Indiana House District 73 includes six counties in the heart of southern Indiana and some of its most iconic landmarks – the hometown of Hoosier astronaut Gus Grissom, the caves and sinkholes of Spring Mill State Park and the ski hills of Paoli. The district is also near the epicenter an opioid epidemic that during the past decade triggered outbreaks of HIV and led to the state’s first needle-exchange program.
Until his death of cancer at age 63 in September 2021, it was represented by Republican Steve Davisson, a pharmacist from Salem in Washington County, adjacent to the county from which the outbreak first spread in 2015; one of two pharmacists then in the Indiana General Assembly, his decade-long legislative career focused on issues of substance abuse and public health. A vote of District 73 GOP officials appointed Davisson's son, J. Michael Davisson, as his successor.
The district had been held by Democrats for more than 40 years when Davisson was elected to an open seat in 2010. It is now one of many in southern Indiana which form the bedrock of Republican supermajorities in both chambers. Davisson won reelection by increasingly wide margins and ran unopposed in 2018 and 2020. – Kevin Morgan
Key Votes
SB 198-2019 (Sentencing, bias crimes). Allowed longer sentences in crimes based on personal characteristics, stripped of references to sexual orientation, gender identity and race. Yes
SB 516-2019 (Regulation of hemp). Allowed cultivation and regulation of hemp products in Indiana, did not change marijuana laws. Yes
HB 1001-2019 (State budget). Set funding for state agencies and services, including 2.5% annual increases for education, though not directly for teacher salaries. Yes
HB 1004-2019 (School safety). Increased access to funding for security systems and resource officers, was stripped of provisions for mental health screening. Yes
HB 1015-2019 (Various gaming matters). Allowed sports betting statewide and table games in more casinos, relocated a casino in Gary and authorizing a new one in Terre Haute. Yes
SB 1-2020 (Tobacco and vaping). Raised from 18 to 21 the legal age to buy tobacco or vaping products in Indiana. Excused
SB 148-2020 (Zoning and housing matters). Was amended to overrule local tenant protection measures like those in Indianapolis, Bloomington and Merrillville. Vetoed by governor. Excused
HB 1004-2020 (Health matters). Controlled surprise billing for out-of-network and other costs. Excused
HB 1070-2020 (Distracted driving). Made it an infraction to handle a cell phone while operating a motor vehicle. Yes
HB 1414-2020 (Electric generation). Prohibited utilities from closing coal-fired generating plants without permission from the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. Yes
District
Population: 64,550
Race/Ethnic Origin: 97.9% White, 0.3% Black, 0.3% Asian, 0.6% Other, 0.9% Two or More, 1.1% Hispanic, 97.3% White Non-Hispanic.
