Local bills still alive
Legislature set to open second half Monday
Several bills impacting Northwest Indiana are still in the mix as the General Assembly begins its second half on Monday.
The successful bills are now trading sides with Senate bills heading to the House and vice versa. If they survive both chambers, they’ll go to Gov. Eric J. Holcomb for his signature before enacted into law.
Here’s a look at bills that stand a chance of moving forward in the legislature:
Senate Bill 424: Sponsored by Sen. Rodney Pol Jr., D-Chesterton, the bill requires water rescue equipment to be available along Lake Michigan beaches and piers to reduce drownings.
Public and private-owned piers and beaches must be outfitted with at least one ring life buoy and a rope line. Signage on how to use the equipment is also required.
Senate Bill 434: Gary Democratic Sen. Eddie Melton hoped to convince colleagues to allow state wagering tax money from the Hard Rock Casino to fund construction of a convention center in Gary, next to Hard Rock.
Melton’s bill required the convention center to be located in a Gary, but an amendment from
Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, permits the convention center to be located anywhere in Lake County. It also created an approval mechanism to determine where it goes.
Melton, a Gary mayoral candidate in the May primary, went along with the change. It still includes language calling for Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority to support a new Gary Metro Center hub, blighted property demolition and enhanced public safety services.
Senate Bill 428: Initially offered by Melton, the measure picked up a new primary author in Sen. Mark Messmer, R-Jasper, who added the city of Jasper to the bill.
It allows the Merrillville Town Council to finance an expansion at the Dean and Barbara White Community Center with a food and beverage tax of up to 1% on food and drinks at Merrillville restaurants.
Senate Bill 327: The bill creates a governance framework for the Gary Community School Corp. as it exits state control. The district would be governed by a seven-member board with five directly appointed by the state secretary of education. Two would be appointed by the secretary from a list of candidates from the Gary mayor.
The bill calls for two members to reside in Gary and two other members to live in Gary or Lake County. The remaining three can live anywhere.
House Bill 1026: State Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, inserted language into a local road and bridge matching grant bill that would allow the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority to establish a transit development district around Valparaiso’s bus station at 260 Brown St.
Valparaiso is a member of the RDA and provides regularly scheduled commuter bus service to Chicago and bus shuttle service to the South Shore’s Dune Park Station.
House Bill 1138: State Rep. Carolyn Jackson, D-Hammond, offered a bill that calls for preschools and childcare facilities to test drinking water for lead.
In 2020, she wrote a successful bill calling for schools to test water for lead.
House Bill 1383: Gary Democrat Rep. Vernon Smith’s bill requiring schools to investigate complaints of bullying is moving forward. It requires schools to tell the victim’s parents within three days and the parents of the alleged perpetrator within five days.
House Bill 1449: State Rep. Earl J. Harris Jr., D-East Chicago, has widespread support for his bill that automatically enrolls eligible students for Indiana’s 21st Century Scholars program.
Once enrolled, students agree to complete high school, refrain from crime and illegal drug use, maintain a 2.5 grade point and participate in an academic success program to receive the scholarship.