Little publicized bills that will help Hoosiers
This session we made progress on several key issues concerning government reform and alcohol use. Most legislation, with a few exceptions, from this past session will go into effect on July 1, and I want to cover a few of interest that I thought might be beneficial for us all to be aware of. First, local elected officials will now be prohibited from hiring relatives in which they would have direct line of supervision over at their job. Nepotism and conflict of interest have been increasingly problematic at the local level, particularly within township government, and this new law helps eliminate those conflicts. We want to ensure our government, at all levels, remains as efficient and effective as possible. To do so, we must stay accountable, at every level of government, and continue to be a transparent, fiscally responsible steward of Hoosier’s tax dollars. Three new laws regarding alcohol use came from the Courts and Criminal Codes Committee this session. First, the legislature felt it was important to address an Indiana Supreme Court ruling which held that a passenger of a vehicle could be charged with public intoxication if the car in which they were riding in was in a public place, even though the passenger had a designated driver. Unfortunately, the designated driver involved in this case did not have a valid driver license. The legislature felt it was important to reiterate a policy that supported a person seeking out a sober, designated driver and were worried that this ruling would deter that practice. Therefore, we updated the public intoxication law so that Indiana is now in line with 25 other states laws. A person may not be convicted of public intoxication unless the person: (1) endangers the person's life; (2) endangers the life of another person; (3) breaches the peace or is in imminent danger of breaching the peace; or (4) harasses, annoys or alarms another person. In a second similar matter, a newly enacted law addresses the issue of operating a motor boat while intoxicated. There were inconsistencies with the laws in the state that put Hoosiers at risk while out on their boats. We felt that if a person is under the influence while driving a boat, then their penalty should be same as if they were driving a car under the influence. I am pleased we were able to address this issue and believe that it will help to make our waterways safer. Finally, legislation called the “life-line” bill was brought before the legislature by college students and advocates from the campuses of Purdue and Indiana Universities. Students testified about how successful this program worked on the campuses of both Purdue and Indiana University and felt that this practice should be replicated statewide. The legislation prohibits a police officer from taking a person into custody for public intoxication or minor possession, consumption or transportation of an alcoholic beverage if that person has contacted the police for emergency medical assistance. Essentially, it creates a shield of protection against prosecution of an individual when that person has helped a fellow student or Hoosier who needs medical attention due to alcohol consumption. There was unanimous support for this law, and I believe it will help save Hoosier lives in the future. For a complete list of new Indiana laws, you may visit http://www.in.gov/legislative/reports/2012/2012GOV.PDF. As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions or suggestions on how to improve our community and state by calling me at 317-232-9769 or by e-mailing me at h78@in.gov. -30- |
