1/27/2023 Session Update

By: Anna White

The House and Senate reached the deadline for submitting bills late last week. As a result, hundreds more have been published.  But don’t worry - we’ve got you covered.  Here’s a rundown of all the bills that affect our four priority areas: Women’s Health, Women’s Economic Stability, Voting Access and Fair Elections, and Sexual Harassment, Assault, and Consent.  This Legislative session, we’ve added an Equality category as well, which we believe supports our mission of making Indiana a better state for women.

As always, we’ll continue to update this list as the language changes.

Women’s Economic Stability:

  • SB 259: Provides a sales tax exemption for feminine hygiene products

    • Status: First Reading: Referred to Committee on Tax and Fiscal Policy on 01/11

  • HB 1137: Provides that it is unlawful practice to: (a) discriminate pay based on sex; (b) discipline or interfere with any employee or other person who inquired about, disclosed, or discussed the employee’s wages; (c) require wage nondisclosure as a condition for employment, or (d) require an employee to sign a waiver or other document denying them the right to disclose wage information.

    • Status: First Reading: referred to committee on Employment, Labor, and Pensions on 01/10

Women’s Health:

  • SB 252: Allows for LARCS to be transferred between Medicaid recipients

    • Status: First reading: referred Committee on Health and Provider Services on 01/11

  • SB 311: Reestablishes the licensure of abortion clinics, changes statutes regarding when abortions may be performed; removes eight-week limitation for abortion-inducing drug

    • Status: First reading: referred Committee on Health and Provider Services on 01/12

  • HB 1568: Allows pharmacists to prescribe and dispense oral and patch hormonal contraceptives. Provides that pharmacists who oppose contraceptives on moral or religious grounds are exempt from prescribing them.

    • Status: First Reading: referred to Committee on Health and Provider Services on 01/19

  • SB 153: Allows pharmacists to prescribe and dispense oral and patch hormonal contraceptives. Requires healthcare plans to provide coverage for contraceptives and certain services. Grants exemption for nonprofit religious employers. 

    • Status: First reading: referred Committee on Health and Provider Services on 01/09

Sexual Harassment, Consent, and Assault:

  • HB 1066: Provides that if schools provide education on human sexuality or sexually transmitted infections, the school must provide comprehensive sexual education, using appropriate instructors. 

    • Status: First Reading: referred to Committee on Education on 01/09 

  • HB 1364: Elements of Rape: Provides that a person commits rape if the other person submits to sexual intercourse or other sexual conduct under the belief that the person committing the act is someone the victim knows, other than the person committing the act, and the belief is intentionally induced by artifice, pretense, or concealment. 

    • Status: First Reading: referred to Committee on Courts and Criminal Code on 01/17

Fair Voting and Voting Access:

  • HB 1131: Redistricting Commission: Establishes a redistricting commission to create, hold hearings on, receive public comment on, and recommend plans to re-draw general assembly districts and congressional districts. Provides appointment of 4 commission members by legislative leadership.

    • Status: First Reading: referred to Committee on Elections and Apportionment

W4C