 The 2026 Indiana State Legislative Session ended February 27th — and for Monroe County residents, the results were mixed at best. The session got off to a rocky start when the Trump administration pushed for mid-cycle redistricting, pressuring Governor Braun to bring it to the floor. Indiana's Republican majority pushed back, but the distraction cost valuable legislating time. Bills moved fast, oversight was thin, and the consequences showed.
This development did not stop Rep. Matt Pierce from catching a catastrophic bill, HB 1333, that would have allowed any project to be developed on agricultural zone land if the soil was bad enough. These developments would bypass public hearings and go through only site planning (watch the clip on Indy Star). The common attitude was “let's pass these bills in our chamber, and hopefully the other chamber will fix all their problems.” Not to mention, those Republicans who opposed redistricting are now facing challengers. Folks at the Indiana Chamber are concerned because those same lawmakers are their pro-business voices. The session opened with bold promises: lower the cost of living, address the housing crisis, expand childcare access, and strengthen protections for employers. Most of those promises either died quietly or were watered down beyond recognition. Most notable was HB 1001, which was originally written to remove onerous zoning and permitting requirements imposed by local governments to streamline housing construction and alleviate the housing crisis. Many legislators noted that this bill helps developers more than the homebuyers, but it was a good starting point. The bill lost its teeth when it passed with an opt-in option. This raises the question: how will these changes help Monroe County’s housing crisis? For that matter, will it change anything? HB 1002 experiments with electric utility performance-based rate making as a way to reduce costs and price spikes for low-income populations. Legislators noted that this bill may face backlash. Some consumers like to see what their bill is for the given month to weigh their usage.
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 The Indiana Legislature is under pressure of getting priority bills passed. With a shorter session, legislators have approved bills hoping that they will be properly vetted and amended as they switch to the other chamber. This puts extreme emphasis on the next few weeks, as legislators contemplate affordability for Hoosiers, aiding local government, and how to recover from the backlash from voting not to redistrict. The Indiana Chamber sees many of their supporters being primaried because they turned down redistricting. With 228 active bills, here are some that our advocacy team is watching closely and their latest updates:
HB 1001 Housing Matters- referred to Senate Committee on Judiciary 2/5
 The Indiana General Assembly is set to meet in a special session on Monday, Nov. 29 to consider a bill that would restrict businesses' ability to require the COVID-19 vaccine for employees. It would also require businesses to administer weekly testing for all unvaccinated employees. Click here to view the draft legislation.
The legislation is in response to a federal mandate that would require businesses with more than 100 employees to mandate vaccines for all employees. To give feedback to state legislators representing parts of Monroe County, find their contact information in the Chamber's Elected Officials Directory.  Penny Githens, a Democrat who currently serves on the Monroe County Board of Commissioners, has announced her candidacy for the Indiana House of Representatives in District 62.
The redrawn District 62 will be an open seat. Current Rep. Jeff Ellington, a Republican, announced plans to move and run in District 45 next year. Republican Dave Hall, a Jackson County resident, also is running for the District 62 seat. District 62 covers portions of Monroe, Jackson and Brown counties.  Indiana Senate Democrats have scheduled three in-person input sessions this month, including one in Bloomington, to get feedback on proposed maps for Indiana House, Senate and Congressional districts. The Bloomington session is on Monday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. at the Monroe County Public Library, 303 E. Kirkwood Ave.
The Republican-controlled legislature released State House of Representatives Districts and Congressional Districts earlier this week. Proposed Senate maps are now available here. The House has already held public hearings. The Senate hearings for its plans will be held on Sept. 27, Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. Residents can also submit written testimony for the Senate Elections Committee hearing on Sept. 27 by contacting State Sen. John Ford (R-Terre Haute) at [email protected].  The Indiana House of Representatives released drafts redistricting maps on Sept. 14 and held public hearings the following two days. An amend-and-vote-only meeting was held on Sept. 20 for committee members with a 9-4 outcome in favor of amending House Bill 1851. Second and third hearings are expected to take place on Sept. 22 and 23.
The State House of Representatives Districts and Congressional Districts maps are available online, along with previous versions of those districts. The Senate will follow a similar process, with the Elections Committee providing the public with drafts of its new maps on Sept. 21. Hearings for these plans will be held on Sept. 27 and another amend-and-vote meeting will take place on Sept. 28. Second and third hearings will follow on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, respectively. UPDATE: Proposed Senate maps are now available here. To make your voice heard and submit a written testimony for the Senate Elections Committee hearing on Sept. 27, contact the State Sen. John Ford (R-Terre Haute) at [email protected]. For more information on the Indiana General Assembly's redistricting process and timeline, click here.  The final 2021 Indiana Legislative Update took place on Saturday, April 10, with briefings from Rep. Peggy Mayfield (District 60) and Rep. Matt Pierce (District 61).
The monthly forums, held while the Indiana General Assembly is in session, are co-hosted by the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, the League of Women Voters of Monroe County, and the LWV of Brown County. Watch the April 10 forum on CATS here.  Four state legislators representing Monroe County gave an overview of action at the Indiana General Assembly at the Feb. 13 Legislative Update, co-sponsored by the local League of Women Voters and the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce.
Sen. Shelli Yoder (District 40), Rep. Matt Pierce (District 61), Rep. Peggy Mayfield (District 60) and Rep. Jeff Ellington (District 62) provided updates and answered audience questions. Watch the 90-minute session here. The next updates will be held on March 6 and April 10. Click here to register.  State Senator Shelli Yoder will hold office hours every Friday from 8:30-10 a.m. to talk with constituents in District 40. The first session, to be held online, will be on Feb. 5.
District 40 covers most of Monroe County, including the City of Bloomington. Click here for details about how to attend.  Legislative Update panel from Feb. 15, 2020. The Chamber is partnering with the League of Women Voters of Bloomington/Monroe County for a monthly Legislative Update series, starting on Saturday, Jan. 16 from 9:30-11 a.m.
The virtual event will be conducted via Zoom. Click here to register. State legislators representing Monroe County will give overviews of their activities in the Indiana General Assembly and will take questions from the audience. Each session will be taped by CATS and replayed on scheduled dates or on request. Subsequent updates are planned February 13, March 6, and April 10. |
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