INDIANAPOLIS — Monday morning, the Indiana General Assembly begins the 2024 legislative session. Some of the proposed bills will no doubt cause debate, from gun control to education.
This is going to be a shorter session than last year, which dealt with the budget.
Republicans still hold the supermajority, and, according to their leadership, their agenda will be more focused.
Over the last few weeks, lawmakers have been busy filing bills and setting priorities for the session.
A big push will be education. Republican lawmakers said they want to address issues like reading proficiency and truancy.
"The question is how much of this will be legislation and how much will just a refocus of the execution of laws we have in place right now that will be a bigger discussion?” said Sen. President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, a Republican for District 37.
Also up for debate is public transit.
Republican State Sen. Aaron Freeman has put forward a bill that would eliminate all dedicated bus lanes.
This comes as IndyGo is getting ready to build its "Blue Line."
"I’m all for transit, all for bus service for people that need it, but we should not be taking away lanes of travel in favor of buses over cars,” Freeman said.
Freeman also filed a bill that would remove most of the "no turn on red" signs in Indianapolis.
Senate Bill 24 looks to increase the minimum age to buy and own a gun from 18 to 21.
Also, Senate Bill 66 would require gun stores to display a sign, warning that failure to store a gun safely is a safety risk to children.
"This is also a signal to the dealer to also ask that customer, pause in that moment and say, 'Oh, ma’am. Just want to make sure you have a way to secure this gun. Do you have children in the home?'" said Sen. Andrea Hunley, a Democrat for District 46.
The 2024 session is expected to last about 10 weeks.
You can find a full list of proposed bills here.