Gearing Up for the State Legislative Session

Last night, I attended State Senator Shelli Yoder's Town Hall at the public library on Kirkwood. Sen. Yoder hosted last night's town hall, coupled with tonight's in Ellettsville, to hear from constituents about their priorities ahead of the upcoming 2024 legislative session. Having recently worked with the State Senate, it felt good to get back amongst the hubbub of state politics and to hear what was on people's minds. The event was well-attended for a Wednesday evening and the audience was engaged. Topics of discussion ranged from wetland protections to student engagement, to gun issues, eliminating the pink tax. Even the upcoming referendum got a mention in a larger conversation about school funding and vouchers. As a government/political junkie, the factoid that caught my attention is that senators are limited to filing only 5 bills this year. This continues a policy that began during COVID. Previously, in non-budget years, Senators could file an unlimited number of bills. Last year they were limited to 15. The year before that, they were limited to 10 for a non-budget year. This year, the limit is 5. This will certainly force Senators to prioritize and will limit the amount of action they can take on issues this upcoming session.

The 2024 Session will officially commence on Nov. 21 for Organization Day and will reconvene in January 2024.

---