April 5, 2019
Protecting Our Students
It is important for schools to foster a positive, safe environment for students so they can focus on their education. Unfortunately, there have been incidents across our country and state where some teachers and coaches have damaged this environment by forging inappropriate relationships with students.
As lawmakers, it is our job to protect our students and ensure they remain safe in the classroom and while participating in extracurricular activities.
To help prevent schools from hiring coaches who have demonstrated inappropriate behavior in the past, theIndiana General Assembly is considering House Bill 1209 this session, which would require schools to ask potential coaches about their Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) accreditation status and past accreditation. Under the bill, schools would be required to request references from coaching candidates as well as inquire with their references. HB 1209 would also require schools to conduct a criminal background check on potential coaches and contact the IHSAA about their accreditation.
As your state senator, I will continue working to find ways to protect our students, as their safety is of the utmost importance.
Learn more about HB 1209 here.
Preventing Opioid Addiction
Spring is here, and many households are beginning their first round of spring cleaning. While tidying up, it’s important for Hoosiers to remember to clean out their medicine cabinet to remove any unused or unwanted prescriptions to ensure they don’t end up in the wrong hands.
Our nation is in the middle of an opioid abuse epidemic, and Indiana is no exception. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, opioids include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic opioids like fentanyl, and pain relievers available by prescription. In 2016, there were 296 heroin-related deaths and 488 opioid pain reliever-related deaths reported in Indiana.
Sometimes, people get prescription drugs from their family or friends, often from a medicine cabinet.
To prevent this, Indiana has several collection sites available where residents can drop off unwanted or expired medications. Click here for information on proper medicine disposal practices and to find a drop-off location near you.
Protecting All Hoosiers from
Bias Crimes
This week, I voted for and the Senate passed Senate Bill 198, which has now been signed into law by the governor.
SB 198 states that a judge can increase the penalty for a crime that was motivated by any real or perceived trait or characteristic of the victim. The bill references a list of examples already in law, which includes things like race, religion, creed and disability, but the bill specifically says the judge can consider traits beyond that list. For example, a judge could also increase the penalty if the crime was motivated because of the victim’s gender, age or ancestry.
Indiana law already allows a criminal’s sentence to be lengthened for any factor the judge considers relevant, and the Indiana Supreme Court has ruled this law covers a crime where the victim was targeted because of prejudice. However, Indiana is sometimes considered not to have a bias-crime law since it isn’t specifically mentioned in the statute, even though that is how our laws work today.
This bill will not criminalize any conduct that is legal today, and it won’t restrict anyone’s First Amendment rights to free speech. For a person to receive an increased sentence under the bill, he or she would first have to be convicted of a crime that exists today.
Addressing the issue of bias crimes means passing a bill to protect all Hoosiers, and I believe SB 198 achieves this goal.
Protecting All Life
As your state senator, it is my responsibility to protect life in all forms. This session, the Indiana General Assembly is considering several measures to help fight for those who can’t fight for themselves.
Senate Enrolled Act 201 would update Indiana’s laws to ensure healthcare providers aren’t forced to participate in abortions if it violates their conscience. State law already provides this conscience protection to physicians, and SEA 201 would extend the same rights to physician assistants, nurses and pharmacists.
House Enrolled Act 1211 would make performing a dismemberment abortion on a living fetus a Level 5 felony, except when a physician determines it necessary to prevent a serious health risk to the mother or to save the mother’s life.
This session, I will continue to fight for measures that protect life, no matter how small. To follow these bills and others being discussed, click here.
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