We have reached the midpoint of the 2018 General Assembly. The House passed 130 bills and the Senate passed 172 bills. The bills that passed their respective chambers can now be considered by the other chamber. Senate bills will have a chance to be heard in the House. The same process that we used for the House bills will still apply to those from the Senate. All bills must go through first reading, then committee, second reading and third reading in order to become law. If a bill completes all of these steps successfully, it goes to the governor to sign into law or veto. Our forefathers didn't make it easy to create or change a law to ensure the legislation that best serves the people will pass.
One bill, which recently passed the House, would add spinal muscular atrophy and severe combined immunodeficiency to the list of disorders in the newborn screening requirements. House Bill 1017 has had a great deal of support from both sides of the aisle. It is my hope that early detection will help Hoosier families treat these conditions before symptoms arise and their children can grow up to have the best quality of life possible.
There was also some debate on HB 1315, which would provide a uniform process so school corporations with potential financial issues can be identified. The idea for this is to ensure there is a plan in place to help get these schools back on track before the situation gets to what we are currently seeing in financially distressed school corporations, such as Gary Community School Corporation and Muncie Community Schools.
On the other hand, HB 1005 was not called to the floor for hearing on the floor. This bill would have required townships with a population of less than 1,200 people to consolidate with a neighboring township by 2023. Since this bill never made it out of the House, it can be considered dead for 2018.
Recently, I met with Brad Bagwell of Kokomo to discuss his new role as president of the U.S. 31 Coalition. It was very encouraging to hear his ideas on how to improve U.S. 31, especially in the areas that run through the rural parts of Miami and Fulton counties. The coalition, up until recently, has long advocated for an interstate-type upgrade of this major traffic artery. There were times when the needs and concerns of the rural communities were not top priority. U.S. 31 is a four-lane highway over 50 years in the making. This is a very important roadway as many county roads and driveways enter directly on to it. I have always maintained that without a totally new right of way, it should remain a hybrid project, with some interchanges but also a greater number of access points to accommodate local traffic and businesses. It is my hope to continue working with Mr. Bagwell to accomplish meaningful and sensible upgrades to U.S. 31.
Please continue to stay in touch. It’s your government, participate in it!
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State Rep. Bill Friend (R-Macy) represents House District 23,
which includes portions of Cass, Fulton and Miami counties.
A high-resolution photo of Friend can be downloaded by clicking here.
