This is the WFHB Local News for Thursday, October 21st, 2021.

Later in the program, we have our monthly podcast, Prescription for Healthcare - a collaboration between WFHB and Medicare for All Indiana. Hosts Karen Green-Stone and Dr. Rob Stone continue their conversation with Dr. Ed Weisbart, a retired family physician from St. Louis and chair of the Missouri chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program. More in today’s feature report. Also coming up in the next half hour, WFHB News provides a rundown on all the latest news on the state level.

That’s coming up next during your Statehouse Roundup:

The U.S. Equality Act recently passed through the House, and it currently resides in the Senate where it awaits approval.

The bill would prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Right now, Indiana is one of 27 states without statewide non-discrimination protections for its LGBTQIA+ residents, according to the Associated Press.

If passed, the Equality Act would provide the protections missing on the state level.

Chris Paulsen, CEO of the Indiana Youth Group, was quoted in the AP saying that the passing of this bill would be very important.

Paulsen lives in Indianapolis where the city has put protections into place. However, Paulsen says that if she and her wife travel to nearby Greenwood for dinner, they can be denied service.

Paulsen says, “I think it’s important that we have the same rules for everyone throughout the country.”

According to a poll from the Human Rights Campaign, seven in ten Americans support the Equality Act.

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Last week, State Representative Stephen Bartels commented on President Biden’s action and subsequent federal mandates for Covid-19 vaccinations that were released in September.

Bartels called the mandates unconstitutional because the federal government doesn’t have the power to implement federal mandates under the tenth amendment.

According to the tenth amendment, the federal government only has the powers granted to it by the Constitution, anything not listed in the Constitution is, “reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

Bartels commented that he supports Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, in his effort to pursue legal rights to stop the federal mandates.

Bartells finished his statement regarding Hoosiers getting the vaccination by stating, “I believe this is a medical decision only you can make."

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Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb signed new voting district maps into law earlier this month.

The maps faced criticism for the partisan nature in which they were drawn behind closed doors. Voter rights groups say federal legislation is needed to open up the state’s redistricting process.

Julia Vaughn, policy director for Common Cause Indiana, says that the current redistricting process makes voters feel like their vote doesn't matter.

"In too many areas, areas of our state voters really don't have influence because the districts were drawn to benefit one party over the other," said

The Freedom to Vote Act, which tackles election protections, partisan gerrymandering and voter suppression, failed through the Senate on Wednesday by a 49-51 vote. That’s shy of the 60 votes needed for approval. Senate Republicans labeled the bill as federal overreach.

Meanwhile, Indiana ranks 12th from the bottom in voter turnout, according to the World Population Review.

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Earlier last week, State Representative Maureen Bauer, a member of the Indiana House Agriculture and Rural Development Committee announced that a plan is in the works to aid and support farmers and the agricultural...