Senate President Pro Tem Rod Bray 'will not guarantee' abortion bill will pass legislature

Special sessions in the Indiana General Assembly have been rare over the last 52 years.

Since 1970, lawmakers have been called back to Indianapolis after the conclusion of a regular session less than 15 times.

More:What to know about Indiana's special session, abortion bill and how to participate.

During odd-numbered years, the General Assembly usually meets from January to late April.

In even-numbered years, like this year, the legislature adjourns by the middle of March.

Earlier this year, Gov. Eric Holcomb called for a special session so legislators could approve an inflation relief package for Hoosiers.

However, the purpose of the special session shifted after the Supreme Court issued its decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case, which overturned the 1973 case Roe v. Wade, on June 24.

The special session was originally scheduled to begin July 6, but was pushed back a few weeks so lawmakers could have more time to come up with abortion- and inflation-related legislation.

Indiana abortion legislation

Indiana Senate Republicans released their initial abortion bill July 20 which would forbid all abortions in the state except in situations of rape, incest or if the life of the mother is threatened due to the continued pregnancy.

The initial bill has been controversial on both sides of the aisle, with Democrats opposing it as too restrictive and many Republicans feeling like it doesn't go far enough to ban abortions.

As of Wednesday afternoon, amendments have been included in the bill to add criminal punishments for doctors who perform an abortion, unless it occurs due to rape, incest or to protect the life of the mother.

Another change to the bill this week added restrictions on abortions for 15-year-olds and younger to receive an abortion at 12 weeks after fertilization or sooner in the case of rape or incest.

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Those who are aged 16 and older would not be able to have an abortion later than eight weeks after fertilization.

During a phone conversation Wednesday morning, Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, said he was not 100 percent certain the proposed bill would pass out of the chamber.

"It is extremely challenging because the issue of abortion is so difficult, and people are extremely passionate about it on both sides, which I completely understand," Bray said.

He went on to note that he believes there is "a good chance" a bill would be approved through both the Indiana House of Representatives and Senate.

"Although, I will not guarantee it because it is just that challenging," Bray said.

The bill was passed out of the Senate Rules and Legislative Procedures Committee by a vote of 7-5 Tuesday with Sen. Mark Messmer, R-Jasper, voting against the bill, along with all Democrats on the committee.

Bray said Thursday would be "significant" because the bill would be presented on second reading.

"And the entire body will have the opportunity to amend that abortion bill (on Thursday), to file amendments and argue their case to see if the bill gets amended," Bray said. "And there will be a lot of amendments filed, a lot of amendments. We will spend a lot of time debating that issue and it will no doubt be a spirited debate."

Bray expects the bill to receive its final reading in the Senate Friday, and would be either approved or declined by the Senate.

"If the bill passes, obviously, it goes over to the House and goes through the very same process," Bray said. "If it is changed over in the House, then we'll have to figure out if it is a bill that we can vote for or not."

The process through the House, Bray noted, would take about another week.

"If (the bill) fails, then we probably don't have a bill at that point and we come back in January," Bray said.

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He added he has regular conversations with Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston, and Bray believes the two chambers "are pretty close in line to what the bill should look like."

"But, again, there (are) lots of different opinions over there (in the House), and it will go through amendments and changes as well," Bray said. "So it is difficult to say exactly what it will look like when it comes out of there."

$50 million for support

Another piece of legislation being considered by the Senate is a bill that would allocate about $50 million to increase support for programs that assist women and children.

Of that money, $45 million would be allocated for the Hoosier Families First Fund while the remaining $5 million would be earmarked for adoption tax credits.

Senate Bill 2 would increase a tax credit for adoption from $1,000 to $10,000 for Indiana families that adopt children.

"In addition, we are going to work pretty hard on trying to make available contraception so we can have fewer unwanted, unplanned pregnancies in the first place. I think that is a good place to start," Bray said. "And we are going to provide more care for pregnant women and their new babies based on programs that we already have in place. We are going to try to add some additional funding to those programs."

He noted, under the proposal, the state would create a fund that programs would have access to for agencies — including the Department of Child Services, the Family and Social Services Administration and state health department — that need the extra money.

Inflation relief

Like all Americans, Hoosiers have been grappling with high inflation in recent months as the cost of basic necessities has increased.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, consumer prices were up 9.1 percent in June 2022 over June 2021.

One of Holcomb's proposals is to give every Indiana resident a tax refund of $225.

Bray noted, however, there are some concerns amongst legislators in adding more cash into the economy "when the inflationary pressure is already there, in force."

The current proposal in the Senate would pay down some state debts, complete some state projects and a tax holiday on utility payments.

"When you pay your utility bill — your electric bill, your phone bill, your water bill — you have (a) 7 percent sales tax that goes on that like most of the things you purchase at any retail story," Bray said.

As of Wednesday morning, that utility tax holiday would last six months and save an average Hoosier family around $120 over that period.

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The Senate is also proposing capping the gas tax to what it was in June, prior to a tax increase that was implemented July 1.

Legislators will have until Aug. 14 to approve any legislation proposed during the special session.

Contact Reporter-Times, Times-Mail and Spencer Evening World editor Lance Gideon at lgideon@reporter-times.com or 765-342-1543. Follow him on Twitter: @LanceOGideon.

This article originally appeared on The Reporter Times: Indiana Senate Bill 1: Rodric Bray talks abortion legislation