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Committee advances HB1363 to shift public‑safety oversight, tighten registration rules and ban imitation firearms on schools
Summary
The Veterans Affairs and Public Safety committee passed House Bill 13-63, which moves duties from the Integrated Public Safety Commission to the Indiana Department of Emergency Communications, reforms director appointment language, narrows registration loopholes from a recent court case, and makes possession of imitation firearms on K–12 property a Class B misdemeanor; the bill passed as amended, 11–0.
Chair Steve Bartels opened debate on House Bill 13-63, calling it a public‑safety package that would move duties and money from the Integrated Public Safety Commission (IPSC) to the Indiana Department of Emergency Communications and create an Emergency Communications Fund. Bartels also offered an amendment to restore board appointment authority for the department director and to remove a contractual protection that would have made the director a protected position.
Alyssa Schroeder, legislative director for the Office of Public Safety, testified in support on behalf of IPSC, saying the oversight board helped create the system but is no longer needed for day‑to‑day operations. “This bill will take that entity and, essentially, get rid of its oversight body,” Schroeder said, adding that the change is largely technical and that existing funding mechanisms remain the same.
The bill expands the statutory definition of public‑safety officer to include correctional professionals and Department of Correction employees so they are eligible for line‑of‑duty death benefits. It also includes clarifying revisions to pages 51–56 intended to respond to the Peters v. Quackenbush court ruling and prevent what witnesses described as jurisdiction‑shopping for registration durations.
Representative Mitcham and supporters pressed the committee to add language prohibiting imitation firearms on K–12 school property and school buses. Chris Mitchum, representing the Indiana School Resource Officers Association, displayed a replica handgun he said is nearly indistinguishable from a real weapon and urged lawmakers to criminalize such possession on campuses. “We are talking about devices that look nearly identical to real firearms,” Mitchum said, describing examples SROs have encountered.
Representative Judy’s amendment (Amendment 8) requires the Indiana Department of Emergency Communications to issue a request for proposals and evaluate contracts competitively before purchasing or changing communications equipment used by public‑safety agencies; equipment must be compatible with PSAPs and proposed contracts must be approved by the budget agency. Schroeder said the department supports the intent but asked staff to check for conflicts with existing Bridal policies.
The committee moved to pass HB1363 as amended; the roll call recorded support from the committee and the bill passed as amended, 11–0 (one member excused). The committee took the amendments by consent during the hearing and heard testimony from prosecutors’ and school‑safety groups before voting. The bill now proceeds with the committee’s recommendation.
