INDIANAPOLIS – Legislators are racing toward adjourning for the year on Tuesday or Wednesday, with a handful of significant issues still unresolved.

There’s been broad agreement on making it illegal to use your phone while driving, but legislators have to find common ground on the penalties. They’re also still finalizing a pair of proposals to slow the growth of health care costs, by outlawing surprise billing and creating a database of health costs.

The House approved a bill this week to oust Attorney General Curtis Hill if his law license is suspended for more than a month. A hearing officer has recommended a two-month suspension over groping accusations, but the final decision rests with the Supreme Court. The Senate has been weighing whether to go along with the proposal.

 

 

 

 

The House will enter the homestretch of the session with a new leader. Speaker Brian Bosma (R-Indianapolis) announced in November he’d pass the gavel to Fishers Republican Todd Huston toward the end of the session. That handoff is now set for Monday — Huston will lead the chamber for the final day or two of the session, as final deals are being struck — and, in some cases, negotiators unwilling to sign those deals are replaced by the speaker with those who will.

Bosma has led House Republicans for the last 20 years — he’s been speaker for 12 of those years, including the last 10 in a row. He plans to resign from the House a couple of months after the session ends. His final bill, if a compromise can be reached, may be one to sharply restrict panhandling, including essentially outlawing it in downtown Indianapolis.

Legislators are required to adjourn by next Saturday, but in recent years have typically tried to finish ahead of the deadline. This year, they have an added incentive to wrap up Tuesday or Wednesday: the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament begins Wednesday in Indianapolis, and hotel rooms for out-of-town legislators will become scarce.