Changes a township trustee's duty to remove certain weeds from a cemetery it maintains from "noxious" weeds to "rampant" weeds. Amends the duties of a township trustee to care for and maintain a public cemetery in the township to include: (1) resetting and straightening all monuments; (2) leveling and seeding the ground; and (3) mowing the lawn. Provides that before entering into a sales contract with a consumer, an owner of a cemetery (excluding a county, city, town, or township cemetery) must provide a written description of available goods and services with a price list. Limits the fee charged by a cemetery owner for opening and closing a burial lot of a family member that is one of at least two burial lots purchased in the same transaction. Requires the state board of funeral and cemetery service to take at least the following actions as to a cemetery owner that charges an excessive opening and closing fee: (1) Issue an appropriate order to correct the violation. (2) Suspend the seller's certificate of authority. (3) Censure the cemetery owner. Provides the following are commodities: (1) A foundation. (2) The marking of a lot in preparation for a foundation. Provides that a service fee for marking a lot must be included with the lot purchase price and collected at the same time.
Sponsored bills
Requires the budget agency to withhold local income tax revenue from an eligible county if the eligible county fails to raise certain revenues for a public transportation project. (Current law requires eligible counties to raise: (1) 10% of the annual operating expenses of the project from sources other than taxes and fares; and (2) 25% of the annual operating expenses of the project from fares and charges.) Specifies that the amount of local income taxes withheld from an eligible county may not diminish the amount of money distributed to the eligible county for deposit in the eligible county's public transportation fund below the amount required to pay its debt service obligations for bonds issued for purposes of a public transportation project. Prohibits Marion County from creating additional IndyGo bus rapid transit lines if the revenue requirements are not met.
Requires the Indiana economic development corporation (IEDC), beginning January 1, 2023, to specify in the IEDC's annual economic incentives compliance report whether a recipient of a grant from the Indiana twenty-first century research and technology fund is a women's business enterprise, a minority business enterprise, or a veteran owned small business. Requires the trustees of the next level Indiana fund investment board to report to the budget committee every six months concerning the number of investments and the amount of money invested in companies that qualify as a women's business enterprise, a minority business enterprise, or a veteran owned small business. Urges the legislative council to assign the following study committee topics during the 2021 interim: (1) Whether, and in what form, the state should encourage robotics classes and clubs for students in kindergarten through grade 12. (2) How to connect more industry professionals to the classroom and remove existing barriers to the licensure process. (3) Whether there is merit to offering incentives for industry professionals to teach or partner, or both, with local businesses to provide training for the technology industry and other high demand and high wage jobs.
Prohibits a state or local law enforcement officer (officer) from firing warning shots. Allows a guard, official, or officer in a state or local penal facility to fire warning shots to prevent the escape of a person. Prohibits a law enforcement agency or merit board from taking an adverse employment action against a law enforcement officer who lawfully exercises the officer's right of self defense, and requires a law enforcement agency to indemnify a law enforcement officer for reasonable expenses incurred by the officer in successfully contesting an adverse employment action.
Provides that the director (director) of the Indiana grain buyers and warehouse licensing agency (agency) may share nonidentifying information with board members of the Indiana grain indemnity corporation (corporation) in executive session regarding the risk that a person licensed under the licensing law (licensee) may fail and the potential financial impact to the Indiana grain indemnity fund (fund) if the licensee does fail. Requires the director to conduct a third party performance review of the agency's auditing practices and procedures at least once every five years. Provides that the corporation may require an actuarial study from a third party of the fund as needed, but not less than every five years. Authorizes the director of the agency to take certain actions if the director finds: (1) a deficiency in minimum net worth or a failure to maintain the required current asset to current liability ratio; or (2) that a licensee failed to maintain required unencumbered assets. Increases the limit on the amount of bond, letter of credit, and cash deposits required under the licensing law. Amends the definition of "failed" or "failure" to exclude a suspension. Adds a definition of "suspension" to mean a temporary halt to the purchase of grain from a claimant. Prohibits a licensee, beginning after June 30, 2021, from entering into a deferred pricing agreement or a delayed payment agreement in connection with grain purchases that extends beyond one year from the date of delivery of the grain. Provides specified phase out periods for deferred pricing agreements or delayed payment agreements that were entered into by a licensee before July 1, 2021. Provides that a board member of the corporation with a conflict of interest in a proceeding before the board must recuse himself or herself from those proceedings. Provides that, if a board member is found to have violated the terms of a confidentiality agreement, the board member forfeits his or her appointment to the board and shall be removed as a member of the board. Increases the amount that the board may transfer from the Indiana grain indemnity fund (fund) to the administrative expense account within the fund from $250,000 to $350,000 annually. Authorizes the board to transfer the monthly interest generated from the fund over a six month period during a biennium to a professional development, training, and technology account to be used for specified purposes. Makes conforming changes.
Urges the legislative council to assign to the interim study committee on energy, utilities, and telecommunications (committee) the topic of the installation and leasing of broadband capacity infrastructure by investor owned electric utilities to broadband service providers for the provision of broadband Internet service to unserved and underserved areas in Indiana. Provides that if a study is assigned to the committee: (1) the committee must consider certain specified issues; and (2) an electric utility may submit to the committee, not later than July 1, 2021, a study concerning the feasibility of making available broadband capacity infrastructure for use by broadband service providers in providing broadband service in unserved or underserved areas in the electric utility's assigned service area.
Provides a tax credit for a taxpayer that makes a monetary contribution to a qualifying foster care organization. Defines a "qualifying foster care organization" as an organization that (1) is exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; (2) provides foster care prevention services and programs or direct assistance to individuals in the foster care system; (3) spends at least 50% of its available revenue on qualified services to Indiana residents; (4) affirms it will continue spending at least 50% of its available revenue on qualified services to Indiana residents; and (5) provides ongoing qualified services to at least 200 Indiana residents. Provides that the department of state revenue (department) shall grant a tax credit against any state tax liability due equal to 50% of the amount of the monetary contribution by a person to a qualifying foster care organization. Provides that the tax credit that a taxpayer receives may not exceed $10,000 for any taxable year. Provides that the amount of tax credits allowed may not exceed $2,000,000 in the state fiscal year. Provides that to claim a tax credit an application must be filed with the department. Provides that the department shall promptly notify an applicant whether, or the extent to which, the tax credit is allowable in the state fiscal year in which the application is filed. Provides that when the total credits approved equal the maximum amount allowable in any state fiscal year, no application thereafter filed for that fiscal year shall be approved. Provides that the tax credit chapter expires in 2025.
Reduces the required percentage amount of the motor vehicle highway account distributions that counties, cities, and towns must use for the construction, reconstruction, and preservation of highways from 50% in current law to 40% in calendar years beginning January 1, 2022, and ending December 31, 2023. Provides that, for a period in which the reduction applies, the term "preservation" includes both snow removal and expenditures for deicing road salt or similar deicing agents. Requires counties, cities, and towns that apply the reduced required percentage amounts authorized under the bill to submit to the local technical assistance program at Purdue University in conjunction with the Indiana department of transportation (LTAP) a detailed itemization of the uses of the funds in the calendar year that were for: (1) purposes other than construction, reconstruction, and preservation; and (2) preservation that included only snow removal and expenditures for deicing road salt or similar deicing agents. Requires the LTAP to present a statewide aggregate report of the results received from counties, cities, and towns to the state budget committee for each year.
Removes schools and certain public libraries from the list of entities eligible for a specified defense to criminal prosecutions alleging: (1) the dissemination of material harmful to minors; or (2) a performance harmful to minors. Adds colleges and universities to the list of entities eligible for a specified defense to criminal prosecutions alleging: (1) the dissemination of material harmful to minors; or (2) a performance harmful to minors.
Urges the legislative council to assign to an interim study committee the topic of the administration of the Indianapolis Marion County police department.