State lawmakers will wrap up the 2018 legislative session next week, but Gov. Eric Holcomb (R-Ind.) has already signed dozens of bills into law.
Here's where the most contentious issues stand with less than a week left in the session:
Bills Signed Into Law
The first law Holcomb signed this year is one anticipated by Hoosiers since Indiana became a state more than 200 years ago: legalizing Sunday carryout alcohol sales.
As of Friday afternoon, Holcomb has signed 42 bills into law:
Allowing students to carry and use sunscreen at school Standardizing perinatal care in the state to lower the infant mortality rate Fixing a mistake approved last year that prohibited deer hunters from using rifles on public property, among other Department of Natural Resources updatesA measure helping veterans with financial benefits for educationBills Awaiting Final Approval
Dozens of measures have final approval from both the House and Senate are awaiting Holcomb's signature:
A bill that both imposes new abortion reporting requirements and expands the legal use of baby boxesStandardizing overdose reporting from county coronersA measure that amps up dyslexia screenings and intervention in schoolsA bill allowing prosecutors to seek a murder charge against someone who attacks a woman and causes the death of her fetusA measure blocking local governments from banning short-term rentals like Airbnb, but allowing them to regulate the industryMeasures That Died This Session
The 2018 session is short because it's a non-budget year, so lawmakers have less time to consider and vote on proposed bills. That means hundreds of measures never even get a hearing. In some cases, Statehouse leadership also choose not to pursue action on certain measures.
Here are some of the bills that didn't make it this session:
Efforts to expand cold beer sales to grocery and convenience storesEstablishing a hate crimes statuteSeveral gun regulation measures Township consolidation Establishing press freedoms for student journalistsA "fix" to a controversial solar energy bill from last yearGet complete coverage of the 2018 legislative session here
