Legislation concerning meth making materials, Sunday liquor sales and ethics laws continues to move…..
METH MAKING MATERIAL BILL
An Indiana Senate committee is considering a bill that would require drug offenders to obtain a prescription before purchasing a common cold and allergy medicine.
Corrections and Criminal Law Committee members discussed a proposal Tuesday that would require courts to report anyone with a felony drug conviction to an electronic system. Those on the list would need prescriptions to purchase pseudoephedrine, which is a key ingredient in the meth-making process.
The measure is a less restrictive version of similar legislation that would make pseudoephedrine a prescription-only drug for all consumers. Supporters say the bill targets criminals already misusing drugs.
Opponents argued the requirement would burden primary care doctors during the busy cold and flu season and that someone without a drug-conviction could be mistakenly added to the list.
INDIANA ETHICS LAWS
An Indiana House committee has backed a state ethics law overhaul requiring greater financial disclosure by lawmakers and expressly prohibiting elected officials from using state resources for political purposes.
The House government committee voted unanimously Tuesday to advance the bill to the full House.
Republican House Speaker Brian Bosma told the committee the bill aims to increase transparency and limit conflict of interests.
The proposal follows an investigation into former state schools Superintendent Tony Bennett’s use of state staff and resources during his 2012 re-election campaign. In another case, a senior lawmaker privately lobbied last year to kill legislation that could’ve cost his family’s business millions of dollars.
Julia Vaughn of Common Cause Indiana says she believes the bill is a good attempt at closing loopholes in state law.
SUNDAY ALCOHOL SALES
The Indiana House Public Policy Committee is set to discuss a bill that would lift the state’s 80-year-old ban on Sunday alcohol sales.
The committee will also consider a slew of amendments Wednesday aimed at pleasing both sides in the long-running issue.
Committee Chairman Tom Dermody of LaPorte is sponsoring the bill that would allow stores to sell alcohol on Sundays. His bill marks the best chance for legislation repealing the ban, after numerous failed attempts.
Dermody says the amendments are a compromise and would require consistent regulation and training across the industry.
Supporters say the ban costs stores millions of dollars annually in sales. Liquor store owners fear that lifting the ban would increase their operating costs without generating any additional revenue.