Senate Bill 80, the annual code publication and clean-up measure, moved out of the Indiana Senate Judiciary Committee on a 9-0 voice vote after a short explanation from sponsor members and no public opposition.

Committee Chair Senator Liz Brown opened the committee’s first hearing by telling members they would take up several bills and asked for civility and three‑minute testimony limits. She then moved to SB 80, described by a sponsor as an "annual senate code publication bill" intended to remove obsolete sections and reorganize definitions without substantive policy changes. Senator Aaron Freeman formally moved the bill and Senator Jim Buck seconded. The committee approved the motion; Chair Brown announced the vote as "9 to 0."

Why it matters: SB 80 is the housekeeping vehicle many legislatures use to publish and reorganize statutory language without changing legal substance. Sponsors and the Legislative Services Agency attorney told the committee the measure is designed to update code cross‑references and move outdated text into revised sections so the code remains coherent for lawyers, judges, and the public.

Committee discussion and vote: The bill drew no substantive questions from members. A sponsor noted the bill eliminates old election law definitions from their prior locations and places the definitions in a new section, stressing the change was organizational rather than substantive. After a motion and second, the committee took a roll call; Senators Buck, Freeman, Carrasco, Glick, Cook, Clark, Randolph, Poe and Chair Brown were recorded as voting in favor. The committee recorded the outcome as 9 to 0 and advanced the bill to the next committee stage.

What's next: The bill will continue through the Senate’s committee and floor process. Because the committee’s discussion emphasized the measure is non‑substantive, the primary next steps are technical review and placement on a calendar for further action.

Source excerpts: Committee procedural remarks and the roll call vote were captured on the hearing record.