(The Center Square) – The Indiana House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved $75 million in support of families and $1 billion in taxpayer relief just hours ahead passing a ban on elective abortion in the state.
Both measures were returned to the Senate where the financial package was ratified. Passage of the abortion ban was expected later tonight.
The House approved an amended version of Senate Bill 2, the Senate’s financial bill, by a margin of 93-6. The House version directs that $1 billion of the state’s $6.2 billion reserve funds be distributed in $200 payments to eligible 2021 taxpayers.
The bill also limits the gasoline use tax to a maximum of $0.295 per gallon for the next year.
Although the payment will be $25 less than requested by Gov. Eric Holcomb, he stated he is extremely pleased with the result.
The family support portion of the bill includes $45 million to establish a Hoosier Family Fund, which will distribute funds through the Department of Health and Department of Homeland Security; $2 million to Real Alternatives, an organization providing pass-through funding to pregnancy support organizations in 11 Indiana counties; $10 million to expand the Nurse Family Partnership program; $5 million to the Safety PIN grant fund; and $10 million to Child Care and Development Fund voucher program.
Some family relief measures are provided in the form of tax credits, including a repeal of sales tax on diapers, adding an additional tax exemption for an adopted child, and an increase in the adjusted gross income tax credit for those claiming an adoption tax credit.
The House also voted to prohibit Indiana Department of Health from awarding grants for the distribution of contraceptives through school run programs or to a minor without the consent of a parent or guardian.
Hours later, the House also approved a bill banning nearly all abortions in the state by a vote of 63-38. Nine Republicans voted against the bill.
The House debate mirrored that held in the Senate last week as speakers on both sides visibly displayed emotion, some referencing the difficulty they had faced in dealing with the issue over the last two weeks.
Speakers in favor of the bill typically referenced their religious conviction that life begins at conception. Rep. John Young, R-Franklin, argued the bill serves a compelling government interest by protecting life.
Speakers opposing the bill generally characterized the bill as a step backward for Indiana, citing their desire to allow women reproductive freedom and to avoid imposing their own moral convictions on others. Some, like Rep. Ann Vermillion, R-Marion, argued their vote against the abortion ban is not conflict with their overall pro-life position.
From outside the House chamber, protesters opposing the bill could be heard chanting throughout the debate. Occasional applause or comments from the House gallery were suppressed by Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, who twice directed citizens to leave the gallery after disrupting proceedings.
Both the House and Senate versions of the bill allow exceptions to prevent any serious health risk of the pregnant woman or to save the pregnant woman's life, when the fetus is diagnosed with a lethal fetal anomaly or when the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest.
The House version of SB 1 was amended to clarify the meaning of “serious health risk” and limiting to the time during which an abortion may be performed in cases of rape or incest to the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, regardless of the mother’s age. The House version also empowers a Task Force, rather than the attorney general, to oversee prosecution related to this law.
Both bills were returned to the Senate today, where the Senate approved the House financial package with a vote of 37-9. A Senate vote on the abortion ban is scheduled this evening, with approval of the measure widely expected.