# Indiana SB 277: Indiana department of environmental management. Indiana SB 277, Indiana department of environmental management., is a Second Regular Session 124th General Assembly (2026) Senate bill sponsored by Rick Niemeyer (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-03-05 (Signed by the Governor) (as of 2026-11-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB277-2026 - As of: 2026-11-01 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Indiana SB 277 - State: Indiana - Session: Second Regular Session 124th General Assembly (2026) - Title: Indiana department of environmental management. - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-01-08 - Last action: 2026-03-05, Signed by the Governor - Sponsor: Rick Niemeyer (Republican) - Cosponsors: 3 - Subjects: environmental affairs, appropriations, the house - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 13 (465 yes, 665 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 72 ## Summary Amends, repeals, or adds certain terms. Makes certain changes concerning the purpose, structure, and powers of the department of environmental management (department) or the environmental rules board. Prohibits the department from basing a decision solely on federal risk values that have not been promulgated through federal rulemaking. Instructs the department to avoid the use of federal risk values that are at or below background concentrations in air, water, soil, or sediment. Makes certain changes to various boards or funds. Eliminates or amends rulemaking provisions. Makes certain changes to hearing and permitting processes. Changes or eliminates certain reporting requirements. Makes various changes to the water pollution statutes. Makes various changes to the solid waste and hazardous waste management statutes. Repeals or amends various sections regarding: (1) hazardous substances; (2) the voluntary remediation programs; (3) regional water districts; and (4) citizen lawsuits. Amends provisions concerning the establishment of certain fees and the use of fee schedules. Repeals the division of pollution prevention and the office of voluntary compliance. Makes conforming, stylistic, and technical changes. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Landowners get notice before well restrictions: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, well-field protection zones cannot restrict landowners or recorded mineral-interest holders without written notice and a chance to be heard. This covers establishment of the zone and the community water system behind it. Applicants seeking the construction permit or protecti… - More rule guidance for small businesses: benefit, low. State agencies must assign a knowledgeable coordinator for each rulemaking and final rule to guide small businesses and record concerns. Agency directors must report annually on those records, outcomes, staffing, costs, and planned budgets. Rule notices and final rules must identify the coordinator… - Onsite environmental help for small businesses: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Indiana's environmental assistance program can offer limited onsite help to small businesses and small municipalities. It can use the environmental management special fund to provide compliance information and technical help. The program can limit yearly inspections and rest… - Agency faces limits on risk standards: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, the department cannot base a decision solely on federal risk values not adopted through federal rulemaking. It must also avoid federal risk values at or below background concentrations in air, water, soil, or sediment. For this decision-making provision, decisions include st… - Agency policies expire without renewed approval: benefit, low. Covered nonrule policies and statements put into effect after July 1, 2026, face an automatic expiration date. They expire on January 1 of the fifth year after the year they take effect unless reauthorized. They can end sooner if otherwise repealed or expired. - Air pollution groups get agency cooperation: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, the commissioner must make best efforts to help and work with interested and affected air pollution groups. The law does not promise a specific service, funding amount, or household payment. - Appeal rights for permits and licenses: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, people may appeal initial federal air operating permits within 30 days after receiving notice. The law removes the former restriction to permits issued after April 30, 1999. Asbestos contractors may also appeal license suspensions or revocations through Indiana's administrat… - Fewer notices for environmental lawsuit filers: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, people and entities bringing covered environmental actions no longer need to notify Natural Resources. They must still send written notice to Indiana's environmental department and attorney general by registered or certified mail. - Limits on vehicle emissions testing rules: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, the board cannot require periodic vehicle emissions testing in counties meeting national air quality standards. The ban also covers counties classified below moderate ozone nonattainment. The environmental department must develop pollution-reduction or regulatory-relief stra… - More authority to study hazardous emissions: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, the board may adopt rules allowing the environmental department to request hazardous air pollution data. Requests must support studies of emissions or their effects at a specific site. The law authorizes these rules but does not require their adoption. - Property owners get timely inspection reports: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, inspectors must report suspected violations orally before finishing an inspection when a facility representative is available. The department must also send the property owner a written inspection summary within 45 days. - Some air violations leave misdemeanor coverage: benefit, low. The law removes knowing violations under IC 13-17-7 from this specific Class C misdemeanor offense. This includes the chapter’s requirements, permit conditions, fees, and filing requirements. The offense still covers specified violations under the other listed chapters; this is not a blanket exempt… - Air facilities gain possible permit flexibility: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, the board may allow some facility changes without revising an operating permit. Facilities must have a permit or a timely, complete operating-permit application. Changes cannot qualify as Title I Clean Air Act modifications or exceed the permit’s allowed emissions. Written n… - Businesses gain audit penalty-relief policy planning: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, IDEM must propose a civil penalty-relief policy for voluntary disclosures from internal environmental audits. It must consider similar federal policies and policies in states bordering Indiana. The law does not set relief amounts or final policy terms. - Environmental benefits guide special permit priority: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, IDEM must try to prioritize applications for the specified alternative environmental permits. It considers potential environmental benefits, innovative technology or methods, and other board-set criteria. This replaces the requirement to provide priority through rules; it do… - Environmental plan notices no longer required: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, the law repeals the chapter requiring notices to IDEM about plans and programs affecting the environment. Entities covered by that chapter no longer have to send those notices. This repeal concerns that chapter’s notices, not all environmental reporting. - Fewer permit barriers for covered businesses: benefit, low. Being on the latest tax warrant list no longer blocks an environmental permit or license for that reason alone. Beginning July 1, 2026, qualifying industrial dischargers avoid the specified additional state water-facility permit. They must hold an active industrial surface-water discharge permit or… - Help replacing aging petroleum storage tanks: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, the state tank fund may pay 50% of eligible decommissioning or replacement costs. The administrator must find the work necessary for health and environmental protection, considering tank age, obsolescence, and deterioration. Costs must be reasonable and cost effective; repla… - Landfill cover materials avoid disposal fees: benefit, low. Material used as alternate daily landfill cover under a department permit or board rule is exempt from the state disposal or incineration fee. Beginning July 1, 2026, waste districts also cannot charge disposal fees on cover used under permits issued under board rules. Existing district fee limits… - Less permit review after temporary rules: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, the environmental board no longer must review approvals after certain temporary rules expire. This covers permits and licenses issued under provisional or interim rules adopted to meet federal deadlines or dates. Those rules must still include a process for requesting except… - Less state review for utility plans: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, qualifying sewer and public water-main plans are exempt from specified state permits, permissions, and reviews. A registered professional engineer must prepare the plans, and the local unit must provide qualified-engineer review and approval. Subdivision sewer extensions als… - Permit powers drop noise and radiation: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, the specified air permit powers no longer cover noise or atomic radiation. Atomic radiation is also removed from the specified waste permit powers. Waste permits cover solid and hazardous waste storage, treatment, processing, transfer, transportation, and disposal. These cha… - Qualifying foundry sand avoids reuse permits: benefit, low. Foundry sand meeting Type III criteria is exempt from permitting for the uses listed in the law. These include specified landfill cover, embankments, land application, soil amendments, structural fill, and product manufacturing. Both the sand quality and the intended use must qualify. - Tire transporters lose annual reporting duty: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, waste tire transporters no longer submit annual passenger-tire-equivalent counts to IDEM. They must still keep those counts and provide records on request. The board also no longer must adopt waste and used tire rules under this section. Any rules it adopts must cover regist… - Waste operators gain broader regulatory exemptions: benefit, low. The state board must adopt all federal waste exemptions and exclusions, not just those adopted since January 1, 2022. Beginning July 1, 2026, the department also loses a specific classification power over mixed-input digestion and gasification facilities. The removed authority allowed it to treat f… - Cleanup applicants gain notice, cost-rule changes: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, applicants must receive formal administrative notice when the commissioner finds an approved voluntary cleanup plan was not successfully completed. The board also no longer must adopt rules to recover staff and administrative costs for reviewing cleanup-related property rest… - Property owners lose cleanup lien protections: cost, medium. Beginning July 1, 2026, Indiana's environmental department keeps its power to place liens on property for hazardous cleanup costs. The change applies to property undergoing a response under the hazardous-substance or petroleum cleanup laws. Owners lose the statutory advance notice and chance to req… - Electronics makers must meet recycling targets: cost, medium. Beginning July 1, 2026, manufacturers must recycle or arrange collection and recycling of covered electronics from covered entities each program year. The required weight is at least 60% of their registered weight of video display devices sold to households. Manufacturers must check contracted coll… - Part-time hearing officers lose payment entitlement: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, hearing officers who are not full-time state employees lose a statutory payment entitlement. It covered reasonable expenses and per diem for hearing work. The law does not state prior amounts or whether another payment source remains available. - Hazardous cleanup sites lose priority guarantee: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, the board may set rules for choosing hazardous-substance response sites, but no longer must do so. The law also removes the default priority for sites posing significant health and environmental threats while rules are pending. Nearby communities lose that statutory priority… - Residents face stricter rule proposal requirements: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, written proposals to adopt, change, or repeal environmental rules must explain the reasons and include suggested text. They also need a petition signed by at least 200 Indiana residents. A majority of voting board members may authorize notice and a hearing after finding the… - State groundwater information clearinghouse ends: cost, low. The law ends the environmental department's groundwater quality clearinghouse. Its duties included screening contamination reports, ensuring investigations, sharing public information, and coordinating groundwater data with other agencies. Residents and agencies lose that central resource; the prov… - Waste assistance and chemical rulemaking become optional: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, IDEM no longer must provide certain waste-reduction information, public education help, and related activities. The agency retains authority to provide them. The board also may, rather than must, adopt rules under the PCB chemical chapter. That rulemaking change does not its… - Waste law drops atomic radiation references: cost, low. The law removes atomic radiation from the board's listed duty to regulate solid and hazardous waste. Beginning July 1, 2026, the covered waste-permit facility definition also excludes atomic radiation. That definition covers structures or land used to dispose of, treat, store, recover, process, or… - Businesses lose required waste-reduction support: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, the state office no longer has to collect waste-reduction information or advise businesses about it. The duty to gather information about using secondary materials also ends. The pollution prevention division no longer has to sponsor clean manufacturing pilot projects or pub… - Electronics recyclers face registration and reporting: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, covered electronics collectors and recyclers must register by March 1 for the program year. Registration takes effect when received, and the department can revoke it for violations of the law or board rules. Recycler annual certifications refer to applicable regulations rath… - Environmental reports can require sworn statements: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, IDEM may require an affidavit with reports covered by the applicable reporting section. The sworn statement must come from the responsible officer or person in charge. It is required only when IDEM asks for it. - Extra fee for incomplete cleanup applications: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, voluntary remediation applicants must pay another application fee after an application is rejected as incomplete. The fee applies when they submit a completed application. The law does not specify the fee amount. - Permit applicants lose mandatory mitigating review: cost, low. For specified permit denials, the commissioner no longer has to consider mitigating factors before deciding. These include cooperation, responsibility, self-policing, pending appeals, the public interest, and good citizenship. The commissioner can still issue permits, licenses, orders, and variance… - Permit holders risk daily contamination fines: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, permit holders can face fines for failing to correct or prevent water-supply contamination. This applies when they knew or should have known action was needed. The commissioner may assess up to $1,000 for each day of violation; the actual fine may be lower. - Recyclers face reporting rules and grant limits: cost, low. Recyclers must use the reporting format the commissioner sets through the department's website. The law removes the separate requirement for a uniform statutory form and its listed reporting details. The recycling market development board no longer has to make second-round grants. Its grant awards… - Tank claim payment transfers need approval: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, eligible claimants need administrator approval to transfer their right to receive state petroleum tank fund payments. The administrator must find the transfer appropriate. This limits claimants' ability to arrange payment or financing through another party. - Tire transporters face stronger registration enforcement: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, state officials can change or revoke a waste tire transporter's registration for uncorrected violations. This applies to registration conditions, the governing law, and board rules when the transporter misses the department's correction deadline. Officials must send written… - New discharge limits and lake flexibility: mixed, medium. General permits cannot authorize discharges into designated outstanding national or state resource waters. Temporary stormwater discharges are an exception only when the commissioner finds no significant drop in downstream water quality. Beginning July 1, 2026, Lake Michigan permits must allow mixi… - Sewer systems get wet-weather rules: mixed, medium. The law creates a special water-use category for waters affected by combined sewer overflows during wet weather. It requires federal approval and an approved control plan included in a permit or order and put into practice. The plan sets wet-weather water-quality requirements; existing recreation s… - Water permits face new quality reviews: mixed, medium. Beginning July 1, 2026, Indiana’s board has a broader duty to make rules against water pollution. The board may also create a limited-use water designation process, but the law does not designate any waters. IDEM must review all general water discharge permits for water-quality protections and may… - Small business air assistance changes: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Indiana replaces its separate small business air assistance program with a required stationary source assistance program. The new program serves small businesses that own or operate fixed sources of air pollution under the federal Clean Air Act. The repeal removes the separa… - Agency confidentiality agreements become optional: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, the environmental department may make confidentiality agreements with employees, contractors, and subcontractors. Indiana and the person or entity submitting information can enforce those agreements. The department no longer has to adopt rules requiring the agreements. - Board gains discretion over environmental standards: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, environmental rules may consider background, out-of-state, and international pollution. This replaces language allowing rules to apply to outside sources that contribute to Indiana pollution. The board may consider local conditions, land uses, zoning, environmental quality,… - Environmental appeals expand, notice protections shrink: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, specified environmental actions are subject to administrative review, and written communications must explain the review process. Covered actions include permit decisions, emergency orders, and denials of petroleum tank excess liability fund claims. An order or determination… - More public involvement, narrower local outreach: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, the department must run programs to increase public awareness and participation in state environmental programs. It must still advise local governments on pollution control, water treatment, water resources, and solid waste facilities or standards. However, the law removes i… - Owner responses and cleanup plans online: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, the environmental department must add owners' written inspection responses to the public inspection file. This covers responses to inspection reports, summaries, or questions raised during inspections. Proposed voluntary cleanup work plans must appear on the department's web… - Permit hearings and public input change: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, public notice and comments become optional for permits under the specified alternative-permit rules. A hearing is required upon the commissioner's determination for original or renewal hazardous-waste disposal permits and original regulated solid-waste disposal or incinerato… - Septic systems exempt from groundwater limits: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, the health department's executive board cannot apply groundwater nitrate and nitrite numeric limits to onsite sewage systems. Any rule applying those criteria is void to that extent. This limits regulation of septic systems while removing those groundwater protections from t… - State waste pond oversight faces limits: mixed, low. Indiana no longer requires the board to adopt construction and monitoring rules for nonhazardous waste and wastewater impoundments. This removes that rulemaking duty for pits, ponds, and lagoons, including its application to specified state agencies. State coal-ash rules cannot be stricter or more… - Stricter environmental rules face legislative delay: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, rulemaking notices must identify options that impose more burdensome requirements than federal law and provide supporting information. This applies when the department announces a public comment period in the Indiana Register. Covered rules cannot take effect until the next… - Tank cleanup reviews and public notices: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, specified cleanup or closure steps require site information when reportable petroleum amounts remain or may remain underground. The commissioner must review an initial site study, or an alternative evaluation must be prepared for submission. A separate review of possible cle… - Waste facility safeguards rely on optional rules: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, the board may—but need not—require containment structures and spill-response plans where hazardous materials are handled. Those rules must follow applicable safety and fire-code laws. The law also removes the express duty to adopt incinerator construction and operating rules… - Automakers lose required recurring plan reviews: mixed, low. The commissioner no longer has to review approved motor vehicle manufacturer plans three years after approval and every three years afterward. The duty to work with manufacturers to agree on plan changes also ends. The law removes the related provision saying manufacturers need not resubmit those c… - Biomass facilities face approvals and exemptions: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, qualifying processors are excluded from the solid waste processing facility classification. They must handle only biomass, appropriate feedstock, recyclables, or mixtures, at a permitted beneficial-use, anaerobic digestion, or gasification facility. State approval is require… - Cleanup applicants gain time, face revisions: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, voluntary cleanup applicants have one year after signing an agreement to submit a work plan, up from 180 days. After receiving a cleanup report, the commissioner can require plan changes when project goals are not being met. If the parties cannot agree on changes within 180… - Delayed applicants keep refunds, lose self-drafting: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, applicants can consult with the commissioner after a missed deadline or while an existing permit continues pending replacement. After agreement, or 30 days of consultation without agreement, they can seek a fee refund while review continues or hire a consultant. Applicants c… - Faster stormwater reviews with stop-work safeguards: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, preliminary stormwater-plan completeness reviews have deadlines of 10 business days for small or very small sites. Large-site reviews have 14 business days. After a favorable preliminary finding or no timely notice, owners can file a notice of intent and start work 48 hours… - More reuse options for industrial waste: mixed, low. The department and board can allow nonhazardous industrial waste on land or in materials applied to land. The waste must provide a useful benefit, and the finished material must have a beneficial use and meet board standards. Applicants must describe each waste at its source before mixing waste str… - Permit clocks change and sometimes pause: mixed, low. Board rules set air permit decision deadlines, while the 90-day waste-permit deadline covers only the specified minor modifications. A public hearing adds 30 days unless another law or rule controls; the specified 365-day and 270-day categories are excluded. Beginning July 1, 2026, the commissioner… - Septic waste services need state permits: mixed, low. The department must run a permit program for people offering or performing septic waste management services. Merely owning or operating a qualifying residential or commercial holding tank does not require this permit. The tank must hold waste until service vehicles remove and transport it from the… - State air permit compliance program ends: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Indiana repeals its Clean Air Act Permit Compliance Program. This removes that state program for covered entities; the provision names no replacement requirements. A related definition includes the program's chapter within air pollution control laws, subject to a stated stat… - Underground tank rulemaking becomes optional: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, the environmental board no longer has an express duty to adopt underground storage tank program rules. Any rules it adopts must remain at least as strict as federal rules. They must cover leak detection, records, release reports, cleanup, closure, financial responsibility, n… - Waste handling exceptions and planning change: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, rules allowing small incidental amounts of whole tires at landfills or transfer stations become optional. Any adopted rules may allow procedures instead of numeric limits; other disposal rules and the statutory landfill exception still apply. Transfer stations otherwise must… - Wastewater definitions and stormwater responsibility change: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, the department must identify who is responsible for construction stormwater permit violations, without the former listed decision factors. Industrial pretreatment permits for discharges to public treatment plants refer to applicable rules rather than specific administrative-… - Water permit holders face transition deadlines: mixed, low. Indiana's environmental department can issue general water-discharge permits without putting their terms in a rule. Existing terms remain binding until the permit holder files a notice of intent for a department-developed permit. To keep coverage, holders must file within 90 days after the form bec… - Waste operators may face certification rules: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, the board may create a state-run training and certification program for specified facility operators. It may include certification requirements, mandatory testing, retraining, recognition of other programs, and an interim certification period. Neither the program nor those f… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Rick Niemeyer (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Beau Baird (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Doug Miller (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Justin Busch (Republican), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-02-25 | Senate | Senate concurred with House amendments | pass | 26 | 21 | | | 2026-02-24 | House | Third reading: passed | pass | 53 | 45 | | | 2026-02-23 | House | Amendment #17 (Jackson C) failed | fail | 30 | 63 | | | 2026-02-23 | House | Amendment #6 (Novak) failed | fail | 39 | 55 | | | 2026-02-23 | House | Amendment #14 (Jackson C) failed | fail | 35 | 58 | | | 2026-02-23 | House | Amendment #5 (Bauer) prevailed | pass | 50 | 44 | | | 2026-02-23 | House | Amendment #2 (Bauer) failed | fail | 29 | 62 | | | 2026-02-23 | House | Amendment #10 (Errington) failed | fail | 34 | 56 | | | 2026-02-23 | House | Amendment #15 (Jackson C) failed | fail | 29 | 67 | | | 2026-02-23 | House | Amendment #9 (Errington) failed | fail | 29 | 66 | | | 2026-02-23 | House | Amendment #8 (Errington) failed | fail | 34 | 60 | | | 2026-02-23 | House | Amendment #3 (Bauer) failed | fail | 48 | 49 | | | 2026-01-29 | Senate | Third reading: passed | pass | 29 | 19 | | ## Actions (37) - 2026-03-05: Signed by the Governor (Senate) - 2026-03-05: Public Law 135 (Senate) - 2026-02-27: Signed by the President Pro Tempore (Senate) - 2026-02-27: Signed by the President of the Senate (Senate) - 2026-02-27: Signed by the Speaker (House) - 2026-02-25: Senate concurred with House amendments; Roll Call 296: yeas 26, nays 21 (Senate) - 2026-02-25: Motion to concur filed (Senate) - 2026-02-25: Returned to the Senate with amendments (House) - 2026-02-24: Third reading: passed; Roll Call 356: yeas 53, nays 45 (House) - 2026-02-23: Amendment #6 (Novak) failed; Roll Call 323: yeas 39, nays 55 (House) - 2026-02-23: Amendment #14 (Jackson C) failed; Roll Call 324: yeas 35, nays 58 (House) - 2026-02-23: Amendment #12 (Errington) failed; Division of the House: yeas 37, nays 54 (House) - 2026-02-23: Amendment #22 (Cash) prevailed; voice vote (House) - 2026-02-23: Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed (House) - 2026-02-23: Amendment #9 (Errington) failed; Roll Call 332: yeas 29, nays 66 (House) - 2026-02-23: Amendment #15 (Jackson C) failed; Roll Call 331: yeas 29, nays 67 (House) - 2026-02-23: Amendment #10 (Errington) failed; Roll Call 330: yeas 34, nays 56 (House) - 2026-02-23: Amendment #2 (Bauer) failed; Roll Call 329: yeas 29, nays 62 (House) - 2026-02-23: Amendment #5 (Bauer) prevailed; Roll Call 328: yeas 50, nays 44 (House) - 2026-02-23: Amendment #17 (Jackson C) failed; Roll Call 327: yeas 30, nays 63 (House) - 2026-02-23: Amendment #3 (Bauer) failed; Roll Call 326: yeas 48, nays 49 (House) - 2026-02-23: Amendment #8 (Errington) failed; Roll Call 325: yeas 34, nays 60 (House) - 2026-02-23: Amendment #27 (Baird) prevailed; voice vote (House) - 2026-02-16: Committee report: amend do pass, adopted (House) - 2026-02-02: First reading: referred to Committee on Environmental Affairs (House) - 2026-01-29: Third reading: passed; Roll Call 141: yeas 29, nays 19 (Senate) - 2026-01-29: Representative Miller D added as cosponsor (House) - 2026-01-29: House sponsor: Representative Baird (Senate) - 2026-01-29: Referred to the House (Senate) - 2026-01-28: Amendment #5 (Niemeyer) prevailed; voice vote (Senate) - 2026-01-28: Amendment #1 (Qaddoura) failed; voice vote (Senate) - 2026-01-28: Senator Busch added as second author (Senate) - 2026-01-28: Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed (Senate) - 2026-01-22: Committee report: amend do pass, adopted (Senate) - 2026-01-13: Committee report: do pass adopted; reassigned to Committee on Appropriations (Senate) - 2026-01-08: First reading: referred to Committee on Environmental Affairs (Senate) - 2026-01-08: Authored by Senator Niemeyer (Senate) ## Bill text - Engrossed Senate Bill (H): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0277/versions/SB0277.04.ENGS?format=pdf) - Engrossed Senate Bill (S): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0277/versions/SB0277.06.ENGH?format=pdf) - Enrolled Senate Bill (S): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0277/versions/SB0277.07.ENRH?format=pdf) - Introduced Senate Bill (S): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0277/versions/SB0277.01.INTR?format=pdf) - Senate Bill (H): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0277/versions/SB0277.05.COMH?format=pdf) - Senate Bill (S): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0277/versions/SB0277.02.COMS?format=pdf), [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0277/versions/SB0277.03.COMS?format=pdf) ## Related bills - SB 239: Various education matters. (signed) - SB 204: Various education matters. (signed) - SB 179: Indiana department of transportation. (signed) - SB 185: Alcohol and tobacco matters. (signed) - SB 80: Code publication. (signed) - HB 1424: Farm and homestead food sales. (signed) ## Sources - [Engrossed Senate Bill (H) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0277/versions/SB0277.04.ENGS?format=pdf) - [Engrossed Senate Bill (S) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0277/versions/SB0277.06.ENGH?format=pdf) - [Enrolled Senate Bill (S) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0277/versions/SB0277.07.ENRH?format=pdf) - [Introduced Senate Bill (S) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0277/versions/SB0277.01.INTR?format=pdf) - [Senate Bill (H) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0277/versions/SB0277.05.COMH?format=pdf) - [Senate Bill (S) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0277/versions/SB0277.02.COMS?format=pdf) - [Senate Bill (S) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0277/versions/SB0277.03.COMS?format=pdf) ## Related - [SB 239: Various education matters.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB239-2026) - [SB 204: Various education matters.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB204-2026) - [SB 179: Indiana department of transportation.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB179-2026) - [SB 185: Alcohol and tobacco matters.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB185-2026) - [SB 80: Code publication.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB80-2026) - [HB 1424: Farm and homestead food sales.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-HB1424-2026) - [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-SB277-2026 (as of 2026-11-01).