Nothing Was Normal About 2021 Legislative Session Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
Unable to load the audio player.
playpausemuteunmute
Brandon Smith
“Nothing was easy.”
That’s how lawmakers described this year’s legislative session, one in which COVID-19 changed the work - and the results - of the 2021 General Assembly.
The changes started last year. A small committee of lawmakers met to try to figure out how to conduct the 2021 legislative session amid the ongoing pandemic. And even that first meeting revealed potential roadblocks: one of the members had to participate virtually because he was in quarantine. And when he got disconnected, Rep. Matt Lehman (R-Berne) had to halt the meeting.
State Rep. Randall Frye
STATEHOUSE – Gov. Eric Holcomb recently signed State Rep. Randy Frye s (R-Greensburg) legislation into law to help alleviate local jail overcrowding issues in Hoosier communities.
Frye said counties can now establish a local or regional justice reinvestment advisory council to review criminal justice systems, policies and procedures. Local councils and the state Justice Reinvestment Advisory Council will then evaluate local jail overcrowding and recommend solutions. This new law provides our communities with increased flexibility, and more tools to better address jail overcrowding and curb the number of repeat offenders, Frye said. Bringing together local criminal justice stakeholders will help us better detect and then address the unique needs of our regions. If we can pinpoint why people are going to jail, whether it be due to an influx of drug offenses or violent altercations, we can get to the core root of our problems and then implement programs t
Eagle Country 99.3 By Travis Thayer
(Indianapolis, Ind.) – The Indiana General Assembly is considering two bills that could fall into the controversial category.
State Representative Randy Frye (R-Greensburg) joined Eagle Country 99.3 on Monday morning to provide an update on the 2021 legislative session.
The first topic discussed was House Concurrent Resolution 18, which would remove COVID-19 mandates put in place by the state.
“I don’t think that particular resolution is going to move,” said Frye. “The current stimulus package coming from the federal government has a provision in it that says if the state doesn’t have the state of emergency in place, we are not eligible for the billions of dollars the federal government is sending Indiana. That would be quite a mistake for Hoosiers for us to make that decision and cost us that money.”
Lawmakers Next Step In Reducing Jail Overcrowding Is Local Justice Councils
Article origination IPBS-RJC
Legislation approved by a Senate committee creates local Justice Reinvestment Advisory Councils that could help solve Indiana’s jail overcrowding problem.
Brandon Smith/IPB News
Indiana lawmakers are pushing local criminal justice leaders to examine more closely why people are incarcerated.
Legislation, House Bill 1068, approved by a Senate committee Tuesday creates local Justice Reinvestment Advisory Councils that could help solve Indiana’s jail overcrowding problem.
There’s already a state JRAC, made up of people representing prosecutors, public defenders, judges, mental health professionals, police and more. Rep. Randy Frye (R-Greensburg) wants to extend that down to the local level to give those leaders more tools.