INDIANAPOLIS—Today was 3rd reading deadline in the Senate, marking the final day to get Senate bills passed out of the chamber. Senate Democratic Leader Greg Taylor (D-Indianapolis) released the following statement:

“This first half of session has been a mixed bag. Fortunately, we’ve seen a good number of Senate Democratic bills advance forward this year, including bills to support women’s access to contraceptives, strengthen protections for juveniles during a lawful interrogation and help law enforcement easily identify individuals who should not carry a firearm in this age of permitless carry.

“Unfortunately, we also had some very unpopular proposals move forward today. SB 12, which is essentially a censorship bill, allows schools to ban books considered “inappropriate” by a parent. This will lead to books with real value being banned, invoke fear in our teachers, and do our students a disservice by lessening the quality of their education.

“We also had bills like SB 350 and SB 480 that attack our LGBTQ+ community advance today. SB 350 promotes the proven harmful practice of conversion therapy and SB 480 prohibits parents from seeking care that supports their child’s chosen gender. These bills will harm our LGBTQ+ community, and I was disappointed to see them pass to the House.

“Unfortunately, we also had a few bad proposals advance over to the House earlier this session—bills like SJR 1, which eliminates access to bail for people considered “risky to society” and will essentially lead to people who pose no real danger to society being held behind bars without conviction. We also had SB 380, which took aim at the non-existent problem of furries and litterboxes in schools progress to the House as well as other bad bills like SB 134—an inhumane bill that weakens protections for animals, and prohibits cities and towns from banning the retail sale of dogs within their own communities—and SB 348, which is a vague law that impedes on Hoosiers’ constitutional right to protest.

“Now that we’re gearing up for the second half of session, I hope to see some of these bad policies fizzle out while momentum continues on the policies that actually improve Hoosiers’ quality of life. We’ll also be getting the budget soon, and Sen. Melton will be working with Sen. Mishler to negotiate a proposal that supports Hoosiers’ needs. My caucus will be working to get essential items funded and fighting for a budget that adequately invests in healthcare and education as well as resources for Hoosiers, families, students and workers.”