The 2023 legislative session of the Indiana General Assembly hit a milestone this week as it arrived at the halfway point.
In order to continue through the legislative process, any bill that was authored this year must have been passed out of its original chamber, either the Senate or House of Representatives.
If a bill did not make it out of its original chamber, it is essentially dead. However, legislation can be amended into bills still being considered.
This year, 484 bills were introduced in the Senate with 164, roughly 34%, being passed and sent to the House.
Of the bills that were passed by the Senate, 150 received bipartisan support and 91 earned unanimous support.
Five of the bills I authored passed out of the Senate this year. Two of the bills, Senate Bill 331 and 332, received unanimous support, and Senate Bill 390, 428 and 472 each received bipartisan support.
One bill I supported, Senate Enrolled Act 2, has already been passed in both chambers and has been signed by the governor.
The Senate also passed two joint resolutions, which could amend the Indiana Constitution.
I authored Senate Joint Resolution 18, which would amend the state's constitution to allow a member of the Indiana General Assembly to serve as voting members of executive boards or commissions.
Now, the Senate will consider the 178 bills and two joint resolutions that passed out of the House of Representatives. This includes the state's next two-year budget in House Bill 1001.
As always, feel free to contact my office directly with your questions and concerns by email at Senator.Messmer@iga.in.gov or by phone at 800-382-9467.
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State Sen. Mark Messmer (R-Jasper) represents Senate District 48, which
includes Crawford, Dubois, Gibson, Perry, Pike and Spencer counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
