All Roll Calls
Yes: 181 • No: 4
Sponsored By: David Niezgodski (Democratic)
Signed by Governor
Allows an eligible county and city to establish by ordinance, a Midwest continental divide commission and district for the purpose of acquiring, developing, funding, constructing, equipping, and owning economic improvement projects in or serving the district. Amends an appropriation made in P.L.201-2023 to the northern Indiana regional economic development authority to allow funds to be used to support and fund the commission and the commission's projects.
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8 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 1 costs, 4 mixed.
Beginning July 1, 2025, an eligible Indiana county and city can jointly create the Midwest Continental Divide Commission by ordinance. The county must have more than 250,000 but fewer than 300,000 people; the city, more than 100,000 but fewer than 110,000. The ordinance must set district boundaries, include a trail in the development plan, and approve a land use and zoning plan. The commission must coordinate related tourism and development with local governments, tribal governments at reservation sites, and development authorities. It must provide for the trail's design, construction, operation, and upkeep, and can fund and own economic improvement projects. It can also offer loans, guarantees, grants, and federal grant matches for eligible local governments and transportation agencies.
Eligible participants and Indiana nonprofits can sell land or projects to the commission, lease them back, and enter joint project agreements. An eligible participant can set a sale price it finds serves its best interest. For bond-refinancing transactions, the sale price must cover refinancing the bonds. Leases can last no more than 20 years, and eligible participants must find the rent fair and reasonable. Rent for new construction or improvements cannot start until the work is complete and ready to use. The renter must have an option to buy the project for the amount needed to pay its related debt, including refinancing debt.
Commission-owned property, its lease interests, and its revenue are exempt from Indiana state taxation, except the financial institutions tax. Contractors can use sales-tax exemption certificates for materials built into real property on commission-owned or commission-leased land in the district. Securities issued under this law are also exempt from state securities registration requirements.
Beginning July 1, 2025, changes or exceptions to the district's adopted land use and zoning plan require commission approval. The commission can also seek to take district property through condemnation when agreement with owners, renters, or occupants fails. Before filing, it must adopt a resolution describing the property, planned use, and public interest and necessity. The eligible city's legislative body must approve acquisitions inside that city; otherwise, the eligible county's legislative body must approve.
Beginning July 1, 2025, the commission must follow Indiana public records and open meeting laws. The State Board of Accounts must allow an annual certified public accountant audit, subject to State Examiner approval and direction. The commission pays; reports are due within four months after each calendar year and must review internal controls and recommend improvements. The accountant cannot hold a significant financial interest in commission-funded or leased projects, facilities, or services. The state can waive an audit when the commission certifies it had no financial activity that year. Members receive no salary, but nonlegislative members receive necessary work-expense reimbursement from commission funds. Legislative members receive lawmakers' interim-study daily, mileage, and travel allowances from money appropriated for that purpose.
The commission must create a fund that can receive local, state, and federal money, grants, and gifts. Local transfers can include property tax and tax increment financing revenue, but not money legally restricted or committed elsewhere. Fund money stays available for the law's purposes and does not revert to another fund. When a county or local unit misses a required transfer, the treasurer must divert an equal amount from its distributions. Beginning July 1, 2025, the Northern Indiana Regional Development Authority can also use an existing $30 million appropriation for commission support. That appropriation covers the budget year ending June 30, 2024; this added use expires July 1, 2028. This is not new funding, and the law does not require the full $30 million to go to the commission.
Beginning July 1, 2025, the commission must follow Indiana public purchasing and public works laws and applicable federal bidding rules. An eligible public entity can lease property to the commission at a price and on terms that entity sets. When a lease calls for commission construction or improvements, every agency legally assigned to review the plans must approve them.
Beginning July 1, 2025, covered purchases generally require two independent appraisals, with the initial offer capped at their average. Auctions, purchases of at least $75,000, and government-to-government transactions are exempt from these acquisition rules. A higher acquisition price needs commission approval or a court order in condemnation proceedings. Public sales and leases generally require two appraisals, notice, written offers, and an offering price no lower than the appraisal average. One appraisal is enough for a parcel under five acres valued below $50,000. Specified procedures exclude transfers to eligible participants, Indiana nonprofits, and qualifying developers, and lease renewals totaling no more than five years.
David Niezgodski
Democratic • Senate
Blake Doriot
Republican • Senate
Dale DeVon
Republican • House
Ed Charbonneau
Republican • Senate
Jake Teshka
Republican • House
Linda Rogers
Republican • Senate
Lonnie Randolph
Democratic • Senate
Maureen Bauer
Democratic • House
Rodney Pol
Democratic • Senate
Ryan Mishler
Republican • Senate
All Roll Calls
Yes: 181 • No: 4
Senate vote • 4/17/2025
Senate concurred with House amendments
Yes: 38 • No: 4
House vote • 4/8/2025
Third reading: passed
Yes: 94 • No: 0
Senate vote • 2/10/2025
Third reading: passed
Yes: 49 • No: 0
Signed by the Governor
Public Law 141
Signed by the President of the Senate
Signed by the President Pro Tempore
Signed by the Speaker
Senate concurred with House amendments; Roll Call 474: yeas 38, nays 4
Motion to concur filed
Returned to the Senate with amendments
Third reading: passed; Roll Call 406: yeas 94, nays 0
Second reading: ordered engrossed
Committee report: amend do pass, adopted
First reading: referred to Committee on Ways and Means
Referred to the House
House sponsor: Representative Teshka
Third reading: passed; Roll Call 93: yeas 49, nays 0
Cosponsors: Representatives DeVon and Bauer
Amendment #3 (Niezgodski) prevailed; voice vote
Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed
Senator Doriot added as coauthor
Committee report: amend do pass, adopted
Senator Mishler added as second author
Senator Rogers added as third author
Senators Pol and Randolph added as coauthors
Senator Charbonneau added as coauthor
Authored by Senator Niezgodski
Engrossed Senate Bill (H)
Enrolled Senate Bill (S)
Introduced Senate Bill (S)
Senate Bill (S)
SB 324, Criminal procedures.
Increases the penalty levels of crimes related to fentanyl. Provides that a court shall consider requiring certain persons charged with a crime of domestic violence to wear a monitoring device as a condition of bail. Requires that a bail hearing for a violent arrestee or a repeat violent arrestee be held in open court and provides that before releasing a violent arrestee or a repeat violent arrestee on bail the court must review the probable cause affidavit or arrest warrant and impose money bail payable by surety bond or cash deposit. Provides that in accordance with IC 27-10-2-4.5(g)(2), a charitable bail organization may not pay money bail on behalf of a violent arrestee or a repeat violent arrestee. Makes conforming changes.
SB 231, Various corrections matters.
Eliminates requirements that the department of correction: (1) maintain farm programs for offenders committed to the department; and (2) prepare a report calculating the savings realized as a result of sentencing changes. Replaces a reference to a rule repealed by the department of correction with a requirement that the custody and treatment of juveniles meet the standards and licensing requirements adopted in the administrative rules of the department.
SB 80, Code publication.
Makes Indiana Code publication amendments. Repeals and relocates specific Indiana Code definitions chapters for organization of the defined terms by alphabetical order and to provide for future expansion of the chapters. Makes conforming cross-reference updates. Makes technical amendments to remove tabulation designations from the certain criminal law and procedure sections for consistency with similar statutes and to streamline amendment of those sections. Resolves technical conflicts between various enrolled acts passed during the 2025 legislative session.
SB 453, Various tax matters.
Amends estimated quarterly tax payment provisions. Restructures tax collection requirements for kerosene to eliminate specialized tax filing. Streamlines the filing requirements for gasoline use tax to eliminate multiple filing requirements. Specifies the liability and remittance requirements for the gross retail tax, gasoline use tax, and other listed taxes in certain circumstances. Amends provisions that apply to passenger and household goods carriers. Amends the college savings tax credit. Replaces the term "college choice 529 education savings plan" with "Indiana529 plan". Makes a clarifying change to the closed system cartridge tax. Extends the renewal period from one year to two years for businesses licensed to collect the electronic cigarettes tax, closed systems cartridge tax, and other tobacco products tax. Specifies that the fiscal officer of an entity that has adopted an innkeeper's tax, a food and beverage tax, or an admissions tax must enter into an agreement with the department of state revenue (department) before the department provides certain information to the fiscal officer as required under current law. Specifies when certain tax information may be disclosed by the department. Provides for the transfer of certain funds from the bureau of motor vehicles commission fund to the motor carrier regulation fund. Provides that a person who commits a violation involving a consumer transaction entailing the transportation of passengers or household goods commits a deceptive act that is actionable by the attorney general and is subject to certain remedies and penalties. Specifies remittance procedures for the gasoline use tax. Specifies recapture procedures for certain reduced estimated tax payments. Makes corresponding changes.
SB 464, Financial institutions and consumer credit.
Provides that a reference to federal law in: (1) the First Lien Mortgage Lending Act; (2) the Uniform Consumer Credit Code (UCCC); or (3) the Indiana Code title governing financial institutions; is a reference to the law as in effect December 31, 2024 (rather than December 31, 2023, under current law). Amends the definition of "principal" for purposes of the UCCC provisions governing consumer loans to specify that the term does not include any loan proceeds held as security for the loan. Makes a technical change to the Indiana Code provision governing the prepayment of consumer loans to incorporate a cross reference to the Indiana Code provision setting forth the authorized nonrefundable prepaid finance charge for supervised loans. (Current law references only the authorized nonrefundable prepaid finance charge for consumer loans other than supervised loans.) Amends the definition of "consumer transaction" for purposes of the deceptive consumer sales act (act) to include the provision of a product or service to a: (1) state law enforcement agency; or (2) local law enforcement agency; in Indiana. Amends the definition of "supplier" for purposes of the act to include an entity that provides a product or service to a state or local law enforcement agency in Indiana. Provides that an action that arises from a transaction involving: (1) a state law enforcement agency may be brought and enforced only by the attorney general; and (2) a local law enforcement agency may be brought and enforced only by an attorney acting on behalf of the local law enforcement agency involved in the transaction, unless the local unit of government served by the local law enforcement agency requests the attorney general to bring and enforce an action on behalf of the local unit. Amends the Indiana Code provision governing audit requirements for credit unions to provide that department of financial institutions may establish by policy or rule accounting and auditing standards necessary to define the audit requirements.
SB 371, Workforce matters.
Amends the definitions of "discharge for just cause", "employment", and "gross misconduct" for purposes of unemployment insurance. Provides that an unemployment claimant: (1) is required to verify the claimant's identity before a claim can be filed, and as a condition for continued eligibility; and (2) has the right to request a wage investigation and to appeal the results of the investigation to a liability administrative law judge. Allows an unemployment claimant or employing unit to appeal regarding the claimant's status as an insured worker. Requires that all hearings before an administrative law judge or the unemployment insurance review board concerning disputed unemployment claims be set as telephone hearings, unless an objection is made. Allows a disputed unemployment claim to be directly filed with a liability administrative law judge. Provides that administrative records of the department of workforce development (department) are self-authenticating and admissible in an administrative hearing. Provides that the department may release certain confidential records to the extent permitted by federal law. Makes certain changes regarding the reemployment service and eligibility assessment program. Makes various changes regarding extended unemployment benefits. Provides that repayment of a benefits overpayment may be waived if certain conditions are met. Alters certain fee and payment provisions. Removes or alters notice and delivery requirements and extends certain deadlines. Requires the department to issue a written notice of violation to a person who fails to comply with certain authorization requirements. Provides that the department may assess a civil penalty against a person under certain circumstances. Requires civil penalties collected by the department to be deposited in the proprietary educational institution authorization fund. Establishes the unemployment insurance modernization fund (fund). Requires the department to annually submit a report to the budget committee detailing the expenditures made from the fund during the previous state fiscal year. Requires the department to annually submit a report to the budget committee concerning the status of the department's unemployment insurance program. Provides that the department may establish a reemployment pilot program. Makes conforming changes.