Senate Homeland Security and Transportation committee advances Yellow Dot program, landowner notification, dealer cleanup and school-safety measures

The Senate Homeland Security and Transportation Committee on Wednesday advanced a package of bills that included a voluntary “Yellow Dot” medical information program for motorists, a requirement that law enforcement notify landowners after vehicle accidents occur on their property, technical dealer-services changes, funding eligibility for low water crossings, and creation of an Office of School Safety.

The most heavily discussed measure, HB 1297, would establish a voluntary Yellow Dot program in Indiana. Under the program, drivers place a yellow sticker on the rear driver's-side window to alert first responders to a yellow packet of medical information in the glove compartment. The bill designates the Division on Aging to administer the program and identifies area agencies on aging as packet distribution sites; representatives from the Division of Family Resources and Bureau of Disability Services discussed partnering to expand distribution. Representative Arrington, the bill sponsor, said the program operates in 22 other states and would help first responders rapidly access medical histories, medication lists, allergies, advanced directives and emergency contacts when crash victims cannot communicate.

Supporters who testified included the lieutenant governor, family members of patients with complex medical needs, representatives of professional firefighter organizations, and the Area Agencies on Aging Association. Nurse practitioner Susan Harris, representing the Coalition of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses of Indiana, requested an amendment replacing the bill’s phrase “list up to two physicians” with “health care providers” so participants could list nurse practitioners,…