2022 Session Halftime Update

2022 Session Halftime Update

Wednesday, February 2, 2022

This week, the Indiana General Assembly reached the halfway point of the 2022 legislative session. The Senate and the House of Representatives have chosen which of their bills will continue through the legislative process. Now, the chambers will trade those bills and restart the reading process before they are sent to the governor for final consideration.

During the first half of session, the Senate passed 161 of the 417 bills introduced, including their three priority bills – Senate Bill 1 would expand eligibility for Hoosier taxpayers to receive their share of Indiana's automatic taxpayer refund; Senate Bill 2 would provide school funding stability for schools that had quarantined students at the start of the fall semester; and Senate Bill 3 would work to responsibly end the public health emergency. Of the bills passed by the Senate, 56% of the bills passed unanimously and 92% were passed with bipartisan support.

In the coming weeks, the Senate will begin to consider the 105 House bills sent over. If a bill passes both committees and the chamber with no amendments, it will go straight to the governor. But, if a bill is amended, the other chamber can choose to accept the changes, or the bills go to conference committee.

A conference committee consists of one member from each of the four caucuses. In conference committee, the assigned legislators will settle final disputes on bills before returning to their respective chamber to vote on the revised bill.

The 2022 legislative session will conclude on or before March 15. Click here to follow bills being considered by the General Assembly this legislative session.