Messmer Column: Looking back at this year's legislative session.

The 2023 legislative session came to a close this week, and I am happy to see a number of important initiatives pass the General Assembly.

The most important bill this session is the new state budget, which includes a nearly $3 billion increase in K-12 education over the next two years.

These added funds will double funding for certain teaching scholarships in Indiana, eliminate textbook and curricular material fees and provide parents more choice in their child's educational opportunities.

In addition, several of the bills I either authored or sponsored passed the General Assembly this year.

Senate Enrolled Act 331 closed a loophole in child sex abuse cases that defense attorneys were using to circumvent a prior law preventing depositions of child sex abuse victims. The bill passed both the Senate and House unanimously and went into effect upon the governor's signature on April 20.

Senate Enrolled Act 390 passed with bipartisan support in both chambers and will provide incentives for counties to adopt statewide standards so they can be designated as either a wind or solar ready community. The governor signed this bill on April 20 and it will go into effect on July 1.

Senate Enrolled Act 472 deals with a specific disposal method known as advanced recycling, defined as a manufacturing process to convert post-use polymers and recovered feedstock into basic raw materials, feedstocks, chemicals and other products.

The process is currently being done by Brightmark in Northeast Indiana, and is based on legislation passed in 21 other states.

While this year's legislative session is over, there's still be a lot of work to be done until the 2024 session begins.

To stay informed about things happening at the Statehouse and in District 48, I encourage you to sign up for my e-newsletter by visiting IndianaSenateRepublicans.com/Messmer and submitting your email address.

As always, feel free to contact my office directly with your questions and concerns by email at [email protected] or by phone at 800-382-9467.