What to expect from the 2024 legislative session
12/5/23
As we look forward to the celebration of Jesus’ birth at Christmas, we are also preparing for the upcoming 2024 legislative session. We are amazed at how quickly 2023 has flown by. It was an incredible year of progress and we pray that God will continue to move in Indiana during the coming year.
On November 21st, Indiana’s lawmakers met at the Statehouse for “Organization Day,” a ceremonial start to the 2024 session in which our legislators plan the details of the upcoming session, like swearing in members of the General Assembly, the annual first roll call, sorting out committee chairs, and other important work that ensures a smooth entry into the session.
Indiana’s General Assembly alternates between “short” and “long” sessions every other year – even-numbered years are short, odd-numbered are long. 2024’s “short” session will run from January to March.
Although it will be a shorter session, we have high hopes for all that will be accomplished on the “Faith, Family, and Freedom” front. IFI is focused on the following issues:
Strengthening Parental Rights
We know parental rights are fundamental rights that deserve the highest level of protection from our government. In 2023, we fought for the Cox family, who experienced one of a parent’s worst nightmares: their son was taken from them after they refused to acquiesce to his new “gender identity” as a female. The bill HB 1407, “Strengthening Parental Rights and Protecting Parents from Trans Activist Bureaucrats,” unfortunately did not pass through the legislature in 2023, but we are mapping out a similar bill to propose in the upcoming session. We have high hopes for its success.
Protecting Kids from Online Pornography
We believe Indiana should follow in the footsteps of the seven states that have already banned pornography access for minors, requiring adult content websites to verify the age of its users before granting access. These bipartisan bills are sweeping the nation – because if there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that kids shouldn’t be exposed to pornography.
Fifteen states have declared pornography consumption a public health crisis due to its links to stunted brain development and depression and suicide. We know that the porn industry targets susceptible minors; the average child is exposed to porn at least once between the ages of 7 to 13.
We must protect our children from the evils of the porn industry. This is the first step to doing just that.
Protecting Kids from the LGBT agenda
If “Pride Month” taught us anything this year, it’s that the LGBT agenda is after our children. Not only did they shout it in the public square (“We’re here, we’re queer, we’re coming for your children”), they proved it with their contradictory “kid-friendly drag shows.”
Kids should never be exposed to adult sexuality – full stop. Not through porn, and not through drag shows. Let’s put an end to all the above in Indiana, once and for all.
Now more than ever, we are focused on strengthening laws to protect children from the LGBT agenda, and putting power back in the hands of the parents who deserve it. We hope you’ll consider donating to this important mission and equipping us with the funds we need to take on the 2024 legislative session.
Thank you for your steadfast support of Indiana Family Institute and your commitment to life, faith, family, and freedom!