Lawmakers back dropping 'he' references to state officials

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Legislators have approved replacing all the male pronouns in laws describing the duties of Indiana's statewide officeholders with gender-neutral terms.

State law repeatedly refers to "his" actions or "his" signature in detailing the responsibilities of officeholders such as the governor, attorney general, state schools superintendent or treasurer. The bill changes dozens of references to "he," ''his" and "him" to the office title.

The (Munster) Times reports (http://bit.ly/1T7P554 ) the bill was co-sponsored by 22 of the 31 women serving in the 150-member General Assembly. The state Senate approved the bill unanimously Tuesday, sending it to Gov. Mike Pence for consideration.

Women currently fill five of the seven statewide offices.

State Auditor Suzanne Crouch says the change sends an empowering message to women.

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Information from: The Times, http://www.thetimesonline.com