Local lawmakers named to study committees

Jun. 18—ANDERSON — Local members of the Indiana General Assembly have been appointed to serve on several interim study committees this summer.

Sen. Tim Lanane, D-Anderson, will be serving on six committees, while Sen. Mike Gaskill, R-Pendleton, has been appointed to five committees.

Rep. Terri Austin, D-Anderson, has been named to five committees; Rep. Elizabeth Rowray, D-Yorktown, will serve on two committees; Rep. Bob Cherry, R-Greenfield, is serving on three committees; and Rep. Tony Cook, R-Cicero, has been appointed to two committees.

Austin will be serving on the Legislative Council, the Space Utilization subcommittee, the Financial Institutions & Insurance Committee, the Indiana Behavioral Health Commission, and the Public Policy Committee.

"In public health, I look forward to talking through changes on the restrictions of out-of-state occupational licenses in Indiana," she said. "This could have significant impacts on Hoosier employment in the coming years."

Austin said the Behavioral Health Commission will assess the state's smoking laws and Indiana's Medicaid policy.

"The OB Navigators program, which connects pregnant women with critical prenatal services, will be under discussion," she said. "Access to these services has only become more important as we look at our dismal infant and maternal mortality numbers."

Gaskill has been assigned to the following committees: Courts & the Judiciary; Education; Financial Institutions and Insurance; Roads and Transportation; and the Code Revision Commission.

"These study committees afford lawmakers the time needed to effectively evaluate the state's most pressing issues," he said. "This is one aspect of the legislative process that I enjoy most.

"I encourage residents of Senate District 26 to engage with the process," he added, "as it strengthens and improves our ability to find lasting solutions that work best."

Lanane is serving on the following interim study committees: Code Revision Commission; Corrections & Criminal Code; Courts & Judiciary; Fiscal Policy; Public Policy; and Probate Code.

Cherry is chairman of the State Fair Advisory Committee and will serve on the Budget and Fiscal Policy committees.

Rowray is serving on the Protection and Advocacy Committee and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission.

Cook will serve on the Education and Civic Education committees.

Follow Ken de la Bastide on Twitter @KendelaBastide, or call 765-640-4863.

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