Two legislative proposals likely to produce positive outcomes for Northwest Indiana in the years ahead were among the final measures to win approval during the 2024 session of the Indiana General Assembly.

Hoosier lawmakers adjourned their nine-week annual session Friday night after a marathon day of revising, debating and approving the final texts of dozens of anticipated new laws, including some percolating since Jan. 8 when the Republican-controlled House and Senate solemnly convened to implement what they believed was the will of the people.

House Democrats fighting to flip control of the chamber next year will first have to overcome an expected bloodbath in North Carolina, where Republicans have secured a new map all but guaranteeing a red wave in November.

GOP lawmakers in the state legislature approved a redistricting plan in October that sets the stage for Republicans to pick up at least three seats, and maybe four, in the 14-member delegation — a tally that, by itself, would double the GOP’s slender House majority on Capitol Hill.

Several states saw a polarizing legislative session last year as lawmakers tackled high-profile measures, some of which will take effect this year.

While many Democratic- and Republican-led states passed measures to ease the effects of inflation as the economy remains a top concern for voters ahead of the 2024 election, states were split along party lines on marquee issues such as abortion rights and gender-affirming care for minors.

Here are some of the state and federal measures taking effect January 1.

The 118th Congress has been one of the least productive in decades.

The Republican-led house passed just 27 bills that went on to become laws, The New York Times reported, citing a Bipartisan Policy Center analysis. That’s despite holding 724 votes; the most in the past 10 years, the newspaper reported.

In 2013, the House passed 72 bills that were signed into law, The New York Times noted. Republicans controlled the House and Democrats controlled the Senate that year too.

As the push continues to transition to electric vehicles around Ohio and the country, state lawmakers want consumers to have a choice.

Senate passage and a signature from Gov. Mike DeWine are all that’s needed to stop the state from signing on to or taking steps to mandate emissions standards through emergency protocols established in the Clean Air Act of 1970.

As has become a predictable tradition, the national media’s coverage previewing yesterday’s state elections emphasized how they could be a harbinger of what’s to come in next year’s presidential contest. Various races were described as a “national litmus test” or a “preview of 2024”—and while off-year elections can be over-analyzed, last night delivered a clear takeaway: Abortion remains a winner for Democrats at the ballot box and a liability for Republicans.