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INDIANAPOLIS – Dozens of Indiana laws take effect today, including a new tax on vaping products, a ban on transgender females playing on girls sports teams and the elimination of handgun permits.
Overall, more than 150 bills passed during the legislative session but some went into effect immediately. Most kick in on July 1.
Here’s a rundown of the notable laws:
Transgender athletes
A law banning transgender females from competing in girls school sports will take effect despite a veto from the Republican governor and repeated pushback from opponents who argue the measure is a bigoted response to a problem that doesn’t exist.
Republican lawmakers voted in May to override an unexpected veto from Gov. Eric Holcomb, who said the bill did not provide a consistent policy for what he called “fairness in K-12 sports.”
The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana immediately filed a lawsuit following the override in hopes of blocking the law from taking effect. Indiana’s Republican Attorney General Todd Rokita — who has vowed to defend the law — opposed the ACLU’s motion for a preliminary injunction in court documents filed earlier this month.
Indiana joins more than a dozen other states adopting similar laws in the past two years.
Handgun permits
After heated, final-hour debates, the end of the 2022 legislative session saw the passage of a Constitutional Carry measure that says Hoosiers who are 18 and older don’t need a permit to carry a handgun.
There are still exceptions to who can carry a handgun, however. That includes individuals who have been convicted of a felony or have a pending felony case — the same as under the previous permitting system. But it will be harder for police to immediately know if a person is prohibited or not.
Anyone who has been convicted of domestic violence, domestic battery or criminal stalking, and those who have been dishonorably discharged from the military are also not allowed to have a handgun.
Violators of the handgun law face, at minimum, a misdemeanor charge that carries a maximum penalty of 365 days in prison.
The crime is elevated to a felony — punishable by up to six years in prison — if the individual has past felony or domestic violence convictions, or if they carry a handgun on or near school property.
Permits still will be available to those who want one through the Indiana State Police.