Tuesday, February 20, 2024
The Indiana General Assembly often works in many different policy areas like education, health, cybersecurity and public safety to ensure Indiana is a great state to live and work.
Alongside our priority bills, Senate Republicans have worked on a number of important bills during the 2024 legislative session.
Supporting mental health initiatives
Senate Bill 10 would help establish the Community Cares initiative by creating a pilot grant program to help Hoosier address local mental health needs. The bill is modeled after the NobleACT program in Noblesville that helped to strengthen community-based responses to mental health and substance abuse challenges in 2020.
Keeping children safe
Senate Bill 17 would help keep children safe online by requiring age verification for websites with adult-oriented content. The bill is similar to legislation passed in seven other states and would make it a Class A misdemeanor if a website operator knowingly or intentionally publishes a website with adult content without reasonable age verification methods. The penalty would be increased to a Level 6 felony if the operator has a prior violation or conviction.
Securing Hoosiers' data
Senate Bill 150 would address workforce data and cybersecurity issues in Indiana. It would establish guidelines for local governments in Indiana to protect their data and networks from hackers, create the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Task Force, and require the task force to study and assess the use of AI technology by state agencies and start conversations between state lawmakers on how best to ensure Hoosiers' data is protected.
Tackling truancy in schools
Senate Bill 282 would require school boards and district officials to create a truancy prevention policy for students in kindergarten through sixth grade. The bill also urges an interim study committee to study matters concerning chronic absenteeism across Indiana.
To learn more about these and other bills filed this year, click here.
