STATEHOUSE (July 11, 2022) – Warrick County lawmakers said Hoosiers should be aware of several new and notable state laws, which are now in effect.
"Hoosiers should be aware of these new laws, which increase protections for parents, pregnant women, voters and more," said State Rep. Cindy Ledbetter (R-Newburgh). "In this session, we cut taxes, increased election security and provided more transparency for K-12 education."
Hoosiers should be aware of several new laws, which were passed during the 2022 legislative session and took effect on July 1:
Empowering Hoosier Parents
When it comes to education, input and ideas from parents, students, teachers and community members are important. Now, school boards will have to allow time for public comments at all open meetings, ensuring parents' voices are heard.
"Our education system works best when it engages everyone from the community," said State Rep. Tim O'Brien (R-Evansville), author of the law. "Over the last year we saw some school boards in other areas of the state shut down public discussion. That's unacceptable. Parents deserve a seat at the table when it comes to decisions being made about their child's education. This new law is meant to empower parents and ensure they have opportunities to speak up."
Increasing Election Security
Indiana will double its number of election audits after each general election. All Indiana electronic voting machines will be required to be equipped with a voter-verifiable paper audit trail by the 2024 election. Every voter will be able to verify their ballot on a printout before casting their vote. This step will offer assurances that electronically recorded votes are accurate. O'Brien co-authored this law.
Indiana will join 18 other states that provide protections to women and their unborn babies from coerced abortions. A person who coerces a pregnant woman to terminate their pregnancy could be charged with a felony, and abortion clinics will be held accountable if they fail to report coercion to law enforcement.
Hoosiers could save over $1 billion annually through a new tax-cut package that will reduce the individual income tax rate to 2.9% over time, and eliminate the Utility Receipts Tax, saving residents $200 million a year on utility bills. Additionally, taxpayers are receiving $545 million via automatic taxpayer refunds this year. Ledbetter and O'Brien both co-authored this law.
Visit iga.in.gov for more information on these and other new laws.
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State Rep. Cindy Ledbetter (R-Newburgh) represents House District 75,
which includes portions of Pike, Spencer and Warrick counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
State Rep. Tim O'Brien (R-Evansville) represents House District 78,
which includes portions of Vanderburgh and Warrick counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
