From State Representative Randy Frye: Monday April 19th should begin the final week of session.
HB1001 the state budget is in conference committee and will be finalized and voted on this week.
HEA 1002 Civil Immunity Related to COVID-19 (Torr) House Concurred 58-21. Passed Senate 41-9.Shields Hoosier health care workers and health facilities from lawsuits related to the pandemic whilesafeguarding plaintiff’s rights by allowing claims of gross negligence or willful misconduct.SEA 1 is a similar bill to HEA 1002, which has already passed both chambers and has been signed by the Governor. SEA 1 provides broad liability protection; whereas, HEA 1002 by agreement betweenHouse and Senate leadership is focused on health care industry liability.
SEA 2 (HB 1003) Preserving Full School Tuition Support (Slager) Passed House 92-2. Signed by Gov.Ensures that Hoosier schools will not be unexpectedly penalized due to remote learning that was only a result of COVID-19 by specifying that students who are virtual due to COVID will still receive 100%funding from state tuition support.
HEA 1007 “IN it for Health” Grant Program (Vermilion) House Concurred 86-2. Passed Senate 46-2.Establishes a new grant program to fund initiatives aimed at addressing critical health issues throughoutIndiana, such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.Both the House & Senate budget proposals appropriated $50M to the program over the biennium.
Many bills remain. Some will be concurred upon agreeing with changes made in the Senate while others will be decided in Conference Committee. It’s coming down to crunch time and bills will be reconciled or they die. Many bills die in the final hours of session.
Frye will be calling into the WTRE studios Monday morning at 7:10 with a session update