Rep. Ethan Manning

Establishes the following: (1) The health workforce student loan repayment program (program). (2) The health workforce advisory council (council). (3) The health workforce student loan repayment program fund (fund); for the purpose of providing funds to repay outstanding student loans of certain health providers who meet the program requirements. Provides that the state department of health (state department) shall administer the program and fund. Establishes: (1) the imposition of fees at the time a license is issued or renewed for certain health profession licenses; and (2) qualifications to receive a student loan repayment award under the program. Provides that, beginning July 1, 2023, the state department and each board included in the program may award loan repayment to an eligible applicant who is a provider licensed by the board. Requires, not later than July 1, 2024, and not later than July 1 every two years thereafter, the state department to submit a report concerning the program and fund to the governor and the general assembly. Provides that money in the fund is continuously appropriated. Repeals provisions concerning the following: (1) The primary care physician loan forgiveness program. (2) The mental health services development programs. (3) The dental underserved area and minority recruitment program.

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION terminating the public health emergency first declared on March 6, 2020, in Executive Order 20-02.

Allows a water or wastewater utility to extend service to a developed but underserved area without a deposit from customers if the extension of service will result in a positive contribution to the utility's overall cost of service over a 20 year period. Provides that the extension of service will be considered as resulting in a positive contribution to the utility's overall cost of service over a 20 year period to the extent that rates to be paid by 50% or more of the customers who could be served by the extension of service would enable the utility to fully recover the weighted cost of debt and depreciation expense attributable to the cost of the main extension for the extension of service. Provides that if a water or wastewater utility determines that an extension of service will not result in a positive contribution to the utility's overall cost of service over a 20 year period, the utility may require a deposit or other adequate assurance of performance from the customers to be served by the extension of service. Provides that if a property owner makes an improvement to the property owner's dwelling, the property owner is not required to upgrade or discontinue use of the property's septic tank soil absorption system or to connect to a sewer system if the improvement does not include the addition of a bedroom or bedroom equivalent and the property owner receives a written determination from a qualified inspector that the septic tank soil absorption system is not failing. Provides that if a tract of land is located within the boundaries of a conservancy district established for sewage purposes, no structure located on the tract of land is connected to or served by the conservancy district's sewage service, the tract of land has been annexed by a municipality that will provide sewer service to the tract of land, and other conditions are met, the owner of the tract of land may petition the court that established the conservancy district for the removal of the tract of land from the boundaries of the conservancy district.

Defines "breach of peace" and "law enforcement officer" for purposes of election law. Includes an identification document issued by a Native American Indian tribe or band for purposes of proof of identification. Specifies to whom a watcher must report any violation of election laws. Requires the prior consent of an inspector for a watcher to object to any other precinct election officer concerning an alleged violation of election laws and allows for the removal of the watcher and revocation of credentials for a violation. Amends the definition of "electioneering" and adds language prohibiting making verbal statements, displaying certain written statements, or the display of support for the approval or defeat of a public question and electioneering before election day in specified locations. Makes it criminal trespass for a person to enter or refuse to leave a polling location after having been prohibited entry or asked to leave by an election officer or a law enforcement officer acting on behalf of an election officer.

Defines "anomaly" and amends the definitions of "ballot label," "de minimis change," "electronic poll book," and "state office". Requires the entry of filing information concerning all candidates into the statewide voter registration system. Requires, for voting systems initially certified for marketing and use in Indiana after January 1, 2022, certain universally recognized symbols of a candidate's legal name to be displayed. Allows the secretary of state to provide parts and reports from the voter registration system information from the computerized list to law enforcement officials conducting an investigation if certain requirements are met. Requires election certification documents to be filed only through the statewide voter registration system. Provides that the precinct judge performs the duties of a precinct election sheriff under certain circumstances. Allows the cancellation of the registration of a deceased person based on a notice published by a funeral director or embalmer on the Internet web site of the funeral director or embalmer. Describes the process by which the name of an Indiana resident who has been imprisoned for conviction of a crime in another state is removed from the voter registration list. Provides that a person is disqualified from assuming or being a candidate for an elected office if the person is a nonjudicial court employee who would violate Rule 4.6 of the Indiana Code of Judicial Conduct by being the candidate of a political party for nomination or election to an elected office or a political party office. Makes changes to the formatting of nonpartisan judicial offices on the ballot. Provides that a candidate is considered affiliated with a particular political party for purposes of determining whether the candidate is qualified to be on that party's primary election ballot if the two most recent primary elections in which the candidate voted were primary elections held by the political party with which the candidate claims affiliation. (Under current law, only the most recent primary election that the candidate voted in must have been held by the political party with which the candidate claims affiliation.) Requires ballots to have precinct numbers or designations. Requires retention of electronic poll book information for the same retention period as other election records. Provides that ballot proofs be made available for inspection 67 days before the date of the election. Permits a county election board to authorize the use of absentee ballots by voters when a state disaster emergency is declared or a county disaster emergency is declared within 11 days of an election. Requires that an absentee ballot application requesting that an absentee ballot be sent by mail or by traveling board submitted to a county using the statewide voter registration system must include a telephone number to contact the applicant; permits the applicant to include the applicant's electronic mail address. Provides that if an application for an absentee ballot is denied, the county election board must provide the voter in writing with the reasons for the denial of the application. (Under current law, only absent uniformed services voters or overseas voters are required to be provided with notice of denial of an absentee ballot application.) Provides that, with certain exceptions, an individual must be a citizen of the United States to be permitted in the polls during an election and authorizes the secretary of state to grant exceptions. Authorizes a voter board visiting a voter with an illness or injury or a voter who is caring for a confined person at a private residence to use an electronic poll book. Specifies the procedure when a voter leaves the clerk's office or satellite office without casting the voter's absentee ballot for the vote to be cast by the absentee voter board. Specifies the requirements for the timing and security of the bipartisan initialing of absentee ballots. Increases the amount of time a voter has to vote in a primary election from three minutes to five minutes and the amount of time to vote in a general, municipal, or special election from two minutes to four minutes. Adds requirements for testing of voting systems before an election. Specifies the procedure requiring the reporting of problems experienced with voting systems or electronic poll books. Adds requirements for disposing of voting system units. Requires a voting system to contain features to ensure that unauthorized software has not been installed on the equipment, and to permit the electronic adjudication of voter intent on ballots cast using the voting system. Provides that any electronic device used to create a ballot file or program a voting system, or used with election management software, may not be connected to the Internet. Requires the Voting System Technical Oversight Program to conduct random audits of voting systems and electronic poll books in odd-numbered years. Requires a precinct election officer, in the case of a voter who casts a provisional ballot, or an absentee voter board, in the case of a voter who casts an absentee ballot that is treated as a provisional ballot, to provide both orally and in writing an explanation of the steps the voter must take in order to have the voter's ballot counted. Requires the election division to prescribe the form of the explanation. Requires the circuit court clerk to notify a voter who casts a provisional ballot not later than three days after election day concerning: (1) the reasons that the voter's ballot is being treated as a provisional ballot; (2) what actions, if any, that the voter must take in order to have the voter's ballot counted; (3) the deadline by which the voter must act to have the voter's ballot counted; and (4) certain contact information that the provisional voter may use to find out about the provisional voter's ballot. Requires that the notice must be in a form prescribed by the election division. Specifies procedures for the return of an electronic poll book or a voting system from the polls of the precinct or from the vote centers after the close of the polls on election day. Extends the deadline for filling a post-primary candidate vacancy from noon on June 30 to noon on July 3 and after July 3 in case of certain successful challenges to a candidate. Amends procedures for candidate filings to fill ballot vacancies in certain cases. Updates statutes setting schedules for upcoming elections. Repeals the current statute concerning the referral of a disputed ballot to a judge when a recount or contest has not been filed. Makes technical changes. Makes conforming amendments. Repeals obsolete provisions.

Provides that a public school or school corporation may purchase up to $7,500 of food per fiscal year from a youth agricultural education program, subject to certain restrictions and documentation requirements. Provides that the public school or school corporation is not prohibited from purchasing food from a youth agricultural education program under any other procurement requirements.

Establishes the task force on wastewater infrastructure investment and service to underserved areas (task force). Provides that the task force consists of the following 18 members: (1) Six members of the senate, with the president pro tempore appointing four members (one of whom serves as co-chair of the task force), and the minority leader appointing two members. (2) Six members of the house of representatives, with the speaker appointing four members (one of whom serves as co-chair of the task force), and the minority leader appointing two members. (3) Six gubernatorial appointees, including the following: (A) One officer or employee of the state. (B) One member representing operators of wastewater management systems. (C) One engineer, or another professional, with expertise in wastewater management systems. (D) One member representing ratepayers. (E) One member representing municipalities served by a wastewater operator not under the jurisdiction of the utility regulatory commission. (F) One member of the general public. Sets forth the duties of the task force. Requires the task force to develop a long term plan for addressing wastewater needs in Indiana. Requires the task force to issue a report setting forth its recommendations to: (1) the executive director of the legislative services agency for distribution to members of the general assembly; and (2) the governor; not later than December 1, 2021. Provides that the bill's provisions concerning the task force expire January 1, 2022. Establishes the water infrastructure grant program (program) to be administered by the Indiana finance authority (authority). Establishes the water infrastructure grant fund (fund) as a source of money for grants, loans, and other financial assistance to, or for the benefit of, participants in the program. Sets forth purposes for which money in the fund may be used, including the planning, designing, acquisition, construction, renovation, improvement, or expansion of: (1) water systems; and (2) wastewater or storm water collection and treatment systems. Requires the authority to adopt guidelines to establish criteria for the making of grants, loans, and other financial assistance from the fund. Sets forth certain conditions that apply to the making of grants, the making of loans, and the providing of other financial assistance from the fund. Requires the authority to establish a project prioritization system for the purposes of awarding loans and grants from the fund. Sets forth certain variables that the project prioritization system must include. Provides that the authority may provide advisory services and other services to a participant in connection with a grant, a loan, or other financial assistance from the fund. Requires the public finance director to submit to the budget committee and the legislative council, in each odd-numbered year through 2023, a report concerning grants, loans, or other financial assistance made available to participants from the fund.

Requires certain nonprofit hospitals to hold an annual public forum for the purposes of: (1) obtaining feedback from the community about the nonprofit hospital's performance in the previous year; (2) discussing the pricing of health services provided at the nonprofit hospital; and (3) discussing the contributions made by the nonprofit hospital to the community. Requires a nonprofit hospital, at least 14 days before the public forum, to post on the nonprofit hospital's Internet web site: (1) a notice stating the date, time, location, and purposes of the public forum; and (2) information relating to the subjects to be discussed at the public forum. Allows the public forum to be held, either all or in part, through an interactive real time audio and video meeting that is accessible to the community through the Internet. Changes the date that ambulatory outpatient surgical centers are required to begin posting certain pricing information from March 31, 2021, to December 31, 2021. Specifies that the pricing information posted is the standard charge rather than the weighted average negotiated charge and sets forth what is included in the standard charge. Specifies that if an ambulatory outpatient surgical center offers less than 30 additional services, the center is required to post all of the services the center provides. Requires a hospital to post pricing information in compliance with the federal Hospital Price Transparency Rule of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as in effect on January 1, 2021, if: (1) the federal Hospital Price Transparency Rule is repealed; or (2) federal enforcement of the federal Hospital Price Transparency Rule is stopped. Requires a health carrier to hold an annual public forum. Specifies information to be discussed at the health carrier public forum and information to be disclosed before the forum. Makes conforming changes.

Establishes the Indiana broadband connectivity program (program) for the purpose of expanding availability of broadband Internet connectivity throughout Indiana. Provides that as part of the program, the office must establish a public broadband portal through which an individual may report that minimum broadband Internet (defined as a connection to the Internet at an actual speed of at least 25 megabits per second downstream and at least three megabits per second upstream) is unavailable at the individual's residential or business address. Provides that a broadband Internet provider may: (1) register with the program; (2) receive, at least every three months, listings of addresses submitted to the office as addresses at which minimum broadband Internet is unavailable; (3) report to the office any listed address at which the provider's minimum broadband Internet service is already available; and (4) bid for an award of a grant for purposes of extending connectivity to broadband Internet service (defined as a connection to the Internet at an actual speed of at least 50 megabits per second downstream and at least five megabits per second upstream) to an address at which minimum broadband Internet is unavailable. Provides that in evaluating any bids received under the program, the office shall select the provider whose bid presents the lowest cost to the state. Provides that a grant awarded to a provider under the program may not exceed the following: (1) A per-line extension amount that exceeds $25,000, regardless of the number of addresses served by the line extension. (2) A per-passing amount that exceeds the state's cost per passing for all rural broadband grants awarded from the fund as of the last day of the immediately preceding state fiscal year. Requires the office to provide to the general assembly an annual report containing specified data regarding the program. Provides that the office may maintain a geographic information system (GIS) or similar data base that contains spatial data regarding the availability of broadband Internet service in Indiana. Provides that the office may evaluate the broadband Internet coverage map created by the Federal Communications Commission under the Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability Act (FCC map) and: (1) if the office finds that the FCC map: (A) provides address level broadband Internet coverage information; or (B) provides a greater level of detail than the office's broadband Internet coverage map; use the FCC map to update the office's broadband Internet coverage map; or (2) if the office finds that the FCC map does not: (A) provide address level broadband Internet coverage information; or (B) provide a greater level of detail than the office's broadband Internet coverage map; report that finding to the interim study committee on energy, utilities, and telecommunications during the 2022 legislative interim.

Eliminates the general restriction on the authority of a county, city, town, or township concerning regulation of landlord-tenant relationship matters not specifically described by state statute. Prohibits the waiver of laws regarding retaliatory acts by a landlord.