Source: (Photo: Eric Berman/WIBC)
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s Governor Eric Holcomb signed 68 bills into law Monday, but he still has one more week to decide to sign dozens more.
Monday, Governor Holcomb signed several major bills that will affect Hoosiers starting this Summer.
One makes it easier to access birth control. Previously, only a doctor’s prescription could get a woman access to birth control, but now the bill gives pharmacists the ability to prescribe either birth control patches or pills.
However, the bill does allow a pharmacist to object and not prescribe contraceptives on “ethical, moral, or religious grounds.” If a pharmacist prescribes a drug that is intended to cause an abortion, then the bill requires the Indiana Board of Pharmacy to revoke their license.
Another bill Gov. Holcomb signed changes the way juveniles can be treated in law enforcement custody. If, during an interrogation, the officer lies and gives a false statement, then that juvenile’s response is inadmissible in court.
One new bill establishes a requirement for mental-health training for police and firefighters. Certain people who provide emergency medical services to have that training before certification of their license.
While Gov. Holcomb was busy passing those laws, he is still under a deadline to sign major, controversial bills before April 8th.
Those include the state’s budget, an increase to jury duty pay, a bill prohibiting pension investments from considering ESG policies, and multiple bills that bring changes to schools.
Still on Holcomb’s desk is the bill to ban “inappropriate” books from school libraries at a parent’s request. One that would report to parents if their child requests to go by a different name or pronouns. Then another bill that would pay for teacher’s firearm training.
If Gov. Holcomb does not sign the bills by the deadline, then they will still pass into law.
The full list of 2023 bills that Gov. Holcomb signed and still needs to look at can be seen here.
