Indiana Catholic Conference Plans To 'do No Harm' As 2014 General Assembly Convenes
Although the coldest weather to hit central and southern Indiana in more than a decade forced rescheduling of the Legislature’s planned Jan. 6 opening session, nothing has changed for the Indiana Catholic Conference as the 2014 session gets underway.
“Our goal during this ‘short’ session will be to do no harm,” said Glenn Tebbe, executive director for the Indiana Catholic Conference (ICC), who serves as the official public policy spokesperson for Indiana’s Bishops. Tebbe explained that to “do no harm” means he will work to stave off attempts to change laws that currently are effective in protecting families and children, while working to support new laws that promote the consistent life ethic and the common good.
“Obviously, the big gorilla in the room in terms of issues this coming session will be the marriage amendment,” Tebbe noted. “The Church’s teaching is clear that we support traditional marriage between one man and one woman, and have a long history in the public square of supporting traditional marriage. We will continue that effort.”
The Dec. 13, 2013, issue of The Message included coverage of the Bishops’ pastoral statement on the dignity of all life and the dignity of the family, which they adopted earlier during a meeting in Indianapolis. The statement is available at www.themessageonline.org, and also at the Catholic Conference website – www.indianacc.org.
“Our overall goal this year, as it is every year, is to promote a consistent life ethic,” Tebbe said. The consistent life ethic teaches that all human life from conception to natural death has dignity and deserves respect and protection. “It is out of this moral framework that the Catholic Church speaks to all issues,” Tebbe added. “The Indiana Catholic Conference will be working to protect families and children – and all underlying necessities to support families and children.”
The ICC will engage in promoting and improving education policies and programs; safeguarding parents and educational institutions’ rights and responsibilities; protecting religious liberties regarding marriage, health care; protecting programs that support vulnerable families and individuals; and ensuring new programs or initiatives protect parent rights and responsibilities and enhance family life.
According to Tebbe, the ICC plans to work with state lawmakers to require parental notification for minors to use Plan B abortion-inducing drugs; improve access to early childhood education; improve childcare regulations; work to bridge the health insurance gap under the Affordable Care Act for Medicaid and lower income families; and work toward passing legislation to improve Indiana adoption laws.
“There will be many issues on the table, and we will be taking part in the process to ensure that the voice of the Church and the least among us are heard,” Tebbe said.
Tebbe said that in previous years, the success of the ICC’s legislative agendas had been impacted by 1) the willingness of the leadership in the House and Senate to have bills heard in committee; 2) the willingness of lawmakers to work in unison with the Church’s efforts; and 3) the willingness of Catholics in the pews to be engaged in the political process.
To better equip Catholics to participate in the process, the ICC offers an online system that provides efficient and effective communication with members of the Indiana General Assembly and the U.S. Congress. A Legislative Action Center is available on the ICC Web page (www.indianacc.org) that allows visitors to participate in the political process in a number of ways.
Visitors to the Center can sign-up for the weekly I-CAN Update newsletter, identify their representatives, contact lawmakers and more. To explore the electronic political engagement go to www.indianacc.org and click “Legislative Action Center.”
State lawmakers in the House will be led by Rep. Brian Bosma (R-Indianapolis), who serves as Speaker of the House. Sen. David Long (R-Ft. Wayne) serves as President Pro Tempore in the Senate.
“These two men wield enormous influence, given their leadership roles, by serving as gatekeepers on legislation,” said Tebbe. “We will be working with leadership to forward the Church’s initiatives.” Tebbe said that committee chairs also may decide the fate of any given bill – even if it meets with approval of the House and Senate leaders.
Republicans hold super-majorities in both houses – they have enough members to conduct and pass legislation without Democrats’ support. Republicans hold a (69-31) majority in the Indiana House and a (37-13) majority in the Senate.
The Indiana General Assembly alternates biannually between a long/budget session and a short session, and 2014 marks a short session that must conclude by March 14. Tebbe said lawmakers will work at break-neck speed to meet the short working deadlines of this year’s session. Due to time constraints, short sessions routinely see fewer introduced bills – roughly 1,000. Tebbe says that far fewer actually will get hearings and move through the process.
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Statehouse Calendar
Jan. 6—Session begins
Jan. 14—Governor’s State of the State Address
Feb. 3—Third reading deadline for House bills in the House
Feb. 5—Third reading deadline for Senate bills in the Senate
March 3—Third reading deadline for Senate bills in the House.
March 4—Third reading deadline for House bills in the Senate.
March 14—Session Adjournment
