Indiana Competes, a coalition of more than 400 businesses and associations formed to support updating Indiana's civil rights statutes, was a new endeavor this year. Many Taft clients were members of the group.

A few specific bills were filed in the Senate this year to address Indiana's civil rights statutes:

• Senate Bills 100 and 344 were heard in the Senate Rules and Legislative Procedure Committee on Jan. 27. The committee amended and approved SB 344 on a 7-5 vote. This bill expanded civil rights protections for the lesbian, gay and bisexual populations but did not include the transgender community in its protections. Democrats refused to vote for the bill based on that omission, and with only half of Senate Republicans willing to approve the bill in any form, the bill was ultimately removed from consideration. The matter was not considered again by the Senate.
• On a related matter, Rep. Scott Pelath made a motion to amend SB 20, a bill regarding workforce policies, by making it illegal to discriminate in the workplace on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The vote on this amendment was the only floor vote on the matter this session in either chamber, and it was defeated 35-59. Seven republicans voted in favor of the motion.