Addressing LGBT

The Religious Freedom Restoration act and its ensuing “fix” put a national spotlight on Indiana’s legislature in 2015.
Legislation stemming from those measures is likely to be a focus of the 2016 session.
As representatives and senators return to Indianapolis on Tuesday, they’ll be taking on the issue of whether to add lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) as a protected class against discrimination.
Also likely to be key topics during the short session — it will adjourn no later than March 14 — are drug addiction, funding for the state’s roads and bridges and issues relating to education.
Proponents of RFRA said the legislation was necessary to protect religious liberty while opponents pointed to it as an attempt to discriminate against the LGBT community. In the wake of the legislation passing last year, there is now a call to add LGBT civil rights protections.
It’s an issue the legislature plans to address this year, but how it will do so is uncertain.
Sen. Travis Holdman (R-Markle), who represents all of Jay, Wells, Adams and Blackford counties as well as parts of Huntington and Grant counties, during Organization Day Nov. 17 introduced Senate Bill 100 to start the conversation and found strong opposition from both sides of the debate. The bill would prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, but also offers exceptions for religious institutions and small businesses.
“It just seemed apparent after last spring … with the whole RFRA debate that we weren’t done with this issue,” said Holdman this week. “We’re trying to find just some middle ground for both the far left and the far right. Right now, neither extreme is happy with the bill.”
While Holdman believes there is a compromise to be found, Rep. Greg Beumer (R-Modoc) expressed concern that finding 51 votes could be difficult because of the strong feelings on both sides of the issue.
“No matter what we do, if it’s anything short of full guaranteed civil rights for the LGBT community, the state of Indiana’s reputation is going to get hammered again,” said Beumer, who represents all of Jay and Randolph counties and part of Delaware County. “For many, it’s all of one thing, or nothing. And that may ultimately be the test.”
Beumer, one of six Republicans to vote against RFRA last year, noted that he sees no problem with granting civil rights protection to LGBT citizens, but he also plans to listen to his constituents before making a decision about any legislation on the issue.
One topic on which Beumer has already heard strong opinions about from local residents relates to drug abuse. Most of those he has spoken to are against a proposal to make pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient in cold medicines, available by prescription only, he said.
“The comment I have heard from folks is that we’re punishing the wrong people,” he added.
With Indiana ranked as the No. 1 methamphetamine-producing state in the nation and East Central Indiana as its hotbed, Beumer instead hopes the legislature will make sentences more severe for those found guilty of manufacturing or distributing methamphetamine, heroin and other drugs.
Both Holdman and Beumer expressed an interest in providing more funding for roads and bridges, with Beumer also noting the importance of water and sewer lines.
Holdman noted a bill proposed Sen. Brandt Hershman (R-Indianapolis) that would release additional income tax funds to local governments, provided that at least 75 percent be used for infrastructure or placed in a rainy day fund. Beumer offered a variety of potential funding solutions, including raising the gas tax, introducing a registration fee and adding more toll roads.
“We need to make sure that some of that money funnels down to local units of government — county roads, city streets, city infrastructure,” said Beumer. “It all needs to be dealt with.”
The legislators also expect to take on education-related issues, including ISTEP testing as scores from the 2014-15 school year have still not been finalized. They expressed disappointment with the current system, with Holdman saying he believes the legislature will pass a moratorium on using the scores for school A through F grades and teacher evaluations.
“The one thing I hate to see happen is that we continue to move the goal posts,” said Holdman. “It seems like every three to five years there’s a new fad, there’s a new way to do things. So we decide we’re going to change what we require of schools, what we require of teachers, and especially students and parents. And I think it gets very frustrating.”
Beumer plans to introduce a bill that would reverse last a measure last session that requires those running for judge in city courts to be attorneys. He also has legislation regarding sewer regulations, the elimination of the sales tax on gold and silver and lowering the age requirements for running for some state offices.
Other issues the legislature is likely to discuss this year include voter registration, e-cigarettes, drones, Sunday alcohol sales and daily fantasy sports.