ICAN Update 3.24.23
The Indiana Catholic Conference (ICC) is the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Indiana regarding state and national matters. To act on these bills via action alert or by directly contacting your legislator, visit our Action Center. 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.
Not every bill is listed in our Action Center: we list action alerts for certain bills when they become most relevant in the legislative process.
To hear about the ICC’s activities from the past week, listen to our ICAN Podcast.
Solidarity
The bills under this section are in some way connected to the Church’s loving concern for others, expressed as the principle of “solidarity”. Solidarity can be defined as “a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good”. Read more about solidarity.
This bipartisan effort appropriates significant funding for community behavioral health services, including a mental health crisis hotline number (988). The ICC supports these efforts to expand mental health services in Indiana. This bill passed the senate unanimously. In order for this bill to be effectively implemented, the state budget (HB1001) must include adequate funding to support the mental health infrastructure proposed in SB1.
HB1290 Earned Income Tax Credit
This bill expands the state earned income tax credit from 10 percent to 12 percent of the federal earned income tax credit. This tax credit delivers targeted assistance to the lowest income Hoosiers. This bill passed the House unanimously and the ICC testified in support in the Senate committee hearing. The bill now awaits a vote in the committee.
SB265 Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)
The TANF program uses federal funds to temporarily assist families in great need, but the assistance amount has not been updated in the state since 1988. The ICC has been supportive of expanding this program for many years. This bill expands the income eligibility and payment amounts. This bill passed the Senate unanimously as well as the first House committee. It now likely faces a challenging hurdle in the House Ways and Means Committee. Now is the most critical time to reach out to your representatives! ACT NOW
SB334 Simplified SNAP Application
This bill allows simplified Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) applications for older adults and people with disabilities. This bill passed both chambers and now awaits the governor’s signature to become law.
The original bill would provide meaningful remedies for tenants with negligent landlords, especially those landlords who refuse to repair essential systems in a rental unit. However, an amendment changed the bill to an interim study committee topic.
Dignity of Life and Bioethics
The bills under this section are connected to the Church’s teaching on the dignity of life, which is often referred to as the “prime principle” of the Church’s social doctrine. This principle is the foundation of all human rights. Read more about the Church’s teaching on human dignity.
HB1568 Pharmacist Contraceptive Prescriptions
This bill, as it currently stands, would allow pharmacists to prescribe contraceptives. The Church is opposed to this idea due to the risk to women’s health, unborn life, and the false narrative behind this bill: that increased access to contraception leads to fewer abortions. The bill passed the House 86-12. After an initial hearing in the Senate, this bill is waiting for a committee vote before it proceeds to the Senate floor. ACT NOW
Education
The bills under this section are connected to the Church’s teaching on education and the rights of the family.
This version of the budget contains school choice expansions, including eliminating pathways, increasing income eligibility to 400% of Free and Reduced Lunch (FRL) for both the Choice Scholarship and Tax Credit Scholarship Programs. The budget passed the House along party lines and will face debate in the Senate in the second half of the session. ACT NOW
Care for Creation
The bills under this section are connected to the Church’s teaching on stewardship of the natural world. This area of the Church’s social doctrine is intimately connected with Christian anthropology: our duties towards humans and towards the environment are closely linked. Read more about the Church’s teaching on the environment.
This bill would require childcare and pre-k facilities to test drinking water for lead contamination. This bill passed the House unanimously. This bill now awaits a vote in the Senate committee.
SB414 was not previously on our radar until it was recently amended. The House Environmental Affairs Committee narrowly voted (6-4) to include language that was previously taken out of SB389 in the 2021 session. The new language in SB414 would weaken the definition of wetlands, a move that comes only a few months after the Indiana Wetland Task Force issued its report emphasizing that Indiana could not afford to lose any more wetlands. Because this amendment was added late in the legislative process, there will be no public testimony on the language in this amendment. ACT NOW
Dead Bills
SB248 Driving Cards
SB364/HB1243 Paid Family and Medical Leave
SB375 Child Care Assistance
HB1547 Supervised Loans
HB1009 Pregnancy and Childbirth Expenses
SB335 Climate Solutions Task Force