# Indiana HB 1641: County government matters. Indiana HB 1641, County government matters., is a First Regular Session 124th General Assembly (2025) House bill sponsored by Jennifer Meltzer (Republican); status signed, last action 2025-05-01 (Public Law 181); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-17). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-HB1641-2025 - As of: 2026-10-17 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Indiana HB 1641 - State: Indiana - Session: First Regular Session 124th General Assembly (2025) - Title: County government matters. - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-01-21 - Last action: 2025-05-01, Public Law 181 - Sponsor: Jennifer Meltzer (Republican) - Cosponsors: 5 - Subjects: local government, the senate, tax and fiscal policy - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 3 (222 yes, 6 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 8 ## Summary Allows an executive session to be held to communicate with an attorney, subject to the attorney client privilege. Excludes conveyances to a unit from the definition of a "conveyance document". Amends requirements for local ordinances concerning the operation of a golf cart or an off-road vehicle. Provides that if a body is to be transported by common carrier, the person in charge of interment shall secure a burial transit permit in duplicate from certain individuals. Provides that the governing body of a school corporation may enter into a public-private agreement for the construction or renovation of school buildings under the statutes governing public-private agreements. Provides that certain fees collected by the county recorder are deposited in the county recorder's records perpetuation fund. Provides that a fee for recording a mortgage assumption is the same as the fee for recording a mortgage. Prohibits a county employee from taking action on a county contract, unless permitted by a county ordinance. Amends the definition of "residential property" used for an allocation area established after June 30, 2025. Provides that, after June 30, 2025, no action shall be brought with respect to jail or prison conditions under state law by an offender until such administrative remedies as are available are exhausted. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Free benefit records for military families: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, Indiana state and county recorders must provide one certified copy free for qualifying benefit requests. The requester must show the copy is needed to secure federal or state benefits. Benefits must be for a service member, honorably discharged veteran, or their surviving sp… - Public bodies can close privileged discussions: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, Indiana public governing bodies can meet privately to communicate with an attorney. The communications must be protected by attorney-client privilege. - Recorder fees support county record preservation: benefit, low. All Indiana county recorders must deposit specified recorder fees into their records perpetuation fund. The fund can pay for preserving records and improving record systems and equipment. - Higher fees for recording assumed mortgages: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, Indiana treats recorded mortgage assumptions as mortgages for recording fees. Recording an assumed mortgage costs $55 instead of $25. That adds $30 for each recorded mortgage assumption. - Operator requirements for locally regulated carts: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, local golf cart and off-road vehicle ordinances must set minimum operator qualifications. Operators must have a driver's license, or be at least 16 years and 180 days old with an identification card. A photo-exempt identification card also qualifies for the age-based option.… - Prisoners must finish complaints before suing: cost, low. Offenders must complete available administrative complaint procedures before bringing state-law claims about jail or prison conditions. The requirement applies to conditions after June 30, 2025. The provision took effect upon enactment. - New home-value rules for redevelopment taxes: mixed, low. The law changes residential-value calculations for tax allocation areas created after June 30, 2025. These areas use home values assigned to the county tax system's 1% homestead land and improvement categories. The definition drops residential values used to calculate the local income tax property… - Counties face new transaction approval rules: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, the county land transaction threshold for fiscal-body ordinance approval rises from $1,000 to $50,000. Land purchases and conveyances worth $50,000 or more still need an ordinance setting their terms and conditions. County employees can act on county contracts only when a co… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Jennifer Meltzer (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Alex Zimmerman (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Doug Miller (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Eric Koch (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Lonnie Randolph (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Scott Alexander (Republican), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-04-17 | House | House concurred with Senate amendments | pass | 83 | 1 | | | 2025-04-15 | Senate | Third reading: passed | pass | 45 | 2 | | | 2025-02-17 | House | Third reading: passed | pass | 94 | 3 | | ## Actions (25) - 2025-05-01: Public Law 181 (House) - 2025-05-01: Signed by the Governor (House) - 2025-04-23: Signed by the President of the Senate (Senate) - 2025-04-22: Signed by the President Pro Tempore (Senate) - 2025-04-21: Signed by the Speaker (House) - 2025-04-17: House concurred with Senate amendments; Roll Call 498: yeas 83, nays 1 (House) - 2025-04-17: Motion to concur filed (House) - 2025-04-16: Returned to the House with amendments (Senate) - 2025-04-15: Third reading: passed; Roll Call 448: yeas 45, nays 2 (Senate) - 2025-04-14: Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed (Senate) - 2025-04-14: Amendment #2 (Bohacek) prevailed; voice vote (Senate) - 2025-04-14: Amendment #1 (Koch) prevailed; voice vote (Senate) - 2025-04-08: Committee report: amend do pass, adopted (Senate) - 2025-04-08: Senator Randolph added as cosponsor (Senate) - 2025-03-20: Committee report: amend do pass adopted; reassigned to Committee on Tax and Fiscal Policy (Senate) - 2025-03-03: First reading: referred to Committee on Local Government (Senate) - 2025-02-18: Referred to the Senate (House) - 2025-02-17: Third reading: passed; Roll Call 189: yeas 94, nays 3 (House) - 2025-02-17: Senate sponsors: Senators Koch and Alexander (House) - 2025-02-13: Representative Miller D added as coauthor (House) - 2025-02-13: Second reading: ordered engrossed (House) - 2025-02-11: Committee report: amend do pass, adopted (House) - 2025-01-21: Authored by Representative Meltzer (House) - 2025-01-21: Coauthored by Representative Zimmerman (House) - 2025-01-21: First reading: referred to Committee on Local Government (House) ## Bill text - Engrossed House Bill (H): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1641/versions/HB1641.05.ENGS?format=pdf) - Enrolled House Bill (H): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1641/versions/HB1641.06.ENRS?format=pdf) - House Bill (S): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1641/versions/HB1641.02.COMH?format=pdf), [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1641/versions/HB1641.03.COMS?format=pdf), [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1641/versions/HB1641.04.COMS?format=pdf) - Introduced House Bill (H): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1641/versions/HB1641.01.INTR?format=pdf) ## Related bills - SB 231: Various corrections matters. (signed) - SB 324: Criminal procedures. (signed) - SB 80: Code publication. (signed) - SB 453: Various tax matters. (signed) - SB 464: Financial institutions and consumer credit. (signed) - SB 371: Workforce matters. (signed) ## Sources - [Engrossed House Bill (H) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1641/versions/HB1641.05.ENGS?format=pdf) - [Enrolled House Bill (H) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1641/versions/HB1641.06.ENRS?format=pdf) - [House Bill (S) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1641/versions/HB1641.02.COMH?format=pdf) - [House Bill (S) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1641/versions/HB1641.03.COMS?format=pdf) - [House Bill (S) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1641/versions/HB1641.04.COMS?format=pdf) - [Introduced House Bill (H) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/HB1641/versions/HB1641.01.INTR?format=pdf) ## Related - [SB 231: Various corrections matters.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB231-2025) - [SB 324: Criminal procedures.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB324-2025) - [SB 80: Code publication.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB80-2025) - [SB 453: Various tax matters.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB453-2025) - [SB 464: Financial institutions and consumer credit.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB464-2025) - [SB 371: Workforce matters.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB371-2025) - [Indiana bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/indiana/bills) - [Indiana state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/indiana) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-HB1641-2025 (as of 2026-10-17).