Rep. Frye: Halfway through the 2016 Legislative Session
The Indiana House of Representatives recently reached the halfway point in this year’s legislative session. The House passed 116 bills, sending them to the Senate for further consideration. Some of the bills being examined by the Senate pertain to funding roads and infrastructure, curbing illegal drug use and supporting Hoosier veterans.
Roads and infrastructure funding is one of the main topics lawmakers are addressing this year. House Bill (HB) 1001 would establish a comprehensive plan to fund Indiana’s short- and long-term infrastructure needs at state and local levels. Instead of looking at short-term solutions, this bill presents a strategy that would continue to keep our roads in safe driving condition for many years to come without leaving future generations in debt.
The House also voted unanimously in support of a bill returning $550 million to local governments. House Bill 1110 would provide funding for much-needed services in our community that can be used at the local officials’ discretion. The money would come from the Local Option Income Tax reserves held by the state. Lawmakers believe that local leaders are best equipped to decide how to invest their own money.
Southern Indiana is facing a huge methamphetamine problem. Currently, meth cooks can go to almost any store and purchase everything they need to make the dangerous and highly addictive drug. A main ingredient in meth is pseudoephedrine (PSE), which is also a common ingredient in some types of cold medicines. Meth cooks also hire “smurfs” to buy PSE from pharmacies in order to skirt Indiana’s individual purchase limits. House Bill 1390 would carefully balance legitimate consumer access with common-sense measures to keep PSE out of the hands of meth cooks. Under this proposal, consumers wanting to purchase PSE will not need a prescription if they have an established relationship with a pharmacist, are willing to use tamper-resistant PSE formulations or accept a smaller package of PSE. Relying on pharmacists and their consultation with patients, HB 1390 makes acquiring large amounts of PSE for the purpose of making meth or selling it to meth cooks considerably harder. It’s a giant step in the right direction.
Another solution I support is HB 1157, which complements these efforts to restrict meth cooks’ access to PSE. If enacted, drug felons would need a prescription to both purchase and possess PSE. Electronic tracking would issue “stop sale” alerts to pharmacies when a drug felon attempts to buy PSE. Like HB 1390, this bill keeps PSE accessible to law-abiding Hoosiers while putting reasonable restrictions on known drug offenders.
I also crafted a bill to provide increased support for Hoosier veterans across the state. Under my bill, six district veteran service officers would be placed throughout the state in order to better serve our heroes. These officers would help facilitate the needs of our service members who deserve the best care possible.
Dividing the state into districts and assigning one lead officer to manage that district will help our veterans and their families know exactly who to turn to when they need resources. It’s a more streamlined system that will result in better meeting the needs of those who bravely served our nation.
The Indiana General Assembly accomplished a lot in the past five weeks, and we still have work to do. I believe that with unfaltering determination and consideration for our cherished state, legislators will continue to make Indiana a better place to live.
Stay up-to-date with these bills on their journey through the Senate, and the bills we are now hearing in the House, by visiting www.iga.in.gov.
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Rep. Frye (R-Greensburg) represents Ohio and Switzerland counties, as well as portions of Ripley, Decatur, Jennings, Jefferson and Dearborn counties
