Below is the latest update from LWVIN Women's Health Advocate Pam Locker.
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LWVIN WOMEN’S HEALTH ADVOCACY UPDATE 2/8/2021
The Indiana League continues to be a member of the Indiana Reproductive Roundtable, HAPA (Health Advocacy & Privacy Alliance) and the Indiana Equality Pay$ Coalition.
As the reproductive rights/equal pay advocate I am following 24 bills, covering equal pay, abortion restrictions, health care for incarcerated women, sexual education, pregnancy & childbirth accommodation, paid family & medical leave, doula services, birth control coverage, maternal mortality, postpartum Medicaid coverage, and the child & dependent tax credit. All of these bills are still sitting in committee, with these two exceptions:
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SB 399 (Abortion), which states that if the U. S. Supreme Court overrules Roe v. Wade or otherwise opens the door for outlawing abortion, the General Assembly would be mandated to convene a special session to consider legislation to restrict or outlaw abortion. Senator Liz Brown, the primary sponsor of SB 399, is the committee chair of Judiciary where the bill currently sits, so it is likely this bill will receive a hearing.
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SB 10 (State Maternal Mortality Review Committee) is still waiting on the Senate floor for a second reading. The bill had been calendared for its second reading this week after passing unanimously out of the Senate Committee on Health and Provider Services. This bill has many co-authors from both sides of the aisle. Indiana is in the top 5 for the highest rate of childbirth-related deaths among women. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR STATE SENATOR AND ASK THAT HE/SHE ACTIVELY SUPPORT THIS BILL.
Here is a list of all the bills of interest in this session and the committees to which they have been assigned. The Senate deadline for bills to pass out of committee is February 18th and the House is February 16th. If these bills do not receive a committee hearing by these dates, they will be dead this session.
The bills in red are those that the Indiana League opposes; the rest we support.
COURTS & CRIMINAL CODE (HOUSE) Chairperson Republican Wendy McNamara
HB 1349: Health care for incarcerated women
HB 1430: Protections for pregnant inmates
HB 1439: Coerced abortions, protection of a fetus, and wrongful death or injury of a child
EDUCATION (HOUSE) Chairperson Republican Robert Behning
HB 1366: Comprehensive sexual health education
EMPLOYMENT, LABOR & PENSIONS (HOUSE) Chairperson Republican Heath VanNatter
HB 1011: Equal pay; wage disclosure protection
HB 1136: Paid family and medical leave program
HB 1192: Wage range inquiries
HB 1245: Pregnancy and childbirth discrimination
HB 1309: Pregnancy accommodation
HB1358: Pregnancy and childbirth accommodation
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS & INSURANCE (HOUSE) Chairperson Republican Martin Carbaugh
HB 1350: Coverage for doula services
HB 1525: Assigned assured plan for birth control coverage
HEALTH & PROVIDER SERVICES (SENATE) Chairperson Republican Ed Charbonneau
SB 10: Statewide maternal mortality review committee
INSURANCE & FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS (SENATE) Chairperson Republican Andy Zay
SB 298: Doula services
JUDICIARY (HOUSE AND SENATE) House Chairperson Republican Gerry Torr and Senate Chairperson Republican Liz Brown
HB 1310: Abortion
HB 1539: Protection of life
HB 1557 Abortion
SB 399: Abortion
PENSIONS & LABOR (SENATE) Chairperson Republican Philli Boots
SB 313: Paid family and medical leave program
SB 314: Wage history
SB 246: Pregnancy and childbirth accommodations
PUBLIC HEALTH (SENATE) Chairperson Republican Brad Barrett
HB 1155: Postpartum Medicaid coverage.
HB 1577: Telemedicine and abortion related services
TAX & FISCAL POLICY (SENATE) Chairperson Republican Travis Holdman
SB 355: Child and dependent care tax credit
Pam Locker
LWVIN Women's Health Advocate
alandscaper@hotmail.com
812-430-0826