Sen. Eric Bassler

A SENATE RESOLUTION honoring Carl Erskine for his contributions to Indiana and the nation.

Provides that a reference to federal law in: (1) the first lien mortgage lending act; (2) the Uniform Consumer Credit Code (UCCC); or (3) the Indiana Code title governing financial institutions; is a reference to the law as in effect December 31, 2021 (versus December 31, 2020, under current law). Amends the provisions in the UCCC governing authorized finance charges for consumer loans (other than supervised loans) and for supervised loans to specify that: (1) the entire section governing finance charges for consumer loans (other than supervised loans) does not apply to supervised loans; and (2) the loan finance charge for a supervised loan must be: (A) contracted for between the lender and the debtor; and (B) calculated by applying a rate not exceeding the authorized rate to unpaid balances of the principal. Amends provisions in the UCCC concerning permitted additional charges for guaranteed asset protection (GAP) agreements for: (1) consumer credit sales; and (2) consumer loans; to specify that the average retail value for a used motor vehicle that is the subject of a GAP agreement is to be determined by using a third party valuation service provider customarily relied upon in the used motor vehicle commercial market (versus by using the National Automobile Dealers Association average retail value, under current law). Amends the Indiana Code section concerning the department's duties of confidentiality with respect to certain information concerning financial institutions to specify that those duties apply to all regulated entities licensed or registered with the department. Specifies that the required fidelity coverage for credit unions: (1) applies to those directors, officers, and employees of the credit union who have access to money or bonds of the credit union; and (2) must be approved annually by the credit union's board of directors as to the amount and form. Amends the statute governing money transmitters to: (1) provide that a "payment instrument" does not include a "stored value account"; and (2) remove the definition of "stored value account". Changes references to a "federal savings and loan association" to a "federal savings association" for purposes of the statute concerning mergers, consolidations, and conversions involving federal savings associations and savings associations chartered in Indiana, to specify that a federal savings association may convert into a savings association chartered in Indiana.

Provides that the Indiana finance authority (authority) shall serve as the executive branch coordinator for funds allocated or made available to the state or local communities from federal, state, and other sources for purposes related to drinking water, wastewater, or storm water infrastructure and systems. Sets forth the duties of the authority with respect to this role. Specifies that the authority shall coordinate the executive branch activities related to the state's drinking water and wastewater programs. (Current law provides that the authority shall serve such a role with respect to the state's water programs.) Authorizes the establishment of a drinking water and wastewater infrastructure research and extension program (program) to provide data collection and information, training, and technical assistance concerning: (1) drinking water infrastructure; (2) wastewater infrastructure; and (3) storm water infrastructure; in Indiana. Provides that the authority may: (1) contract with a state supported college or university in Indiana to provide the program; and (2) financially support the program from existing funds appropriated to the authority. Provides that the program may be housed within, or share staff with, the existing research and highway extension program at Purdue University. Provides that the program may provide the following services and programs to, or for the benefit of, utilities providing drinking water, wastewater, or storm water service in Indiana: (1) Assisting utilities in the development of asset management programs. (2) Serving as a central repository for data concerning infrastructure used to provide drinking water, wastewater, or storm water service in Indiana. (3) Providing training and technical assistance to utilities and Indiana's drinking water, wastewater, and storm water utility industry workforces. Requires the authority to make, not later than July 1, 2023, all: (1) utility asset management programs; and (2) information concerning utility asset lifecycle management costs; submitted to or reviewed by the authority available on an Internet web site maintained by the authority or the program. Requires that in carrying out all information gathering and reporting duties under the bill's provisions, the authority and the program shall use any data the authority or the program acquires in a manner that: (1) protects the confidential information of individual utilities and customers; and (2) is consistent with applicable statutory exclusions from disclosure under the state's public records act. Provides that as a condition for receiving a loan, grant, or other financial assistance after June 30, 2023, through the wastewater revolving loan program, the drinking water revolving loan program, the water infrastructure assistance program, or the water infrastructure grant program, a participant must do the following: (1) Submit the participant's required asset management program to the authority not later than the time of submission of the participant's preliminary engineering report for any project for which the loan, grant, or other financial assistance will be provided. (Current law does not specify when the asset management program must be submitted.) (2) Submit to the authority information on the estimated and actual life cycle management costs over the useful life of the asset financed. (3) In the case of a participant that is not under the jurisdiction of the Indiana utility regulatory commission (IURC), regularly report to all: (A) customers; (B) counties; and (C) municipalities; within the participant's service territory information concerning the participant's asset management program. Provides that money in the: (1) supplemental drinking water and wastewater assistance fund; (2) water infrastructure assistance fund; and (3) water infrastructure grant fund; may be used to provide grants, loans, or other financial assistance for the planning, designing, acquisition, construction, renovation, improvement, or expansion of septic relief systems, in accordance with guidelines of the authority. Provides that the authority's project prioritization system for awarding assistance from the water infrastructure assistance fund and the water infrastructure grant fund must include as a variable the effect of a project on the environment. Provides for the following with respect to a wastewater utility that is not subject to the jurisdiction of the IURC for the approval of rates and charges and that has been issued one or more enforcement orders (orders) relating to environmental or health and human safety issues by the department of environmental management (department) after June 30, 2022: (1) For the first order, the utility is subject to an informal review of its: (A) rates and charges; and (B) asset management program; by the IURC, in accordance with procedures determined by the IURC. (2) For a second order that is issued within two years of the first order, the utility is subject to rate regulation, following two base rate cases, by the IURC for a minimum period of: (A) five years from the IURC's order in the first base rate case; and (B) one year from the IURC's order in the second base rate case. (3) For any order issued during the required rate regulation period, the IURC may, in consultation with the department, initiate a receivership proceeding with respect to the utility. Requires the state board of education (state board) to approve, for purposes of the state's career and technical education graduation pathway, a utility career cluster that allows students to acquire knowledge and skills related to employment in the electric, natural gas, communications, water, and wastewater utility industries. Requires the governor's workforce cabinet, in consultation with the state board, the department of education, and the department of workforce development, to create course sequences for the utility career cluster.

Effective January 1, 2024, provides that a county recorder, auditor, or assessor may not refuse to accept or endorse a document because the document is an electronic document. Provides that certain recording requirements do not apply to a military discharge, a survey of real property, or a plat of real property. Provides that if a county auditor has not collected the recording fee for a tax deed, the county recorder shall collect the recording fee when the tax deed is recorded. Requires the county auditor to use revenue collected for endorsing documents for the maintenance of property tax records (instead of platbooks). Makes conforming amendments.

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION congratulating Commander Douglas A. Robb, United States Navy, upon his assumption of command over the guided missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111).

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION recognizing the Indiana State Bar Association Leadership Development Academy.

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION honoring Corporal Kelsee Lainhart of the United States Marine Corps for her valiant service during the evacuation of the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION recognizing the National FFA Organization and the Indiana FFA Association for exemplary work in the advancement of agricultural education in Indiana and across the country.

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION urging the Indiana Department of Transportation to rename the bridge on I-65 over the Wabash River as the "Captain Ronald D. Gutwein Memorial Bridge".

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION honoring Dr. Jennifer Sullivan for her tenure as Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) Secretary and Deputy State Health Commissioner.