Legislation on judicial nominating commission members moves to House

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A bill that would require the governor to appoint nonattorney members to the Judicial Nominating Commission from a list of legislator-approved candidates passed the Senate 46-2 Thursday.

Sen. Brent Steele’s legislation, Senate Bill 103, requires that the governor choose one nonattorney candidate from a list submitted by the president pro tem of the Senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives, and the minority leaders of the House and Senate. Each legislator may recommend a candidate.

The bill gives the legislators 30 days to make their recommendations to the governor once learning of a vacancy on the commission and the governor 30 days after receiving the list of candidates to appoint the nonattorney member.

Senate Bill 347, which looks to address social media use by registered sex offenders, was engrossed Thursday. The bill is in response to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in January that declared the state’s current law restricting sex offender use of social media unconstitutional.

The legislation prohibits sex offenders, as a condition of parole, probation or participation in a community transition program, from using social media to contact someone younger than 16 years old. A person may be permitted by court to use social media to communicate with his or her child or relative.

House Bill 1053, on sex offender registration, will be eligible for second reading Monday. The bill requires the Department of Correction to remove from the public portal of the Sex Offender Registry the information relating to a sex or violent offender who is deceased or no longer required to register. It makes other changes regarding registration. The introduced version of the bill was prepared by the Criminal Law and Sentencing Policy Study Committee.

Senate Bill 474 passed second reading Thursday. The legislation establishes a Historic Courthouse Rehabilitation and Restoration Revolving Fund, which will loan money to counties to work on county courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places.

Senate Bill 1 was approved Thursday by the Senate Appropriations Committee. The bill sets aside $10 million in match grants for school safety, including school resource officers. Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller and Sen. Pete Miller, R-Avon, proposed the bill in January.

 

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