Sen. Chris Garten

Authorizes the following persons to conduct interactive gaming: (1) A licensed owner of a riverboat. (2) An operating agent operating a riverboat in a historic hotel district. (3) A permit holder conducting gambling games at the permit holder's racetrack. Provides for the licensure of persons providing services and equipment for managing and conducting interactive gaming. Specifies requirements for the conduct of interactive gaming. Imposes an adjusted gross receipts tax of 18% on interactive gaming. Provides for revenue sharing to cities and counties in which casinos are operated. Makes an appropriation. Makes conforming and technical changes.

Provides that a tract of land may be removed from a conservancy district if: (1) the conservancy district was established for sewage collection purposes; (2) the tract of land is located partly or completely within the boundaries of the conservancy district; (3) no structure on the tract of land is served by the conservancy district's sewage service; and (4) the tract of land has been annexed by a municipality that will provide sewer service to the tract of land. Specifies that the setting or changing of the rates and charges for sewer service provided by a conservancy district must include a public hearing with notice, the right of property owners to file a written petition objecting to the rates and charges, and a possible hearing and decision by the circuit or superior court on the objectors' petition. Requires the board of a conservancy district established for sewage system purposes to discontinue the collection of any special benefits tax after construction of the sewage system is completed and becomes operational. Provides that if: (1) a conservancy district is established for sewage system purposes; (2) a tract of land is located partly inside and partly outside the boundaries of the conservancy district; and (3) no structure on the tract of land is connected to the conservancy district's sewage service; the tract of land and all improvements located on the tract of land are exempt from the special benefits tax that may be imposed by the conservancy district.

Provides that there is a presumption, rebuttable by a preponderance of the evidence, that: (1) joint physical custody is in the best interests of a child; and (2) equally shared parenting time is in the best interests of a child. Provides, for purposes of each presumption, that the presumption does not apply if a parent of the child has requested or been granted a protective order against the other parent on behalf of the child. Amends the factors a court must consider when making a physical custody determination. Requires a court that finds that equally shared parenting time is not in the best interests of the child to order a parenting time schedule that maximizes the time each parent spends with the child without endangering the child's physical health and well-being or significantly impairing the child's emotional health.

Changes the name of the governor's commission on minority and women's business enterprises to the governor's commission on supplier diversity (commission). Relocates provisions concerning small businesses owned and operated by Indiana veterans to the commission's statutes. Makes conforming changes.

Makes the following changes for purposes of a statute that subjects a water or wastewater utility organized after June 30, 2018, to the jurisdiction of the Indiana utility regulatory commission (IURC) with regard to certain aspects of the water or wastewater utility's operations for a period of 10 years: (1) Provides that the term "water or wastewater utility" includes a municipally owned utility that provides water service to less than 8,000 customers. (2) Deletes references to organization of a water or wastewater utility as a legal entity. Requires the IURC, in a rate case for a water or wastewater utility that extends service to an infrastructure development zone at the request of the governmental entity that established the infrastructure development zone, to approve inclusion in the water or wastewater utility's rate schedule of a surcharge payable only within the geographic area of the infrastructure development zone. (Under current law, such a surcharge must apply within the entire jurisdiction of the governmental entity.) Provides that, with respect to any water main extension or wastewater main extension, a utility shall comply with the IURC's rules governing water main extensions or wastewater main extensions, regardless of whether the utility is subject to the IURC's jurisdiction for the approval of rates and charges. Provides that a dispute arising over a water main extension or wastewater main extension may be submitted as an informal complaint to the IURC's consumer affairs division, regardless of whether the person requesting the extension is a customer of the utility involved. Provides that, if the IURC determines that it requires additional staff to handle the volume of informal complaints submitted, the IURC may impose a fee on a party against whom a decision is rendered. Provides that the fee may not exceed: (1) the IURC's actual costs in administering the informal complaint; or (2) $750. Provides that certain procedures for acquisition by a municipal utility of property of another utility apply to acquisition by a nonmunicipal utility of property of another utility, and prescribes requirements regarding appraisal of the value of utility property acquired by a nonmunicipal utility. Provides, for purposes of the factors the IURC must consider in determining whether a utility that acquires property of an offered utility may include the cost differential of the offered utility's property as part of the acquiring utility's rate base, that an offered utility is too small to capture economies of scale or is not furnishing or maintaining adequate, efficient, safe, and reasonable service and facilities if the IURC finds that the offered utility serves fewer than 8,000 customers (rather than 5,000 customers under current law). Provides: (1) that a city meeting certain population parameters may annex territory: (A) that is not contiguous to the city; (B) that is south of the southernmost boundary of the city; (C) the entire area of which is not more than four miles from the city's boundary; and (D) that does not extend more than one mile to the east of a state highway; (2) that the annexed territory is not considered a part of the city for purposes of annexation of additional territory; and (3) that the city may not require connection to a sewer installed to provide service to the annexed territory. Provides that certain provisions regarding approval of sewage disposal and treatment fees apply to a sanitation district that: (1) is located in a county that meets specified population parameters; and (2) is under an order or party to an agreement with one or more state or federal agencies to remediate environmental conditions.

Provides that a public utility that owns and operates a reliable capacity electric generation resource shall operate and maintain the unit using good utility practices and in a manner reasonably intended to support the availability of the unit for dispatch and for providing reliable service to customers of the public utility. Prohibits a public utility from terminating a power agreement with a legacy generation resource in which the public utility has an ownership interest unless the public utility provides the utility regulatory commission (IURC) with at least three years advance notice of the termination. Provides that the IURC shall determine the reasonable costs incurred by the public utility under the power agreement and allow the public utility to recover those costs in a fuel adjustment charge proceeding. Provides that a public utility may not retire, sell, or transfer a reliable capacity resource with a capacity of at least 80 megawatts before May 1, 2021, unless: (1) the public utility first provides written notice to the IURC of the public utility's intent to do so; and (2) the IURC conducts a public hearing to receive information concerning the reasonableness of the planned retirement, sale, or transfer. Requires the IURC to conduct the required hearing and issue its analysis and conclusions concerning the reasonableness of the planned retirement, sale, or transfer not later than 120 days after the date of the IURC's receipt of the public utility's written notice to the IURC. Provides that if the planned retirement, sale, or transfer: (1) was included in the public utility's preferred portfolio in the public utility's most recent integrated resource plan, the public utility may proceed with the planned retirement, sale, or transfer after the commission issues the commission's analysis and conclusions; or (2) was not included in the public utility's preferred portfolio in the public utility's most recent integrated resource plan, the public utility may not proceed with the planned retirement, sale, or transfer until at least six months have elapsed from the date of the commission's receipt of the public utility's written notice of the planned retirement, sale, or transfer. Provides that if a public utility cites a federal mandate as the basis, in whole or in part, for the planned retirement, sale, or transfer of the reliable capacity resource, the IURC may consider as part of its analysis and conclusions whether the cited federal mandate: (1) is in force; (2) has not expired or been revoked; and (3) is not merely anticipated to be enacted; at the time of the public utility's notice. Provides that these provisions expire May 1, 2021. Provides that in awarding high value workforce ready credit-bearing grants, the commission for higher education, in conjunction with the department of workforce development, shall give priority to an applicant who is a coal transition worker. Defines a "coal transition worker" as an individual who is laid off or terminated from the individual's employment: (1) at a commercial coal mine in Indiana; (2) at a coal fired electric generating unit in Indiana; or (3) in an Indiana based manufacturing or transportation supply chain serving: (A) a commercial coal mine; or (B) a coal fired electric generating unit; in Indiana.

Increases, from $150,000 to $225,000, the special death benefit for certain public safety officers, certain motor carrier inspectors, certain special police employees, members of the 1925 police pension fund, the 1937 firefighters' pension fund, the 1953 police pension fund, and the 1977 police officers' and firefighters' pension and disability fund who die in the line of duty after June 30, 2020. Provides that the board shall determine contributions and contribution rates for individual employers or for a group of employers necessary to adequately maintain the special death benefit fund. Provides that, for certain police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical services providers, the cost of the coverage is in addition to the contribution determined by the board.

Repeals the laws governing the microenterprise partnership program fund and microenterprise partnership program. Requires the governing body of an eligible entity to notify the Indiana housing and community development authority of the creation of an affordable housing fund. Replaces the member of the low income housing trust fund advisory committee appointed by and representing the Indianapolis Coalition for Neighborhood Development with one member appointed by and representing the Indiana housing and community development authority.

Authorizes the Indiana department of transportation (INDOT) commissioner to declare an emergency when a part of the state highway system has been damaged to the extent it is unusable by the traveling public or unsafe to use. (Under current law, the governor must declare such an emergency. Current law permits INDOT to award a contract for repairs by soliciting bids from at least three prequalified persons without use of the formal bidding process.) Repeals a provision that permits a contract to be awarded under such circumstances only if three bids are received and the lowest bid does not exceed the engineer's estimate to repair by more than 10%.

Requires the state employee health plan, Medicaid, policies of accident and sickness insurance, and health maintenance organization contracts that provide coverage for emergency medical services to reimburse for emergency medical services that are: (1) rendered by an emergency medical services provider organization; (2) within the emergency medical services provider organization's scope of practice; (3) performed or provided as advanced life support services; and (4) performed or provided during a response initiated through the 911 system.