Here are some unique bills introduced in the Indiana House

Annexing part of Illinois? A new state mammal?

(INDIANAPOLIS) – There are hundreds of bills introduced in the Indiana legislature every winter during the General Assembly.

Only a handful of them make their way to the Governor’s desk to be vetoed or signed into law. 

The 2025 session is still early enough that 600 bills are on the docket. Each bill has to pass through a committee before it can even be up for a house vote. Some bills won’t even get a hearing in the committee.

Here are some unique pieces of legislation that are on the table:

Annexing a part of Illinois?

The bill would establish a commission to discuss and recommend whether to adjust the Indiana-Illinois border. 

It comes after several Illinois counties voted in November to succeed their state. 

Rather than form the 51st state, Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston authored the bill with the thought that those counties (some which border Indiana) can just join the Hoosier State. 

Even if it is passed, it won’t be an easy process. The State of Illinois would also have to pass a similar bill and the U.S. Congress would need to give their stamp of approval as well. 

Making the “Hoosier State” official:

I would assume most people know what you mean if you say you’re from the Hoosier State.  

But what exactly is a Hoosier? One legislator wants to make that definition clear. 

House Bill 1013 would designate "The Hoosier State" as the official nickname of Indiana.

It would also designate that the nickname would recognize and memorialize the legacy of Harry Hoosier. 

He was born as a slave in 1750 in North Carolina and was a Black Methodist preacher. Although he was illiterate, he was described as the greatest orator in America by Benjamin Rush, who was a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Although he traveled around preaching, it is not believed that he ever preached in Indiana. 

Human Trafficking awareness training 

One bill aims to combat human trafficking by training people who work at restaurants and hotels.

House Bill 1021 would require employees to complete an annual training course to recognize the signs of human trafficking. 

The bill would also require the establishment to have signage accessible for all employees with instructions on how to report human trafficking. 

Repeal the Death Penalty

A group of legislators are wanting to repeal the death penalty through House Bill 1030. 

If someone is currently on death row, their sentence would be changed to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. 

Also in that bill, if a defendant is charged with murder and the prosecutor is seeking life imprisonment without parole, the defendant may file a petition claiming they have an intellectual disability. 

If it is deemed that they do have an intellectual disability, the defendant could only be sentenced to a fixed term in prison. 

Sexual-related Bills

House Bill 1034 would make it a crime for a prisoner to expose themselves inside the jail. They would be charged with Indecent Exposure, which is a misdemeanor. 

It wouldn’t be a good idea to commit sexual battery on a police officer. However, if House Bill 1091 becomes law, your punishment will be enhanced. 

Tow Service Rates

One legislator has crafted a bill that would require a tow truck operator to provide an owner of a vehicle, if the owner is present, with a rate sheet listing the cost and charging rate for each service.

This bill would mandate that, "Assessing a cost or charging a rate in excess of the applicable cost or charging rate displayed on a rate sheet constitutes a deceptive act."

It would also require a rate sheet to be displayed at a towing company's place of business and provided to any patron or customer upon request.

University discipline

One house bill would mandate that a state educational institution cannot investigate, threaten disciplinary action, punish, or solicit the reporting of certain student speech.

The bill also says that the race, color, or ethnicity of a student or applicant of a postsecondary educational institution may not be used in certain decision making processes.

State Symbols

If you had to pick, what should be the official ‘state mammal’ of Indiana?

One legislator wants to designate the bat as our official mammal.

Meanwhile, another representative wants to designate the persimmon as the official state fruit of Indiana.

Sale of Venison

If House Bill 1619 is passed into law, it would allow a person to sell venison from a deer taken in Indiana if certain requirements are met. The bill does not identify what those requirements would be.

Minor League Baseball players

The bills says that a person who has entered into a contract to play baseball at the minor league level and is compensated under the terms of a collective bargaining agreement is excluded from the definition of "employee" for purposes of the minimum wage law.

Provides that a record of daily and weekly hours and wages is not required for any person who has entered into a contract to play baseball at the minor league level and is compensated under the terms of a collective bargaining agreement. 

Ten Commandments

One bill that has been introduced would require each school corporation to place a durable poster or framed picture representing the text of the Ten Commandments in each school library and classroom. 

Trucking Industry Bills

We’ve heard about the possibility of automated semis. One bill would require a fully-licensed human operator to be present on any automated tractor-trailer on Indiana highways.

“To monitor the performance of the automated tractor-trailer and to take control of all or part of the automated tractor-trailer's operation if necessary,” the bill said. 

Meanwhile, another house bill would allow truckers to drive faster. The authors of House Bill 1078 want to increase the maximum speed limit for semis from 65 to 70 miles per hour.