Local legislators’ bill moving to become new laws

Bills co-authored by local legislators are heading to the governor’s office for his signature.

According to the Indiana House Republican press office, legislation is moving toward becoming a law that was co-authored by State Rep. Ryan Lauer of Columbus and Rep. Jim Lucas of Seymour. Lauer co-authored a bill to create new grant programs for pediatric and breast cancer research and Lucas worked on a bill to increase penalties for drivers who are on the road without ever receiving a driver’s license.

Lauer’s bill would provide funding for innovative research into novel forms of treatment through the Pediatric Cancer Research and Treatment Grant Program and the Breast Cancer Research Fund.

According to the Indiana Department of Health, more than 30 children died in Indiana from cancer each year between 2016 and 2020 and more than 300 new cases of pediatric cancer occur each year in Hoosier children.

Lauer said that Indiana cancer research could help the state and could also lead to treatments used throughout the U.S.

The bill passed the Indiana General Assembly unanimously.

Lucas’ bill will add two new criminal enhancements for those who drive without ever receiving a license, causing bodily or catastrophic injury or deaths. Those incidents would become Level 5 or 6 felonies, where under current law the crashes would only be a Class C misdemeanor or, if the driver has a previous unrelated conviction, it would be a Class A misdemeanor.

The bill came about after 27-year-old Brad Castner of Holton died in a head-on crash last year with an unlicensed driver. The unlicensed driver could only be charged with a misdemeanor.

Lucas said the hope is that enhancing the penalties would keep unlicensed drivers off of the road.

Indiana Statehouse photo courtesy of iga.in.gov