ICAN Report 03.25.22
March 25, 2022
The Indiana Catholic Conference (ICC) is the public policy voice of the Catholic bishops in Indiana
regarding state and national matters.
To act on these bills via action alert or by directly contacting your legislator, visit indianacc.org and click “Take Action” in the top right corner of the page. Advocacy tip: personalized messages are more effective than unedited messages.
Listed below are the bills the ICC is monitoring most closely. The list is not exhaustive yet highlights the issues of greatest priority and relevance within the legislative process.
Respect Life
1217 Coerced Abortion (Rep. King) This bill requires that a woman seeking an abortion should receive information stating that a coerced abortion is illegal. The bill also includes provisions for providing resources and an alternate exit from the facility if necessary.
ICC supports this bill.
Signed by Governor. The bill is now law.
1077 (1296) Firearms Matters (Lawful Carry) (Rep. Smaltz) This bill repeals the law which requires handgun owners to obtain a license before carrying a handgun. Last year, the ICC raised concerns that this bill would eliminate important community safeguards by removing a useful tool for law enforcement officers. The bill’s supporters argue that this measure furthers the constitutional right to bear arms. In contrast, the ICC and other bill opponents believe that the licensing requirement does not place an undue burden on gun owners and therefore should be preserved.
ICC opposes this bill.
Signed by Governor. The bill is now law.
Solidarity
1361 TANF (Rep. Goodrich) HEA 1361 allows TANF recipients a higher threshold of value of motor vehicles and other assets for program eligibility. The Church's concern for the wellbeing of the poor and emphasis on solidarity provides firm ground for supporting these bills.
ICC supports this bill.
Signed by Governor. The bill is now law.
1214 Residential Eviction Actions (Rep. Manning) HB 1214 allows eviction records to be removed and sealed if the eviction is filed but does not occur. In current law, eviction filings remain on the record even if the eviction does not occur, which affects tenants’ future housing prospects. The Indiana Catholic Conference supports this legislation as it will contribute, in part, to a more fair housing application process for Hoosiers.
ICC supports this bill.
Signed by Governor. The bill is now law.
1300 Bail (Rep. Mayfield) HB 1300 will limit charitable bail organizations to only paying bail for people charged with misdemeanors whose bail amount is less than $2,000, while allowing for-profit bail bondsmen to post bond for whomever they like, for any amount, as long as the person has access to collateral.
ICC opposes this bill.
Signed by Governor. The bill is now law.
Family Life
1354 Requirements for SNAP Participants (Rep. DeVon) HB 1354 was amended to turn the bill into and interim study topic. The ICC was originally opposed to this legislation, but is neutral on the amended bill.
ICC is neutral on amended bill.
Signed by Governor. The bill is now law.
Dead Bills:
In this second half of the 2022 Indiana General Assembly, many bills are now officially “dead” meaning they did not make it past the committee hearing stage. Although these bills are dead, there is always the potential for the language in these bills to end up in an amendment in the second half of the session.
Here is a list of dead bills the ICC was following:
200 and 1195 Driving Cards (support)
327 TANF (support)
1159 and 253 Lending Caps (support)
1136, 1304, 248, 313 Net Metering (support)
255 Climate Task Force (support)
14 Firearms (oppose)
1122 Regulation of Sex-Oriented Business (support)
352 Predatory Lending (oppose)