Permits an individual who seeks to adopt a child less than 18 years of age to file a petition for adoption in any county in Indiana if either of the following is filed with the petition: (1) A written consent to the adoption from each individual whose consent to the adoption is required under Indiana law; (2) A certified copy of a court order terminating the parental rights of each parent whose consent to the adoption is required under Indiana law. Requires notice of an adoption petition to be delivered to imprisoned or detained individuals. Specifies certain requirements when delivering notice of a petition for adoption to an individual whose address is unknown. Provides that certain notice requirements concerning petitions for adoption are met even when the recipient of the notice refuses to accept the offer or tender of the notice. Requires that the notice of an adoption must be given to the local office of the department of child services, if the child is the subject of an open or pending child in need of services proceeding. Mandates that the notice of an adoption must be given to the entity, facility, or individual of which the child is a ward if the child is a subject of an open or pending juvenile delinquency proceeding. Specifies certain other requirements concerning notice for petitions for adoption. Requires the setting aside of an adoption decree if notice is not properly effectuated and the adoption decree is challenged within 45 days of when it was entered. Allows the court to set aside a dismissal of a motion to contest under certain circumstances. Allows the court to consider, in the context of a motion to contest, (1) the parent's substance abuse; (2) the parent's voluntary unemployment; or (3) instability in the parent's household, if the parent has made substantial and continuing progress and it appears reasonably likely that progress will continue. Makes conforming amendments..
Sponsored bills
Amends the law requiring a permit and compensatory mitigation for "wetland activity" (the discharge of dredged or fill material) in a state regulated wetland: (1) by changing the definition of "Class II wetland"; (2) by providing that wetland activity may be conducted without a permit: (A) in a Class I wetland; (B) in a Class II wetland with an area of not more than three-eighths acre; (C) in an ephemeral stream; and (D) in a Class II wetland that is located within the boundaries of a municipality and has an area of not more than three-fourths acre; (3) by providing that a permit is not needed for the development of cropland that has been used for agricultural purposes: (A) in the five years immediately preceding the development; or (B) in the 10 years immediately preceding the development if the United States Army Corps of Engineers has issued a jurisdictional determination confirming that the cropland does not contain wetlands subject to federal jurisdiction; (4) by providing that wetland activity in a Class II wetland with an area of more than three-eighths acre requires an individual permit; (5) by providing that: (A) maintenance of a field tile in a Class II wetland can be conducted with a general permit if certain conditions are met; and (B) maintenance of a field tile in a Class III wetland can be conducted with a general permit if certain conditions are met and the applicant obtains a site-specific approval; (6) by establishing conditions for obtaining a site-specific approval; (7) by eliminating the compensatory mitigation requirements for wetland activity in a Class I wetland; and (8) by requiring the department of environmental management (department) to make a decision to issue or deny an individual permit for wetland activity not later than 90 days (instead of 120 days) after receiving the completed application. Amends the law concerning a certification under Section 401 of the federal Clean Water Act for dredge and fill activity in a federally regulated wetland to require the department to make a final determination not later than 90 days (instead of 120 days) after receiving a completed application if the applicant requests a pre-coordination meeting. Establishes the Indiana wetlands task force, a 14 member body that: (1) is required to study and make recommendations concerning a number of wetlands issues; and (2) not later than November 1, 2022, issue a report to the general assembly and the governor setting forth its recommendations. Requires the department of natural resources to provide staff support to the task force.
Allows the office of the secretary of family and social services to apply for a Medicaid state plan amendment to allow school corporations to seek Medicaid reimbursement for medically necessary, school based Medicaid covered services that are provided under federal or state mandates. Specifies possible services for Medicaid reimbursement. Adds physical therapy to the list of services for which a school psychologist may refer a student. Establishes the long term care insurance partnership program and requires the office of the secretary of family and social services to apply before September 1, 2021, for a Medicaid state plan amendment that would: (1) provide for the establishment of the new long term care insurance partnership program and the discontinuance of the current long term care program; and (2) ensure that an individual who purchased a qualified long term care policy under the current program will be eligible for an asset disregard even if the current program is discontinued and even though the policy was issued before the date of the state plan amendment, is not tax qualified, and does not meet the standards of Section 6021 the federal Deficit Reduction Act. Provides that if approval is not given for the state plan amendment, the new long term care insurance partnership program is not established and the office and the department of insurance shall study ways to improve the affordability and cost effectiveness of the current program. Requires an audit examining prescription drug cost sharing for the Medicaid program once every three state fiscal years. Provides that the county sheriff may receive reimbursement from a nonincarcerated person's health coverage for providing nonemergency transport of the person to a facility for a mental health detention. Requires a provider to provide the health records requested by a patient within 30 days after the date the written request is made, unless the provider seeks an extension of not more than 30 days and informs the patient in writing of the reasons for the extension and the date by which the provider will provide the health records. Prohibits the state or a local unit from issuing or requiring a COVID-19 "immunization passport" (a document concerning an individual's immunization status). Allows a nonprofit association of cities and towns to participate in the state aggregate prescription drug purchasing program. Adopts the physical therapy licensure compact. Provides that if a resident insurance producer completed more than 24 hours of credit in continuing education courses before the effective date of the producer's last license renewal, not more than 12 of the excess hours of credit for those continuing education courses may apply toward satisfaction of the continuing education requirement for the producer's next license renewal, subject to certain restrictions. Prohibits a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) from: (1) imposing limits on a pharmacy's access to medication that differ from those existing for a PBM affiliate; or (2) sharing any covered individual's information, except as permitted by the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Prohibits the inclusion of certain provisions in a contract between a PBM and an entity authorized to participate in the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program, with certain exceptions. Requires a PBM: (1) to update the PBM's maximum allowable cost list at least every seven days; (2) to determine that a prescription drug is not obsolete, is generally available for purchase by pharmacies, and is not temporarily unavailable, listed on a drug shortage list, or unable to be lawfully substituted before placing the prescription drug on a maximum allowable cost list. Provides that: (1) if a PBM approves an appeal concerning maximum allowable cost pricing, the PBM must notify each pharmacy in the PBM's network that the maximum allowable cost for the drug has been adjusted; and (2) if a PBM denies an appeal, the PBM must provide the reason for the denial and other information, and the appealing pharmacy or other entity may then file a complaint with the department of insurance (department). Also allows a contracted pharmacy or pharmacy services administrative organization to file a complaint with the department if it believes that its contract with a PBM contains an unlawful contractual provision. Provides that a PBM's violation of these requirements or prohibitions is an unfair or deceptive act or practice in the business of insurance. Amends code sections requiring an insurer to "deliver" or "provide" certain notices within a certain time period to make those sections provide instead that the insurer is required to "mail" the notices. Provides that if a party procures a policy of insurance through an online platform: (1) the party affirmatively consents to have all notices and other documents related to the policy delivered to the party electronically; and (2) other statutory prerequisites to the electronic delivery of notices do not apply. Provides that a merchant or other seller that acts as an agent for purposes of the sale of an auto service contract is not a person contractually obligated under the service contract by virtue of acting as the seller. Provides, as an exception to the general prohibition against rebates, that: (1) an insurer, an employee of an insurer, or a producer may offer and give gifts of limited value in connection with marketing of insurance and may conduct a drawing for prizes of limited value; (2) an insurer, through its employees, affiliates, insurance producers, or third-party representatives, may provide, for free or at a discount, products or services that relate to or are provided in conjunction with a policy and are exclusively intended to educate about, assess, monitor, control, or prevent risk of loss; (3) a person holding an insurance license may offer or provide, for free or for less than fair market value, services that are at least tangentially related to an insurance contract but are not contingent upon the purchase of insurance, subject to certain conditions. Amends the law requiring an insurer to provide 10 days' advance notice to the insurance producer who procured an automobile policy when the insurer intends to cancel or not to renew the policy to make the law applicable only if the insurance producer who procured the policy was an independent insurance producer. Requires the state department of health, in consultation with the department of insurance, the office of the secretary of family and social services, and the Indiana board of pharmacy, to submit to the legislative council a report concerning: (1) best practice guidelines in providing specialty drugs in a manner that ensures the patient's safety; and (2) information concerning any adverse events affecting the safety of patients resulting from the specialty drug protocols of a health carrier or hospital. Requires the legislative services agency to conduct a study of market concentration in Indiana in the health insurance industry, the hospital industry, and five other industries and to present the findings of the study to the combined interim study committees on financial institutions and insurance and public health, behavioral health, and human services, the legislative council, and the governor before December 31, 2022.
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.
Allows a person admitted as a patient to a hospital or ambulatory outpatient surgical center (facility) to receive visitation by specified individuals during a declared emergency or public health emergency. Requires visitors to comply with applicable disease control or prevention guidelines issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when visiting a patient. Requires a facility to permit the visitation of a person admitted as a patient in a facility during specified compassionate care scenarios. Allows a facility to limit visitation in certain instances. Provides certain civil immunity for a facility, its employees, and contractors for an injury or harm caused by or resulting from: (1) the exposure of a contagious disease or other harmful agent that is specified during a disaster emergency; or (2) acts or omissions by visitors who are present in the facility; as a result of the implementation of the required protocols. Requires health facilities and residential care facilities (health facilities) to allow visitation of a resident in a compassionate care situation. Requires the state department of health to adopt standards and guidelines concerning the essential family caregiver program during a declared emergency or public health emergency and requires facilities to participate in the program. Allows for the designation of an essential family caregiver for a resident of a health facility and allows for visitation during restricted visitation at the health facility. Specifies requirements for an individual to be designated as an essential family caregiver and allows for the reconsideration and reporting of a denial of a request for designation. Allows the state department of health to adopt certain rules concerning the program. Provides certain civil immunity for a health facility, its employees, and contractors for an injury or harm caused by or resulting from: (1) the exposure of a contagious disease or other harmful agent that is specified during a disaster emergency; or (2) acts or omissions by visitors who are present in the health facility; as a result of the implementation of the required protocols.
Provides that a qualifying farmer may apply to a designating body to have an area designated as an urban agricultural zone. Provides that the term "urban agricultural zone" does not include rooftop gardening or farming practices that occur on the top of a building or residential home. Provides that a designating body, before designating an area as an urban agricultural zone, must hold a public hearing and allow for public comment. Provides that a designating body may exempt lands located partially or wholly within an urban agricultural zone from property taxation. Specifies that a designating body may not impose a special benefit tax for public services provided to an urban agricultural zone, unless the designating body imposed the special benefit tax before it designated the area as an urban agricultural zone.
Establishes the behavior analyst committee (committee) with oversight by the medical licensing board of Indiana (board). Requires the committee to recommend proposed rules to the board concerning the practice of behavior analysis and continuing education requirements for behavior analysts and assistant behavior analysts. Requires the board to establish fees upon consideration of recommendations from the committee. Provides for the licensing of behavior analysts and assistant behavior analysts. Requires a licensed behavior analyst or licensed assistant behavior analyst to comply with a professional code published by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc. Makes it a Class A misdemeanor for an unlicensed individual to profess to be a licensed behavior analyst or licensed assistant behavior analyst, but provides that certain types of individuals may use applied behavior analysis techniques without being licensed.
Requires the department of state revenue (department) to provide written notice, by electronic means, to each employer that is registered in the department's online INTIME program and whose employer's Form WH-1 monthly withholding tax report or withholding tax remittance is past due. Requires each payroll service provider to annually register with the department beginning January 1, 2022. Specifies the contents of the annual registration form. Defines "payroll service provider" and "responsible person" for purposes of these provisions. Provides that the department may charge an annual payroll service provider registration fee for purposes of the registration program. Provides that a provider shall be permitted to retain any income generated on business client (client) funds while held in a provider's legal possession pending remittance to authorized payees if the client agreement expressly permits it and the provider complies with certain rules. Provides that a payroll service provider contract must include a provision that specifies that if the payroll service provider fails to deposit or remit a business client's employer withholding taxes when due, and the failure is caused by an error or omission of the payroll service provider and not by the business client, the payroll service provider shall be required to reimburse the business client for the business client's payment of any penalties or interest assessed by the department as a result of the failure. Provides that, if a provider knowingly or intentionally fails to remit taxes withheld, the provider is liable and responsible persons shall be personally liable for such taxes that were withheld and not remitted, along with penalties and interest. Provides that a responsible person of the provider who knowingly or intentionally fails to remit taxes that were withheld commits a Class A misdemeanor, and increases the penalty depending on the amount of taxes that were not remitted. Provides that the liability shall not be construed to relieve the liability of the employer or any person otherwise with a duty to withhold. Provides that the employer's address shall be the address of record with the department for withholding tax purposes and that a payroll service provider may not change the address of record with the department.
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION recognizing Hoosier Direct Support Professionals.
A SENATE RESOLUTION memorializing the victims of the Indianapolis FedEx mass shooting.