Rep. Heath VanNatter

Decriminalizes possession of two ounces or less of marijuana.

Provides an income tax deduction for short term or long term capital gain that is attributable to the sale or exchange of digital assets in a transaction and that is included in federal adjusted gross income, in an amount not to exceed $200 per transaction for the 2024 taxable year, and adjusted annually for inflation each taxable year thereafter. Provides that a county or municipality may not: (1) impose a tax that is assessed based on use of a digital asset as payment in a transaction; or (2) impose a tax on transactions at a different rate based on the use of a digital asset for payment in the transaction. Prohibits the Indiana utility regulatory commission (commission) from approving a rate schedule for electricity supplied by an electricity supplier to digital asset mining businesses that is unreasonable or unjustly discriminatory as compared to the rate schedule approved by the commission for electricity supplied by the electricity supplier to industrial customers. Provides that a person is not required to be licensed as a securities broker-dealer solely because the person provides, or offers to provide, specified services with respect to transactions involving digital assets. Provides that specified operations conducted with respect to maintenance of a blockchain do not constitute money transmission for purposes of statutes regarding licensure of money transmitters. Provides immunity from civil liability for a person that performs specified actions with respect to validation of a transaction on a blockchain network. Prohibits a county, municipality, or township from adopting or enforcing an ordinance that would have the effect of prohibiting, restricting, or impairing an individual's ability to: (1) use digital assets to purchase legal goods and services; or (2) use a hardware wallet or self-hosted wallet to store the individual's digital assets. Provides that use of a property for digital asset mining is a permitted industrial use under any applicable zoning ordinance of a unit and may not be disallowed by a zoning ordinance in a zoning district that permits industrial use. Prohibits a unit from applying the unit's zoning ordinances in specified ways to regulate digital asset mining. Makes conforming amendments and technical corrections.

Requires a court in certain circumstances to make decisions to promote continuity of relationship by both parents with the child through maximum practical parenting time with each parent. Provides that the ability of the parties to encourage the sharing of love, affection, and contact between the child and the other party is a permissible factor to consider in weighing the best interests of a child. Provides that: (1) parents must be encouraged to develop the parents' own parenting plans and parenting time calendars, but if the parents cannot agree to a part of the plan, the court shall provide the required components according to the best interests of the child; (2) if the parents cannot agree at all, the parenting time guidelines apply; and (3) the court must make specific findings of fact and conclusions of law on the record to support any deviation of parenting time that falls below the minimum standards in the parenting time guidelines.

Defines a facility as a "major ground water withdrawal facility" if: (1) the facility includes one or more wells that have the capability of withdrawing at least 10,000,000 gallons of ground water from one or more aquifers in one day; and (2) the facility is connected, or plans provide for the facility to be connected, to pipeline facilities through which at least 10,000,000 gallons of ground water withdrawn by the facility's well or wells could be transported in one day to a destination located at least 20 miles from the facility. Provides that, after June 30, 2024, a person may not establish a major ground water withdrawal facility if the ground water withdrawn by the facility will be used primarily for: (1) commercial purposes; (2) industrial purposes; or (3) a combination of commercial purposes and industrial purposes; unless the person has obtained a permit from the natural resources commission (commission). Establishes the following prerequisites to the commission's issuance of a permit: (1) Public notice of the permit application must be provided through publication on the website of the department of natural resources (department). (2) Public notice of the permit application must be provided by first class mail to the executive of the county and to the executives of certain cities or towns. (3) At least two public hearings concerning the proposed major ground water withdrawal facility must be held. (4) A written feasibility study concerning the proposed major ground water withdrawal facility must be prepared. (5) The written feasibility study must be peer reviewed. (6) The feasibility study and the written results of the peer review must be published on the website of the department. Provides that the commission shall issue the permit if: (1) all of the prerequisites are satisfied; and (2) the commission determines that the establishment of the major ground water withdrawal facility, if permitted, will fulfill the health, economic, environmental, and other needs of present and future generations of Indiana citizens. Provides that, depending on the determinations of the feasibility study and the peer review, the permit may limit the maximum amount that the major ground water withdrawal facility may withdraw and transfer per year. Provides that a permit, if issued, must require the permit holder to regularly monitor the aquifer or aquifers from which the major ground water withdrawal facility withdraws ground water and must report the monitoring data to the department. Provides that the owner of a major ground water withdrawal facility may be ordered to provide timely and reasonable compensation to the owner of a nonsignificant ground water withdrawal facility or significant ground water withdrawal facility if water withdrawals by the major ground water withdrawal facility cause the nonsignificant ground water withdrawal facility or significant ground water withdrawal facility to fail to furnish the supply of water it normally furnishes or to fail to furnish potable water.

Establishes a procedure for the lawful production and sale of cannabis in Indiana. Makes conforming amendments.

Provides that a public agency may not do any of the following: (1) Require a potential bidder on a public works project to provide any information that the potential bidder considers confidential or proprietary as a requirement for the public agency finding the bidder to be a responsive or responsible bidder. (2) By rule, ordinance, or any other action relating to contracts for public works projects for which competitive bids are required impose any requirement that directly or indirectly restricts potential bidders to any predetermined class of bidders defined by experience on similar projects, size of company, union membership or requiring the use of union labor, or any other criteria. (3) Take certain actions based on a bidder's, offeror's, or contractor's entering into, refusing to enter into, adhering to, or refusing to adhere to an agreement with a labor organization.

Allows a board that regulates a health care provider or a regulated professional under IC 25 to use electronic means of communication to conduct meetings if certain requirements are met. Allows the Indiana department of health (state department) to collect certain information from individuals who provide home health services, are a qualified medication aide, or are a certified nurse aide. Adds the board of physical therapy and the state department's consumer services and health care regulation commission for purposes of workforce renewal information and an annual report. Establishes time periods for the professional licensing agency (PLA) to post meeting agendas and meeting minutes on the applicable board's website. Requires the PLA to post certain information concerning board vacancies and application forms. Requires the PLA to send notification to an applicant of incomplete items in an application. Requires that new and renewed licenses with the PLA be submitted electronically, unless a paper application is requested. Requires the PLA to post on its website information about the number of licenses issued and wait times for the licenses. Requires the governor to fill a vacancy on certain occupational boards within 90 days. Allows the PLA to make an appointment to the board if the governor does not make the appointment. Allows the board to issue a temporary permit for a registered nurse applicant and a licensed practical nurse applicant.

Prohibits the Indiana public retirement system from investing in certain restricted entities or restricted investment products, including particular investments publicly confirmed to be controlled by the People's Republic of China or the Chinese Communist Party. Specifies exceptions, a divestment schedule, and reporting requirements. Adds a provision urging the legislative council to assign to the interim study committee on pension management oversight the topic of studying whether to cease or defer divestment or resume investment in an entity or product in accordance with the provisions regarding divestment from Chinese companies.

Amends the definition of "deductible income" for purposes of the unemployment compensation laws. Provides that, subject to certain exceptions, the department of workforce development may accept an offer in compromise from an employer or claimant to reduce past due debts arising from contributions or benefit overpayments. Provides that an individual is ineligible for benefits for any week that the individual receives payments equal to or exceeding the individual's weekly benefit amount in pension, retirement, or annuity payments under any plan of an employer where the employer contributes all of the money. (Under current law, the disqualification provision applies under any plan of an employer where the employer contributes a portion or all of the money.) Provides that the state of Indiana is not required to participate in or precluded from ceasing to participate in any offered or enacted voluntary, optional, special, or emergency federal program. Makes corresponding changes.

Provides that if a person dies under certain circumstances in a county that is not the county where the incident occurred resulting in the death, the county coroner where the death occurred may not bill the county where the incident occurred for the costs of the autopsy, unless the coroners of both counties agree as to the necessity of an autopsy. Provides the following: (1) Allows a coroner to determine the means of copying an original record of the coroner. (2) With the exception of a record concerning a death subject to a criminal investigation or proceeding, allows a coroner to destroy or transfer the original record at the time determined by the coroner after copying the record. Provides that a coroner is immune from criminal liability for destroying a public record if the coroner acts in accordance with the coroner's authority to copy and destroy the coroner's records. Removes a requirement that the county fix the compensation of a coroner who is a licensed physician at 1.5 times the compensation of a coroner who is not a licensed physician for coroners who are elected or reelected in the 2024 general election and thereafter.