Say farewell to archaic words, male-only references in Indiana's laws

Specifically, House Enrolled Act 1031 substitutes other words for "herein, hereafter, hereinafter, therein, theretofore, hereunder, hereinunder, heretofore, hereinabove, and thereunder" wherever they appear throughout the Indiana Code.

It also replaces the remaining instances where "his" is used to describe the duties of a state officeholder, now that five of the seven statewide elected officials are women.

State Rep. Thomas Washburne, R-Inglefield, the sponsor of the proposal, said deleting the outdated language will keep the Indiana Code "very, very pleasant to deal with compared to many other states," for lawyers and citizens alike.

The 169-page measure passed the House, 91-0, and the Senate, 48-0.