TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) – Indiana lawmakers wrapped up their 2020 legislative session in mid-March but officials are already preparing for next year.
Monday, State Senator Jon Ford (R-Terre Haute) announced he’ll serve on study committees during the summer and fall, to prepare for the 2021 legislative session.
These commitees include the interim study committee on public policy, and roads and transportation.
Ford will also assist on the legislative council’s audit and financial reporting subcommittee.
As an example, Ford says the study committee on roads and transportation will look at several safety issues that can improve safety for Hoosiers and other drivers passing through the state.
This includes driver licenses reinstatement fees and the speed limit for trucks on highways.
We spoke with ford on the importance of preparing early for the next legislative session.
“Most of our work is done outside of session where we’re preparing for bills and doing all of our research—–a good example of what comes out of these summer committees is last summer we studied hands-free driving and that now was turned into a law which will be taking effect in July,” Ford said.
Study committee topics are selected by the state’s legislative council.
The council is made up of eight members of the Senate and eight members of the House of Representatives.
Ford says in some cases, issues have been studied for several summers before they became a state law.
