Tomorrow the Indiana General Assembly will convene at the Statehouse for the ceremonial start of the 2016 legislative session.
“Organization Day,” as it’s commonly called, provides legislators an opportunity to meet with fellow lawmakers and staff, and to begin discussing upcoming legislative topics.
Lawmakers will be working together to address several key issues, including:
Supporting Indiana students, teachers and schools;
Funding for infrastructure needs;
and Combating illegal drugs in our state.
After Organization Day, the General Assembly has one month to prepare for when the session officially begins in January. Many senators use this time to spend the holidays with their families and finalize their proposals for new laws.
District 48 State Senator Mark Messmer of Jasper says as the 2016 session approaches, it is important to understand the format of Indiana’s General Assembly.
Indiana’s legislature is a part-time, citizen legislature, meaning it is structured so citizens can serve as a Representative or Senator. Legislators meet for only a portion of the year, four days a week. This allows for state lawmakers to live and work in the communities they serve.
To stay informed and engaged as the legislature considers new laws, visit iga.in.gov to stream committee hearings and session meetings. Event calendars, meeting agendas, vote tallies and proposed legislation can also be found on this site.
Messmer says another way to stay informed is to sign up to receive his electronic newsletters that are delivered directly to ones email inbox.
You can contact Messmer’s office directly with your feedback by email at Senator.Messmer@iga.in.gov or by phone at 800-382-9467.
