Senate Democrats’ agenda for next year’s legislative session focuses on several items they’ve tried and failed to get past the Republican majority for several years.
Democrats will again seek a redistricting commission, a hate crimes law, and a three-year phase-in of a minimum wage hike to 15 dollars an hour, just over double the current wage. They’ll also offer several bills they say would make voting easier: voting by mail, same-day registration, and longer voting hours.
Only the hate crimes bill has gotten as far as a vote in past sessions — it passed the Senate last year but died without a hearing in the House. This year, the bill again reached the Senate floor but stalled there.
And Indianapolis Senator Jean Breaux says Democrats will consider authoring state versions of federal health care protections, like a ban on lifetime caps and a guarantee of coverage for pre-existing conditions — but only if congressional Republicans’ push to repeal the health care law looks like it might succeed. Breaux says legislators shouldn’t pass laws if they aren’t necessary.
Legislators will gather Tuesday for a one-day organizational session, then return January 8 to begin the session in earnest.
