Friday, February 26, 2021
This week, the Indiana General Assembly reached the halfway point of the 2021 legislative session. The Senate and the House of Representatives have chosen which of their bills to hear, amend and vote on. The chambers will now trade their passed bills and begin the entire process again before the bills can go before the governor for his consideration.
During the first half of session, the Senate passed 168 of the 411 bills introduced. This includes Senate Enrolled Act 1 and House Enrolled Act 1056, which have been signed into law. Of the 168 bills passed by the Senate, 52% of the bills were passed unanimously and 92% were passed with bipartisan support.
The Senate has already begun assigning the 148 House bills to Senate committees to be heard or amended. If the bills pass with no amendments, they will go straight to the governor's desk. If a bill is amended in the other chamber, the original chamber can choose to accept the changes, or the bill could go to a conference committee.
Conference committees consist of one member from all four caucuses - one Republican and one Democrat from each chamber. The members will then settle final disputes before going back to each chamber to vote on the updated bill.
By law, the 2021 legislative session will conclude on or before April 29. To follow the bills being considered by the General Assembly this legislative session, click here.
