Rep. Patricia Boy

Prohibits discrimination based upon an individual's status as an active member of the armed forces, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Expands nondiscriminatory public policies of the state to include sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, and national origin as protected classes.

Establishes a procedure permitting a tenant to withhold rent from a landlord and deposit it with a court if the landlord does not fulfill the landlord's obligations or fails to remedy a violation of an ordinance, rule, code, or other law, and the violation may materially affect the health or safety of the tenant.

Repeals the chapter prohibiting a person from requiring: (1) labor organization membership; (2) payment of dues or fees to a labor organization; or (3) payment to a charity or third party of an amount equivalent to dues or fees required by a labor organization; as a condition of employment. Makes corresponding changes.

Maddy summaryHB 1379 (authored by Rep. Boy) provides a property tax deduction for new construction projects that use permeable pavement instead of traditional impervious surfaces. This deduction directly affects property owners and developers of new buildings or structures who choose permeable pavement to manage stormwater runoff. The key provision allows these property owners to reduce their annual property tax bill based on the cost of installing the permeable pavement system. The bill is currently in committee for further review.

Provides that an automated tractor-trailer may not be operated on a highway to transport passengers or goods unless a human operator who meets all state and federal qualifications to operate a tractor-trailer is physically present in the automated tractor-trailer to monitor the performance of the automated tractor-trailer and to take control of all or part of the automated tractor-trailer's operation if necessary. Provides that an automated tractor-trailer operated in Indiana must meet federal motor vehicle standards and regulations.

Makes Indiana Code publication amendments. Repeals and relocates a specific Indiana Code definitions chapter for organization of the defined terms by alphabetical order and to provide for future expansion of the chapter. Makes conforming cross-reference updates. Resolves technical conflicts between various enrolled acts passed during the 2024 legislative session.

Provides that a state employee may affirmatively elect to enroll in the deferred compensation plan prior to the auto enroll date on day 31 of the state employee's employment. Removes a provision that sets a maximum employer surcharge for the legislators' defined benefit plan, state excise police, gaming agent, gaming control officer, and conservation enforcement officers' retirement plan, public employees' retirement fund, and Indiana state teachers' retirement fund (fund). Requires the board of trustees of the Indiana public retirement system (board) to develop the technological and administrative capabilities sufficient to categorize fund members into separate groups in which: (1) certain members receive a service based thirteenth check; and (2) certain members receive a cost of living adjustment. Requires the board to set the surcharge rates at a level to actuarially prefund: (1) annual indexed thirteenth checks for all current retired members and beneficiaries retired before July 1, 2025; and (2) 1% annual cost of living adjustments to future in-payment members and beneficiaries retired on or after July 1, 2025. Provides that the board shall not reduce the surcharge rates from the prior year. Allows the board to increase the surcharge rates by not more than 0.1% of payroll from the prior year. Requires certain political subdivisions to present to the interim study committee on pension management oversight regarding a delinquent employee retirement plan offered by the political subdivision. Requires, effective July 1, 2025, the trustee of the state police pension trust to maintain two supplemental allowance reserve accounts for the purpose of paying postretirement benefit adjustments. Increases the maximum date that a member or participant of certain retirement funds can participate in the deferred retirement option plan from 36 to 60 months. Requires the member or participant to notify their employer if the member or participant elects to enter or extend the deferred retirement option plan. Provides for a thirteenth check in 2024 for certain members, participants, or beneficiaries of the: (1) Indiana state teachers' retirement fund; (2) Indiana public employees' retirement fund; (3) state excise police, gaming agent, gaming control officer, and conservation enforcement officers' retirement plan; (4) state police pre-1987 benefit system; and (5) state police 1987 benefit system.

Addresses technical issues in the Indiana Code, including those related to spelling, tabulation, formatting, grammar, and cross-references. Repeals an empty chapter. Relocates, without change, provisions enacted at an incorrect citation or at conflicting citations. Resolves technical conflicts from the 2023 legislative session. Changes references from the auditor of state to the state comptroller, and provides directions for publication of affected provisions. Makes conforming amendments. (The introduced version of this bill was prepared by the code revision commission.)

Specifies certain duties and responsibilities relating to the operations of various task forces, committees, boards, and councils (statutory entities). Renames the Indiana code revision commission, probate code study commission, and other statutory entities. Specifies that certain statutory entities are subject to the general law governing legislative committees rather than to the law governing the statutory list of interim study committees. Authorizes a designee of the revisor of statutes to serve as a member of the uniform law commission (ULC). Repeals statutes governing the Medicaid oversight committee and relocates them to the law governing interim study committees. Identifies certain state employees serving on statutory entities by their specific job titles. Provides for the reimbursement of expenses of state employees, lay persons, and members of the general assembly serving on statutory entities. Specifies the expiration dates of the terms of members of certain statutory entities. (The introduced version of this bill was prepared by the code revision commission.)

Requires the owner of a pier or public access site on Lake Michigan to install public rescue equipment, including at least one ring life buoy, on the pier or public access site. Establishes requirements concerning ring life buoys installed on piers and public access sites. Provides that the end of the buoy line must not be secured to the shore. Requires a unit of local government that owns one or more piers or public access sites on Lake Michigan, at least twice per year, to publish on the unit's website a report on lakefront drownings that occur within 50 feet of the unit's piers or public access sites. Provides that if more than one fatal drowning occurs not more than 50 feet from a particular pier or public access site in a span of five years, the owner of the pier or public access site shall: (1) disseminate in the area of the pier or public access site a water safety plan pertaining to the pier or public access site; and (2) upgrade the public rescue equipment installed on the pier or public access site, such as by installing equipment that automatically contacts the local 911 service in an emergency.