GOP's 2018 legislative agenda includes opioids, education and alcohol sales

INDIANAPOLIS -- Senate Republicans outlined their legislative priorities for the 2018 session during a press conference on Monday. 

State Senate President Pro Tem David Long was joined by members of the Senate Republican Caucus as they unveiled their plan. 

“Indiana has made great strides over the last decade, but as our world continues to change, there will always be ways for us to improve upon the work done here at the Statehouse on behalf of Hoosiers,” Long said. “This session, we will continue to fight the opioid epidemic, look for ways to improve our workforce development efforts and support our schools. We will also be working to improve civil forfeiture laws and will work to allow the carryout sale of alcohol on Sundays. There is a lot of work to be done in the coming months on all of these issues, but our caucus is ready to take on those challenges. We look forward to the session ahead.”

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Long said Senate Republicans are "ready to begin work on the issues facing the Hoosier state."

• Fight the drug epidemic (Senate Bill 221, authored by Sen. Erin Houchin, R-Salem)
  Help prevent opioid abuse by phasing in a requirement for doctors to check INSPECT, the state’s prescription-monitoring service, when prescribing opioids to a patient.
   
• Improve workforce development (Senate Bill 50, authored by Sen. Doug Eckerty, R-Yorktown, and Senate Bill 172, authored by Sen. Jeff Raatz, R-Centerville)
  Expand financial aid for job-training programs and require high schools to offer computer science.
   
• Support our schools (Senate Bill 189, authored by Sen. Ryan Mishler, R-Bremen, and Senate Bill 177, authored by Sen. Dennis Kruse, R-Auburn)
  Increase school funding to account for higher-than-expected enrollment and adjust Indiana’s diploma system to make sure all high-school graduates are counted in Indiana’s federal graduation rate.
   
• Reform civil forfeiture laws (Senate Bill 99, authored by Sen. Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville)
  Reform Indiana’s civil forfeiture laws to better balance law-enforcement needs and property owners’ Constitutional rights.
   
• Allow Sunday alcohol sales (Senate Bill 1, authored by Sen. Ron Alting, R-Lafayette)
  Act on the recommendation of the Alcohol Code Revision Commission to allow the carryout sale of alcohol on Sundays in Indiana.

The General Assembly reconvened for the 2018 session Jan. 3 and, by law, must end no later than March 14.

READ | Senate Republicans Detail 2018 Legislative Agenda