INDIANAPOLIS—On Tuesday, Indiana Senate Democrats unanimously voted to advance House Bill (HB) 1006, moving it across the final threshold needed to get it through the General Assembly. The proposal is a collaborative effort spearheaded by the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus (IBLC) and does several things including: banning chokeholds in certain situations, requiring de-escalation training for law enforcement officers and making it easier to discipline law enforcement officers for misconduct. 

The proposal, which was an IBLC agenda item this session, passed out of the Senate with unanimous support. Senate Democratic leader Greg Taylor (D-Indianapolis) had the following response to the bill’s passage:

“This is a win for the IBLC, Senate Democrats, Hoosiers and Indiana as a whole,” Sen. Taylor said. “This past year, the injustice and inequality that continue to persist in our nation was on full display. In response, we saw people across the nation and world speaking out and demanding change, and Hoosiers were among them. This summer, the IBLC met with thousands of residents, activists and law enforcement officers across the state to hear their thoughts on police reform, and the provisions included in HB 1006 were overwhelmingly supported. 

“It’s encouraging to see this bill make it through the legislature with bipartisan support. HB 1006 is a testament to what we can do when we work together in the best interest of Hoosiers instead of politics. This is good public policy that will save lives, and is a step in the right direction in our efforts to address police reform. Over the years, Senate Democrats have been persistent in calling for reform in the area of law enforcement relations with the community, and we’re happy to see this proposal on its way to becoming law. We will continue fighting to address the issues that exist in our criminal justice system and we’re excited about the progress we’ve made here today with HB 1006.”