State Sen. Michael Crider (R-Greenfield)
STATEHOUSE — As the Indiana General Assembly completed the first half of the 2024 legislative session, a total of 297 bills were introduced to the Senate this session and of those, 110 bills passed.
According to a press release, 88% of bills received bipartisan support and 58% received unanimous support upon final passage in the Senate.
State Sen. Michael Crider (R-Greenfield) offered legislation during the first half of the session to help improve care for Hoosiers and better protect some of Indiana’s most vulnerable citizens.
“I am happy to see my bills, along with other important pieces of legislation, pass the Senate and move to the House of Representatives for consideration,” said Crider in the press release. “Going into the second half of session, I look forward to working with the members of the House to help pass measures that will support quality care for all Hoosiers.”
This season, Crider authored four Senate Bills that passed through the first half of the session according to the press release.
Senate Bill 45 passed the Senate with bipartisan support and is aimed to give Hoosiers better access to trauma care. It would require the Indiana State Board of Nursing to study whether trauma-informed care training for nurses would be beneficial for careers and patients.
Crider authored Senate Bill 109 to better help protect Indiana’s endangered adults. This bill would allow Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) “the flexibility to contract with an outside entity in the case where a prosecutor declines or cannot provide the services needed to protect endangered adults.” SB 109 passed the Senate unanimously.
Another bill passing the Senate unanimously is Senate Bill 172. Crider wrote this bill to clarify compensation for victims of violent crimes and to help clean up language from previous legislation. This bill would include changes to the Violent Crime Victims Compensation Fund such as extending mental health counseling opportunities by two years for victims and families. The bill also clarifies and extends who is eligible for the resources.
Crider’s last bill to pass through the Senate unanimously is Senate Bill 233, which also aims to help expand metal health care throughout Indiana. This bill would make sure that if Indiana is approved for federal funding to expand mental health services, then all Indiana qualified community health centers will be able to participate. This bill is also a follow up to make sure that Senate Enrolled Act 1 passed in 2023 works to its full capacity.
These four bills along with the rest will move to the Indiana House of Representatives for further consideration. To learn more about these bills or to watch sessions live, visit iga.in.gov.
