Weekly Statehouse update: Police bubble sent to Holcomb, bail amendment expanded

Bills banning gender-affirming care for minors and criminalizing bystanders around police head to the governor. And a constitutional amendment expanding bail denial advances.

Here’s what you might have missed this week at the Statehouse.

SB 480: Gender transition procedures for minors

Indiana would join nearly a dozen other states in banning gender-affirming medicinal and surgical care for anyone under age 18 after House Republicans sent SB 480 to the governor’s desk this week.

Gov. Eric Holcomb hasn’t said whether he’ll sign it into law, though the legislature would almost certainly override a veto of the bill.

HB 1186: Encroachment on an investigation

On-duty police officers would now get a 25-foot bubble around them that the public can’t cross under HB 1186, which is headed to the governor.

If a person crosses that invisible barrier after being told to stop, they would be subject to up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.

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SJR 1: Constitutional amendment to bail eligibility

And a proposed constitutional amendment approved by a House committee would expand the list of people who could be held in jail before trial without bail. The current Constitution only allows that for those charged with murder or treason.

The amendment made to SJR 1 would expand that to any crime, including misdemeanors – as long as the person poses a “substantial risk” to someone else or the community.

Find all the bills our statewide team is covering in our bill tracker at ipbs.org/projects/2023billtracker/

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

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