Indiana set to discard outdated, male-only references in laws

A measure that would clean up archaic words and male-only references in Indiana's laws has been approved by the Legislature and is on its way to Gov. Eric Holcomb's desk.

The bill approved unanimously in both the House and Senate would replace words such as "herein, hereafter, hereinafter" throughout Indiana code with more accurate and familiar terms.

It would also remove the instances where "his" is used to describe the duties of a state officeholder. Five of the seven current statewide elected officials are women.

Bill sponsor Rep. Thomas Washburne, R-Inglefield, told The Times of Northwest Indiana that cleaning up the language will keep Indiana's laws "very, very pleasant to deal with compared to many other states," for lawyers and citizens alike.