Friday, November 20, 2020
This week, lawmakers met at the Statehouse for Organization Day – the ceremonial start of the 122nd Indiana General Assembly.
Organization Day includes the swearing in of new and returning members of the General Assembly. The day also marks the annual first roll call of all state lawmakers and gives each Senate and House of Representatives caucus the opportunity to organize in preparation for the 2021 legislative session.
In order to accommodate for social distancing, senators were spaced out on the Senate floor and in the gallery, all wearing masks.
This year, Senate Republicans welcomed two new senators to the caucus. State Sen. Scott Baldwin (R-Noblesville) was sworn in as the state senator for Senate District 20, and State Sen. Kyle Walker (R-Indianapolis) was sworn in as the state senator for Senate District 31.
Baldwin arrives at the Senate with more than 25 years of military and law enforcement experience and is a successful entrepreneur and business owner who has owned or helped grow several companies in the IT, real estate, construction and security sectors. He is also the owner and president of Envoy, Inc., a construction and real estate development firm.
A longtime small business owner, Walker is currently the Senior Vice President of MO Strategies. He has served as President of the Fort Harrison Reuse Authority, a Lawrence City Councilor, Chairman of the Marion County Republican Party and as Deputy Director of Indianapolis Department of Public Works.
All lawmakers expect to return to the Statehouse to officially begin session on Jan. 4, where they will begin to craft a comprehensive budget to fund government services for the next two years, as well as consider other legislation to improve the state of Indiana.
