Latest news with #ChrisJeter
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Indiana lawmakers approve reduced court eliminations
The Indiana House voted on dozens of bills on the last day of the legislative session, April 24, 2025. (Niki Kelly/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Legislators authorized a few court closures Thursday while approving the biennial court officers bill. It's the first time lawmakers are eliminating judges that are underutilized. 'Statewide, we have the right number of judicial officers,' said Fishers Republican Rep. Chris Jeter. 'The question is, are they in the right places?' Two weeks ago, the Senate added language taking away judges in 11 mostly rural counties. But the conference committee report — approved 83-5 in the House and 45-4 in the Senate — eliminates only one court in Blackford County, one court in Monroe County and one magistrate in Jennings County. It also removes several unfilled magistrate positions in Marion County. House Bill 1144 — which adds judges and magistrates in Elkhart, Hamilton, Lawrence and Vigo counties — had moved through the entire session without language abolishing courts. Then, on April 10, hours before a committee deadline, an amendment was added in the Senate Appropriations Committee eliminating one court each in Blackford, Carroll, Gibson, Greene, Jennings, Monroe, Newton, Owen, Pulaski, Rush and Scott counties, along with six juvenile magistrate positions in Marion County. State panel recommends judicial reallocation from low- to high-need counties This provision was estimated to save the state approximately $748,885 in Fiscal Year 2027 and up to $2.75 M in Fiscal Year 2032, according to a fiscal analysis. Lawmakers from those areas were deluged with concern from constituents. The general idea of reallocation was discussed in a study committee in October 2024. Essentially, Indiana uses a weighted caseload study that assesses how much judicial time is needed for different types of cases. Then it looks at how many cases are filed to determine how many judges and magistrates are needed for the caseload. For years, lawmakers have added state-funded court officers when the statistics have shown more judges are needed to handle additional cases. But as population has shifted away from some rural counties, they have never taken a judge away — even if the weighted caseload shows they have too many court officers. The weighted caseload study shows, for instance, that Monroe County has 10 judges but only needs 7.87. Blackford County has two judges, but the study shows it needs less than one. Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne, said 'these are never easy decisions' but that population shifts mean some counties aren't seeing as much crime or as many lawsuits. Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, said he doesn't disagree with the premise but said the process should have been set out well in advance. He noted the House never heard testimony on eliminating judges. He said Monroe County is losing a court because one of the judges announced she is retiring. Sen. Ron Alting, R-Lafayette, thanked his colleagues for giving the Carroll County courts a reprieve. He said the Delphi double-murder case 'really upset' the court system there. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
In Memoriam: Social media restrictions, newborn tax credit, utility rules and more
Hundreds of bills are already dead as the 2025 legislative session nears its close. (Whitney Downard/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Dozens of bills are headed to the governor's desk for final sign-off, but even more have stalled — or appear to be dead altogether. Despite earlier momentum, legislation dealing with rape kit backlogs, immigration enforcement, social media restrictions for minors, and more ultimately missed key deadlines and failed to advance in the final weeks of the session. Those issues won't be officially settled, however, until lawmakers close out the session for good. Bill language could still reappear elsewhere — via closed-door conference committees — during the coming days. Republican leadership said they plan to finish this year's business by Thursday, April 24, but the session isn't legally required to end until end-of-day on the following Tuesday, April 29. Although a bill prohibiting some Hoosier minors from using social media without their parents' permission got bipartisan support in the Senate, the House took no action. Senate Bill 11 would have required anyone under the age of 16 to secure permission from their guardians before accessing apps like Facebook, Instagram or TikTok. Another provision allowed Indiana's attorney general to issue a civil investigative demand to determine if a social media site violated the law, with civil penalties up to $250,000. Following a 42-7 vote in the Senate in January, the bill was assigned to the House Judiciary Committee. Rep. Chris Jeter, R-Fishers, never gave the proposal a hearing. The bill's author, Sen. Ryan Bohacek, R-Michiana Shores, attempted to amend the language into a foreign trade bill during the second half of the session, but he told the Indiana Capital Chronicle it was deemed non-germane, so he never called it for a vote. 'It's dead for good,' Bohacek said, but he's open to bringing the bill back in 2026. One of several controversial anti-immigration bills this session also died in the second-half of session despite passing the full House in February. House Bill 1531 would have mandated local compliance with federal immigration detainer requests and leveraged local government funding to ensure cooperation with federal authorities like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). It also would have targeted employers who hire a person who is not legally allowed in the U.S. The bill died after the Senate Judiciary Committee, helmed by Fort Wayne Republican Sen. Liz Brown, declined to hold a hearing. 'I've had a lot of conversation with Sen. Brown in the second half of the session … she's not comfortable moving it this year due to a few different things in the bill,' said bill author Rep. J.D. Prescott, R-Union City, who could file a similar bill in a future session. 'I'm still looking at other options, but more than likely, it's not moving this year.' Still, a separate immigration-focused proposal, House Bill 1393, is headed to Gov. Mike Braun's desk. The bill requires jails and detention facilities to tell county sheriffs when they have probable cause to believe that someone they're booking on unrelated misdemeanor or felony charges isn't legally in the country. Sheriffs would have to report that information to ICE. Senators additionally killed a contested elections bill that aimed to put school referendums and public questions only on general election ballots. Rep. Tim Wesco, R-Osceola, who authored House Bill 1681, previously emphasized that more voters participate in general elections than primaries. Democrats opposed, arguing that the change would strip local control and put more financial stress on schools. Ultimately, though, the referenda language was signed into law in Senate Enrolled Act 1. Also dead is House Bill 1413, which sought to eliminate the state's backlog of rape kits and help counties with legal costs. Rep. Becky Cash, who authored the proposal, pointed to the current six- to eight-month wait for rape kit processing in Indiana, which crime technicians and law enforcement have attributed to a lack of equipment and staff. The bill earned unanimous support from the House, and the chamber's budget-drafting committee created a $2.5 million line item for the proposed Rape Kit Backlog Fund. Momentum continued in the Senate corrections committee, but the multi-million dollar appropriation is likely in jeopardy following this week's grim revenue forecast. State budget writers said cuts are on the way. Left out of the budget, too, was a $500 tax credit per newborn child for eligible taxpayers — or $250 for a married person filing a separate return. Originally offered in Senate Bill 497, the credit would have been available for families earning up to 720% of the federal poverty level. The proposal passed 47-0 from the Senate but never made it into the state's spending plan. Hundreds of other bills additionally failed to cross the finish line. Among those are: , pay day loans: The House narrowly advanced Rep. Jake Teshka's bill to create new, longer-term loans of up to $5,000 — with steep monthly service fees stacked atop interest and other charges. The measure would have also allowed lenders overseeing larger borrowing, like car loans, to charge interest rates as high as 36%, up from the current cap of 25%. The Senate's insurance committee left the bill untouched. CONTACT US , special education classroom cameras: A repeat attempt by Rep. Beck Cash, R-Zionsville, to mandate round-the-clock electronic recording equipment in special education classrooms, sensory rooms, seclusion spaces and time-out areas was stripped from the underlying bill by the House Education Committee. What's left in the measure — which has since advanced from the Senate and is awaiting final House approval — are provisions to allow parents an opportunity to collect their student's property if the child no longer attends the school, and another to permit parents to record meetings concerning their child's individualized education program. The bill also requires schools to always have present in each building at least one employee who has obtained nonviolent crisis intervention training. , annexation: An attempt to bridge the differences between House and Senate lawmakers in an annexation compromise met its demise last month after the author criticized the process and rebuked committee members. Sen. Jim Buck, R-Kokomo, has repeatedly authored legislation to rein in what he describes as an 'abusive' form of annexation that's 'tilted in favor of the municipalities.' But he rejected an attempt to meld two bills into an annexation compromise, seemingly killing the effort altogether. , iGaming: A push to legalize online lottery and casino games passed easily out of the House Public Policy Committee earlier this year but didn't get a hearing in the Ways and Means Committee, which would've taken a closer look at the financial aspects of the proposal. Rep. Ethan Manning, R-Logansport, authored the bill and estimated that the digital lottery and casino games, coupled with sports wagering tax hikes, could bring the state of Indiana more than $300 million annually in new revenue. But some were concerned that online options would cannibalize in-person gaming or lottery sales. House Bills and , new state emblems: A lively committee presentation by Jasper Elementary School fourth-graders was not enough to convince lawmakers to name the persimmon as Indiana's state fruit. That bill died in committee without a vote, as did another proposal to make Myotis sodalis, also known as the Indiana bat, the official mammal of the Hoosier State. Opposition brings likely end to Indiana utility siting bill, but the issue isn't going away , utility siting: Overwhelming opposition from county officials killed the Republican proposal to shift authority over large-scale utility infrastructure projects from local governments to the state. The bill received multiple hours of discussion in the House utilities committee, but it was never put to a vote and failed to advance to the full chamber. Bill author Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, called it a response to ongoing resistance of local governments to greenlight solar, wind and other renewables projects that are increasingly necessary to support the state's growing energy demands. Locals said decision-making control over the zoning and approval processes for those proposals was theirs, not the state's. , abortion pills: A move to ban pill-based abortions, and to require women to file an affidavit of rape to meet one of the state's few exceptions, got no traction. Filed by Sen. Mike Young, R-Indianapolis, the bill would have outlawed the use of abortion pills even in abortions that meet the state's narrow exemptions. And it would have required a woman who seeks an abortion under the state's rape or incest exceptions to provide the doctor with an affidavit under penalties of perjury attesting to the rape or incest. The same requirement was defeated in 2022 during an amendment fight. Senate Bills and , closed primaries and early voting: Legislation slashing early in-person voting days and closing primary elections to unaffiliated voters garnered mixed committee testimony in early February before quietly dying in the Senate. Sen. Gary Byrne's bill would've cut Indiana's early voting timeline from 28 days down to two weeks. Another measure offered by Sen. Mike Gaskill, R-Pendleton, would have added text to voter registration forms asking Hoosiers to choose their political parties and warning that affiliation is required to vote in a primary election. It also would've required county election officials to affiliate registered voters with either the Democratic or Republican Party based on their last primary election votes, and would've created a way for voters to change their affiliations. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House Bill 1144 could change court locations in Indiana
GREENE COUNTY, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — A new bill from the Indiana House has been proposed and it looks to change some court locations in Indiana. House Bill 1144, authored by Representative Chris Jeter, proposes the addition of Superior and Magistrate Courts in more densely populated areas of Indiana. However, after an amendment made by the Senate, the bill, if passed, would also reduce the number of courts in more rural areas of the state, including Superior Court in Greene County. While Greene County would keep Circuit and Magistrate Court, it would lose its Superior Court judge and employees. That judge handles all misdemeanor cases, all level 6 felony cases, and half of the level 5 and above felony cases in the county. Greene County Attorney Marvin Abshire said the loss of Superior Court would cause issues for both government employees and residents. 'Losing Superior Court would flood the Circuit Court and Magistrate with an additional 633 criminal cases', Abshire said. 'In addition to that, there's the old saying that justice delayed is justice denied. When you add that many cases to the existing court system, it is going to dramatically slow down access to civil and criminal justice in the county.' Abshire said Superior Court in Greene County also runs a rehabilitation program. 'Superior Court runs a therapeutic justice program, paid for by the opioid settlement funds', Abshire said. 'It's not county money or state money. That program is beginning to show some real successes. Circuit Court with Magistrate alone will not be able to handle that program and handle the additional load.' The amendment by the Senate was added last week, just before the bill was heard by the Senate Appropriations Committee. However, Greene County Prosecutor Jarrod Holtsclaw said they weren't informed of the change until a mere few minutes before the hearing. 'It seems very, almost orchestrated, the complexity in which amendment 16 was drafted and only released minutes before the hearing on it', Holtsclaw said. 'That seems to suggest there were some behind the scenes dealings with trying to eliminate. They're eliminating more judges than what are being created. We're trying to, one, figure out what was really behind this amendment and, two, talk to those who may have some say in it.' One of those people that has a say is State Representative Bruce Borders. He said he's been doing everything he can to not allow this bill to pass. 'I've been on the phone, I've been emailing, I've been receiving emails and forwarding those on to the Speaker of the House and to our floor leader', Borders said. 'I'm going to share my concerns and the letters I have received from judges, prosecutors, deputy prosecutors, etc. with my caucus members and go to battle on behalf of the Greene County Superior Court.' These changes will not take effect immediately if the law passes. House Bill 1144 would become effective in each county differently, based on the term of the sitting judge. For Greene County, Judge Martin's term ends on December 31 of 2026. The Indiana Judicial Branch made a statement saying they conduct a weighted caseload study, and the most recent study shows that Indiana has about the right number of judges, but not necessarily in the right location. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Indiana House committee moves ‘more focused' version of anti-DEI bill
Indiana medical students listen as lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee discuss a bill that proposes statewide limitations on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. (Casey Smith/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Criticisms continued to mount Monday even after a sweeping committee amendment rolled back significant portions of a bill that seeks to limit diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in schools and state government. Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee additionally spoke out after the Republican-dominated panel approved major additions to a separate proposal — weaving in contentious criminal penalties for 'street camping' that seemingly died in an earlier bill — without taking public comments beforehand. Among the original DEI-focused provisions removed from Senate Bill 289 were provisions concerning university diversity committees, as well as an extensive, four-pronged definition of DEI 'effort(s)' that included a ban on 'differential treatment' or 'special benefits' on the basis of 'race, sex, color or ethnicity.' Instead, key language was largely rewritten to more specifically outlaw 'discrimination' in state education, public employment and licensing settings that is 'based on a personal characteristic of the person.' Added, too, were revised civil penalties that could be imposed by the Indiana attorney general for violations: $50,000 for a first offense; and $100,000 for a second or subsequent offense. Committee chairman Rep. Chris Jeter, R-Fishers, said his goal was to 'focus the bill a little bit' and 'make it a little bit more workable for some of the folks that they're going to have to abide by it.' 'I think it can be difficult to legislate words and acronyms, and so we really tried to hone in on the actions that we are trying to address,' said Jeter, who offered the amendment. He said the bill, overall, 'is an effort to sort of codify' and 'be consistent' with executive orders issued by President Donald Trump and Gov. Mike Braun. The governor's order replaced DEI throughout state government policies and programming with 'merit, excellence and innovation' (MEI). It also closed the Office of the Chief Equity, Inclusion and Opportunity Officer created by former Gov. Eric Holcomb. The committee advanced the bill to the House floor in a 7-3 vote, along party lines. The measure must get the OK from the full chamber by April 15, the third-reading deadline. It previously passed out of the Senate 34-13, with four Republicans unfavorable. Before Monday's vote, more than two hours of committee testimony was dominated by medical students and professors from Indiana University (IU) and other Hoosier colleges. Many said they appreciated elements of Monday's amendment but remained opposed to the underlying bill and its implications. 'Opponents of DEI will have you believe that we are integrating a radical curriculum and training for health care professions that promotes racist and sexist ideas about some burden that falls chiefly on white male students to correct historical injustice. And I understand that's a concerning possibility, but I'm here today to express that's simply not true. We actually have a lot to agree on,' said IU medical student Amina Dalal. 'DEI actually protects a merit based system. I don't believe that we need South Asian physicians like myself because of some diversity quota,' she continued. 'I believe that we need diverse physicians because anyone that is qualified and passionate about medicine should have a fair opportunity to become a physician.' The latest draft expands certain carveouts, explicitly exempting 'employment action(s) concerning participation in a public contract by a minority business enterprise, women's business enterprise, or veteran business enterprise, if the employment action is authorized by law.' Colleges and universities can also make decisions around grants, scholarships or fee remissions on the basis of 'personal characteristic(s)' as long as those awards do not include any 'state funds or resources.' But state offices and universities would not be allowed to require employees to complete training — or licensing — 'asserting that, or endorsing the theory that,' a person with a certain personal characteristic: is inherently superior or inferior to a person with a different personal characteristic; should be blamed for actions committed in the past; or has a moral character that is determined by a personal characteristic of the person. Jeter said fines for violations 'are significantly larger than we normally see in bills that we do — and that was by design.' 'We are not, in this bill, telling any school or anybody else that they have to close any offices or reorder the way that they're doing things as far as what type of personnel they have doing what,' Jeter said. 'We wanted to make sure that if some of these offices continued … there is a significant financial disincentive for them to try to do this in another way, or through another office, or through another program.' While bill author Republican Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville, conceded that issues stemming from DEI 'have not been rampant at the state level,' Byrne said his constituents 'want to make sure that everyone is treated equally — they don't want Indiana government to engage in discrimination, whatever the intentions may be.' He pointed to prior Senate committee testimony from IU medical students about 'problems they've seen in the university.' I believe that we need diverse physicians because anyone that is qualified and passionate about medicine should have a fair opportunity to become a physician. – Indiana University medical student Amina Dalal Dr. Cindy Basinski, an adjunct OB-GYN clinical professor, contended that many medical students oppose DEI policies and instruction but are afraid to voice their opinions publicly. 'They're forced to use pronouns. … There are also students who are not allowed to speak against minor-informed care. They're also not allowed to speak against other politically divisive issues, like maybe there are some students who think there are only female and male as genders,' Basinski told the committee. 'These are important topics that are important to discuss scientifically among students. And if students do not feel empowered by administrators or other students to speak up, then we are not going to have the most robust educational system that we can have in Indiana.' Nearly a dozen medical students said they disagreed, however, and argued that Basinski's testimony, in particular, was inaccurate. 'Everybody at my school is allowed to express their opinions about different aspects of medical care. IUSM encourages students to actively discuss medicine with their peers. There are clubs of students who support the pro-life movement, various religious movements, and even Republican ideals,' said Laney Cordell, a fourth-year IU medical student. 'Many, if not most, of the positions claimed about my school are completely unfounded.' Also headed to the House floor is Senate Bill 197, originally a measure to address building safety laws. But multiple GOP amendments reshaped the bill entirely, including revived language from House Bill 1662, which sought to tackle homelessness before dying mid-session in the House. Tweaked provisions from that legislation were added to the Senate bill, stipulating that 'a person may not camp, sleep, or use for long term shelter a public right-of-way or public land unless authorized for that use by the state or political subdivision, as appropriate.' Those who have not moved from a public right-of-way within 24 hours of a law enforcement officer's warning — or from public land within 72 hours — could be arrested and charged with a Class C misdemeanor. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 60 days in jail or a $500 fine. Homeless advocates oppose Indiana bill to criminalize sidewalk camping Before an arrest can be made, though, new bill language would require officers to first determine 'if there are reasonable grounds for an emergency detention of the person.' Transportation would must offered to a shelter, mental health service or other housing facility within five miles, as long as one exists and has space available. 'Crisis intervention teams' could be called to assist officers, too. If an arrest is made, legal proceedings would be referred to a problem solving court 'to make sure that these individuals are getting the necessary services to get them housing and treatment — and trying to be as humane as possible to make sure that they are getting the care that they deserve,' Jeter said. Even so. Rep. Victoria Garcia Wilburn, D-Fishers, questioned the 'germaneness of this bill and the time in which it dropped.' 'I just haven't had enough time to digest it and even to put my hands around it,' she said before voting against the amendment. Rep. Maureen Bauer, D-South Bend, took issue with the lack of public engagement on that change and others. 'I think some people would have liked to have testified on this,' Bauer said. 'The amendment was added on a short notice, without stakeholders being able to provide input. I'm kind of disappointed that we won't have the opportunity for public testimony on this.' The House-version of the bill mirrored model legislation from the Cicero Institute, a Texas-based think tank which has lobbied in roughly a dozen states for homelessness policies that shift money away from housing initiatives and instead direct dollars toward substance abuse and mental health treatment. Nearly all who testified spoke out against the earlier proposal, with advocates arguing that it 'wrongly criminalizes homelessness.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Obscene performance' ban added to child abuse bill, official misconduct expungements weighed
Rep. Chris Jeter declined to say whether his amendment was aimed at drag queen story times. He is shown speaking with a colleague in the House chamber on Jan. 9, 2025. (Courtesy Indiana House Republicans) Indiana lawmakers on Wednesday chose not to strip key provisions from legislation tightening handling of child sex abuse materials — yet — but did add a ban on any government-funded 'obscene performance.' The House Committee on Courts and Criminal Code also moved a proposal allowing unelected officials convicted of official misconduct a path toward expungement. Senate Bill 326's original purpose was replacing use of the phrase 'child pornography' throughout Indiana Code with 'child sex abuse material.' 'Whether you believe it's right or wrong, (pornography) is legal. It exists in our society. That's not what these images are,' said Courtney Curtis, of the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council. 'In these images, these children are being molested. They are being sexually abused. We should call it that.' The measure would also require Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) employees, school employees and attorneys to 'immediately' notify law enforcement about such materials and avoid file transfers to avoid prosecution — prompting concerns among committee members. Curtis said those changes would bring Indiana Code up to federal standards. She described observing the misalignment firsthand while working for the Marion County Prosecutor's Office's Special Victims Team. 'There was a high school in Indianapolis where, instead of calling law enforcement or calling DCS, they called their attorney in order to protect the teacher,' Curtis said. 'And their attorney took the laptop, took it to the law firm, did not report, uploaded the material onto the mainframe. That is a federal crime.' Committee members, however, feared the language would ensnare well-meaning parents and professionals. They considered an amendment to delete it. Sen. Aaron Freeman, R-Indianapolis, told members that he'd rather they kill his bill instead of stripping out a core provision that mimics federal law. They relented, agreeing to instead make any fixes on the House floor. The committee accepted other changes, however — including a possible attempt to bar drag performers from reading children's stories in public libraries or schools. An amendment from Rep. Chris Jeter, R-Fishers, specifies that a government entity can't organize or use public money to fund 'an obscene performance.' It was adopted through a voice vote, over Democrats' opposition. CONTACT US When asked if he was trying to ban drag story times, Jeter told Indiana Public Broadcasting, 'I'm trying to ban any obscene performance, as it's defined in the code … because, by definition, they're harmful. Because it's a crime.' 'I've heard about it in other places and seen some things in other states,' Jeter continued, describing them as 'performances that are sexual in nature' and 'that are not appropriate for minors.' He demurred when asked again about drag story times, saying, 'It's tough for me to apply the law to a specific fact pattern you're giving me because I don't know. We're relying on … communities to look at the definition and decide whether … it actually is obscene.' Obscenity comes with high standards. Obscene, or just objectionable? Here's how Indiana schools are tackling library book complaints. To qualify under Indiana law, materials or performance must, as a whole: describe or represent nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, or sado-masochistic abuse; appeal to the prurient interest in sex of minors; be patently offensive to prevailing standards of what's appropriate for minors; and lack serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors. 'This is a do-nothing amendment,' said Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, because the bar is so high. But, he argued, it 'suggests that we think that people are (putting on obscene performances), which I think is an affront to anyone who's running a governmental entity in this state.' Rep. Mitch Gore, D-Indianapolis, said he believed the amendment's intent is 'a chilling effect on performances that people personally don't like.' Senate Bill 326 advanced on a unanimous, 13-0 vote. The committee also touched on expungements for official misconduct — just one piece of the complex Senate Bill 281. The legislation stipulates that people convicted of official misconduct, as long as they're not elected officials convicted while campaigning or in office, can petition courts to expunge all conviction records. Rep. Greg Steuerwald, the bill's House sponsor, said Indiana's expungement laws are 'extremely difficult to understand,' adding, 'This is what happens when you amend the statute over the years.' He planned to take on a 'comprehensive re-write' in the future. 'In fact, this situation that my client actually is going to testify to, … the prosecutor at the time was willing to expunge the record, but (we) discovered later that we misread it and he was not eligible,' Steuerwald said. The lone witness was Jed Adams, a former Marion County Sheriff's deputy. He was caught selling drugs out of his car in 2025, CBS4 reported. 'I made a bad decision that ultimately ended with me taking a plea agreement in May of 2016 for official misconduct, a Level Six felony,' Adams said. 'I support Senate Bill 281, as I'm a firm believer in second chances. I've owned and accepted the consequences of my poor decision that I made that day.' He said the conviction was preventing him from coaching a junior high team, cleanly pass a background check, get a gun permit and carry a handgun. 'I feel that my story is a testimony to how people can make a mistake, accept the consequences, and become a better version of themselves,' Adams concluded. 'If this bill passes, it will give individuals like myself opportunities to contribute more to our communities.' Steuerwald told the Capital Chronicle that elected officials can 'never' get expungements for official misconduct, but that others 'should at least be eligible.' 'There are serious violent felons who are eligible (for expungement) right now, but a non-elected official, non-violent isn't eligible,' he said. The legislation, which moved on a 12-1 vote, would also prohibit expungement for a person convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
