House committee passes abortion ban bill with major amendments; $225 tax refund added to Senate bill

INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) — Indiana lawmakers started work during a special session on Monday, July 25. The session, called for by Gov. Eric Holcomb, will allow lawmakers to consider abortion ban legislation and how to give Hoosiers a tax break given the state’s surplus.

Both issues will affect every person in Indiana, but the abortion ban will be what puts national attention on the state. Vice President Kamala Harris even visited Indiana Monday to meet with legislators ahead of their work during the special session.

BACKGROUND: Indiana Senate passes abortion legislation, moves on to House – Indiana Senate to discuss, vote on abortion ban amendments – Indiana abortion bill includes potential prison and fines despite Republican pledge ‘not to penalize women’

State senators started the session tackling the abortion ban bill, while the House started with work on a tax refund plan. They are slated to then switch for the second week.

On Tuesday, the Senate passed the abortion ban legislation out of committee. It was presented to the full Senate on Wednesday afternoon and passed out of the Senate on Saturday.

The House will now hear the bill. House Speaker Todd Huston announced the following schedule for the Indiana House of Representatives during the week of Aug. 1.

Monday, Aug. 1:

Tuesday, Aug. 2:

9 a.m. Committee meeting on Senate Bill 1(ss) in the House Chamber
9 a.m. Ways and Means will hear Senate Bill 2(ss) in Room 404

*The House will convene for session 30 minutes after the conclusion of the hearing on SB1(ss)

Wednesday, Aug. 3:

Thursday, Aug. 4 and Friday, Aug. 5:

Under Indiana code, the special session must end no later than Aug. 14, 2022, but legislative leaders anticipate concluding their business within two weeks after convening.

Timeline of events

6:10 p.m. – The amended version of Senate Bill 1 passed out of the House Courts and Criminal Code committee by a vote of 8-5. The bill now heads to the full House for consideration.

11:25 a.m. – The Indiana House Ways & Means committee unanimously passed, amended and stripped Senate Bill 2 on to the full House of Representatives. The bill now includes all of the language from House Bill 1001, which focused on the $225 taxpayer refund.

They also stripped out the Hoosier Families First Fund, which would provide $45 million for eligible existing and new programs to address:

Funding to support the health of pregnant mothers
Maternal support services and pregnancy resource centers
Access to contraception
Pregnancy planning, including removing barriers to long-acting reversible contraception
Needs of low-income families with children under 4 years old
Increased access to childcare
Support for foster and adoptive care
Programs to prevent children from entering the DCS system
Funding for Safe Haven Baby Boxes and more.