HR 1559 Summary

• Representative Linda Lawson, elected to House District 1 in 1998, is retiring at the end of the 2018 session after 20 years of service as a legislator.

• Served as chair of the House Judiciary Committee and member of Environmental Affairs, Courts and Criminal Code, Employment, Family Affairs, Education, and Labor and Pensions committees; currently serves as Democratic floor leader.

• First female officer and captain on Hammond Police Department, first woman in Indiana to serve as House Democratic floor leader and caucus leader; spent 24 years with Hammond Police Department.

• Authored landmark legislation on domestic violence, sexual assault, equal rights regardless of sexual orientation, animal welfare, sex crimes, identity theft, and wage equity.

• Served 12 years on Hammond School Board and numerous community boards including Haven House women's shelter, Hammond Historical Society, League of Women Voters, and Humane Society of the Calumet Area.