NWI bills halfway home

INDIANAPOLIS | Several legislative proposals sponsored by Northwest Indiana lawmakers were approved Tuesday by one chamber of the General Assembly. These proposals now go to the other chamber for consideration by that body.

The measures winning approval in the Senate included:

Senate Bill 87: Fixes conflicting portions of Indiana law concerning the procedures for suspending or terminating emergency medical service personnel. The legislation was sponsored by state Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Ogden Dunes.

Senate Bill 168: Gives new power to the state inspector general to penalize people who fail to pay fines for ethical violations and requires the State Board of Accounts to send notices to the inspector general of public corruption or stolen public funds. The legislation was sponsored by state Sen. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso.

Senate Bill 265: Punishes drivers who lead police on a high-speed chase. Those drivers would lose their license for one year after being released from prison. The legislation was sponsored by state Sen. Jim Arnold, D-LaPorte.

Senate Bill 281: Permits excess funds in a law enforcement training account to be used to buy new computers and software for official use. The legislation was sponsored by state Sen. Jim Arnold, D-LaPorte.

Senate Bill 282: Allows county drainage boards to receive complaints, investigate and order the removal of artificial impediments to stormwater runoff. The legislation was sponsored by state Sen. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso.

Senate Bill 316: Requires the Department of Education to develop guidelines to teach students about the warning signs of dating violence and how to prevent it. The legislation was sponsored by state Sen. Earline Rogers, D-Gary.

Senate Bill 407: Creates the Gold Star license plate for family members of U.S. soldiers who were killed in service. It also continues to make available Abraham Lincoln licenses plates, which were supposed to be terminated at the end of 2009. The legislation was sponsored by state Sen. Jim Arnold, D-LaPorte.

In the House, proposals from region lawmakers winning approval included:

House Bill 1258: Makes attending an animal fighting event a Class D felony. It also mandates pet stores provide information on a pet's history and background to pet purchasers. The legislation was sponsored by state Rep. Linda Lawson, D-Hammond.

House Bill 1320: Requires pharmacists to notify doctors if a patient's "lifeline" medicine for chronic conditions switches to a different manufacturer or brand name. The legislation was sponsored by state Reps. Earl Harris, D-East Chicago, and Charlie Brown, D-Gary.

Under General Assembly rules, legislation that has not cleared at least one chamber by the end of session Wednesday no longer can be acted on for the remainder of the legislative session, which is scheduled to run through mid-March.