Indiana legislators approved 252 bills in the 2023 session, and most of them took effect July 1.
RELATED: Using a loophole in state law, Indy passes no turn on red proposal
HB 1001: State budget updates
$44.5 billion is a part of the state’s new, two-year spending plan. $1.5 billion is going toward K-12 education. $225 million is going toward Indiana’s public health system. $100 million is focusing on mental health access.
HB 1177: Teachers can enroll in firearm training
State funds now allow teachers to enroll in optional firearm safety training. This is to protect students in the event of a school shooting. The training fully funds the teacher or school district at no cost.
HB 1186: “Buffer zone” for law enforcement
Police officers now have a 25-foot “buffer zone” during investigations. Anyone who knowingly or intentionally approaches an officer after being ordered to stop is subject to a Class C misdemeanor.
HB 1200: Minors can now sit in bar sections
Amending a long-standing Indiana law, people under 18 can now sit in the bar section of a restaurant. They are only allowed if they are with a parent, guardian, or family member of legal drinking age.
HB 1228: Child seduction
The long-standing law makes it illegal for certain people in positions of power to engage in sexual contact with a 16- or 17-year-old. The list now extends to workplace supervisors. The new law also closed a loophole that mistakenly left out coaches who were not working for a school.
HB 1334: Absentee voting
Voters must include either a photocopy of their driver’s license or state issue. This is for mail-in absentee ballots. Or they can send in one of four numbers: a driver’s license number, non-driver state ID number, voter registration record number or the last four digits of their social security number.
HB 1447: Banning books in school libraries
School districts must now process concerns that contest books in a school library. This is on the grounds that they are obscene or harmful to minors. The law forbid the possession of materials containing obscene matter or matter harmful to minors.
HB 1449: Automatic enrollment for 21st Century Scholars
RELATED: House Bill could automatically enroll eligible students into 21st Century Scholars program
The 21st Century Scholars Program provides free tuition to in-state public colleges or universities. It pays for some of the cost of private higher education institutions. On average, nearly half of eligible students do not enroll during the enrollment window. The signed bill automatically enrolls eligible students.
HB 1466: Juror compensation
Indiana doubles juror compensation, making Indiana jurors some of the highest paid in the country. Indiana jurors get $80 a day, increasing to $90 after the sixth day of a trial. The state will pay $30 for each day jurors are impaneled but not actively in court.
HB 1608: K-3 teachers must inform parents of students’ self-identity
The law prohibits kindergarten through third-grade teachers from teaching or answering questions on gender or human sexuality posed by their students. Also, if a student changes their name, pronoun or gender identify, the teacher must write to their parent or guardian to notify them.
Contact staff writer Jade Jackson at 317-607-5792 or by email jadej@IndyRecorder.com. Follow her on Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON.
