate Health and Provider Services Committee.
W4C Position: Watching.
Senate Bill 309 requests “the general assembly convene an ‘initiated session’ to consider legislation to restrict abortion under the following circumstances: 1) the Supreme Court overrules the core provisions of Roe v. Wade, Doe v. Bolton or Planned Parenthood of Southern Pennsylvania v. Casey, 2) the Supreme Court affirms the 15 week ban in Dobbs v. Jackson or 3) a constitutional amendement prohibiting abortion is adopted.”
Status: First reading, referred to Senate Judiciary Committee
W4C Position: Oppose.
Senate Bill 364 requires hospitals with maternity units to provide women who have just given birth with the option to have a sub-dermal birth control implant after delivery. Hospitals with faith-based objections are exempt.
Status: First reading: referred to Senate Health and Provider Services Committee
W4C Position: Watching.
Senate Bill 399 requires parental consent for all abortion procedures for an unempancipated pregnant minor and “[p]rovides criteria for a juvenile court to consider in determining if a minor is mature enough to make a decision regarding an abortion.”
Status: First reading: referred to Senate Judiciary Committee
W4C Position: Oppose.
Women’s Economic Stability
House Bill 1067 requires family services “to continue waiving copays for eligible families'' and urges the legislative council to conduct an impact study on the financial ramifications of eliminating childcare copayments and work requirements for low income families. This study would also identify childcare deserts across Indiana.
Status: First reading: referred to Committee on Family, Children and Human Affairs
W4C Position: Support.
House Bill 1162 requires the department of workforce development to create paid family and medical leave program which would be funded by the General Assembly and payroll contributions. The Department must approve of businesses that seek to use a "private plan to meet the paid family and medical leave program obligations."
Status: First reading: referred to House Committee on Employment, Labor and Pensions.
W4C Position: Support.
House Bill 1177 prohibits racial discrimination based on the wearing of protective hairstyles including braids, locs and twists and prevents discrimination based on hair texture.
Status: Referred to House Education Committee
W4C Position: Support.
Action Item: To make your voice heard on the status of this bill, please follow our advocacy link here.
House Bill 1380 makes it unlawful to discriminate, discharge or retaliate against employees because of their sex and prohibits the use of nondisclosure agreements to prevent workers from discussing their wages.
Status: Referred to House Employment, Labor and Pensions Committee
W4C Position: Support.
Action Item: To make your voice heard on the status of this bill, please follow our advocacy link here.
Senate Bill 21 calls for the creation of a study on people who have taken paid personal leave from their jobs for the following reasons: family leave, caring for a seriously ill family member, and employee sick leave.
Status: Referred to Senate Pensions and Labor Committee
W4C Position: Support.
The status of bills changes from week to week. If you’d like to stay up to date with the latest developments, you can follow along to see where these bills are in the process on our updated 2022 Legislative Tracker .