Kaitlin L Lange

kaitlin.lange@courierpress.com

Gov. Eric Holcomb said he plans to sign several of the social issue bills Indiana lawmakers have sent to his desk.

At a news conference Tuesday, the governor said he would sign bills dealing with gun rights and religious freedom and a measure that would allow a marijuana extract to be used to treat epilepsy.

Later in the day, he signed Senate Enrolled Act 404, which allows judges to notify parents if their daughters are seeking an abortion through the court system without the parents' consent.

The bills are milder and less controversial than some of the social issues former Gov. Mike Pence took a stance on during his tenure — some of which resulted in court cases and national attention.

Holcomb said he saw the abortion notification bill as a "parental rights issue and responsibility and common sense." Opponents, however, see it as an additional hurdle to a woman's right to choose.

During the 2016 legislative session, Pence signed an abortion bill into law that made it illegal to seek an abortion simply because the fetus has a disability. The controversial law drew national attention and resulted in three court cases for the state. In July, U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt suspended the act.

Pence was praised by social conservatives and criticized by abortion rights advocates.

While Senate Enrolled Act 404 has not received the same level of national scrutiny, some have said Indiana could still face legal action over the new law.

Holcomb was able to avoid a number of more controversial abortion bills that did not make it out of the legislature, including a measure that would have outlawed abortions altogether.

During Tuesday’s news conference, Holcomb said he also plans to sign a bill that reinforces religious freedoms in schools and a measure that would allow cannabidiol, a marijuana extract, to be used for the treatment of epilepsy.

He also supports a measure that would allow state employees to carry firearms in the Statehouse, although he maintained the Statehouse is a safe place.

"(Lawmakers') staff, they put in long hours, especially during the session, and they are walking blocks away, oftentimes after midnight," Holcomb said. "And I can sympathize with someone who wants to be able to protect themselves and be secure.”

Holcomb did not mention whether he would sign another firearm bill that allows victims of domestic violence to carry a firearm without a license for 60 days, if they get a restraining order against their abuser.

Pence too signed a number of bills expanding gun rights, such as one in 2014 that allows legal gun owners to take firearms to school parking lots as long as they keep the weapons locked in their vehicles.

None of the social-issues bills facing Holcomb come even close to generating the kind of firestorm Pence faced when he signed into law the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which opponents said allowed businesses to discriminate against LGBTQ Hoosiers. After first signing and defending the bill on national television, Pence was forced to sign a "fix" in order to appease business, tourism and sports groups in Indiana that were pressuring him to act.

Micah Clark, the executive director of the American Family Association of Indiana, commended Holcomb on choosing to sign the abortion and school religious freedom measures.

"I don’t think either one of those bills are highly controversial," Clark said. "I think he is signing things that are popular and have the majority of support."

Holcomb has yet to indicate where he stands on some other controversial bills, such as one that would take away Ricker's Convenience Stores' ability to sell cold carryout beer and another that would reduce some incentives to sell back solar power to power companies.

So far, he's vetoed one bill, a measure that would have created a $20-an-hour search fee for public records.

He has until May 5 or 6 to decide on many of the remaining bills.

See which bills Gov. Holcomb has signed.

IndyStar reporters Tony Cook and Stephanie Wang contributed to this story.

Call Evansville Courier & Press reporter Kaitlin Lange at (812) 549-1429. Follow her on Twitter: @kaitlin_lange.