Sen. Erin Houchin

Requires employees and volunteers of a child care facility who may be present on the premises of the child care facility during operating hours to submit to a national criminal history background check. (Under current law, employees and volunteers who have direct contact with children must submit to a national criminal history background check.) Specifies that results of the background check may be used as grounds for denial or revocation of a child care license or registration or eligibility for a child care and development fund voucher payment. Makes technical corrections.

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.

Provides that a political subdivision served by a volunteer fire department may make contributions to the public employees' defined contribution plan for the members of the volunteer fire department in an amount determined by the governing body of the political subdivision. Provides that a unit's obligation to provide insurance coverage for a volunteer firefighter or member of an emergency medical services personnel supersedes the obligation of another medical insurance carrier. Increases the maximum age for police officers to begin membership in the 1977 police officers' and firefighters' pension and disability fund from 35 to 39 years of age.

Provides that if a public safety officer enters a deferred retirement option plan (DROP) for the public safety officer's respective pension plan and the public safety officer dies before the public safety officer's DROP exit date, the benefit options for the public safety officer's survivors are made similar, as applicable, to the DROP disability benefit options in: (1) the DROP applicable to the state excise police, gaming agent, gaming control officer, and conservation enforcement officers' retirement plan; and (2) the DROP applicable to the 1925 police pension fund, the 1937 firefighters' pension fund, the 1953 police pension fund (Indianapolis), and the 1977 police officers' and firefighters' pension and disability fund.

Requires the state department of health (state department) to develop forms that provide: (1) that a pregnant woman has a right after a surgical abortion to dispose of the remains by interment or cremation or have the provider dispose of the remains; and (2) that, after an abortion induced by an abortion inducing drug, the pregnant woman will expel an aborted fetus and set forth the disposition policy of the health care facility or abortion clinic concerning the disposition of the aborted fetus, including allowing a pregnant woman to return an aborted fetus to the health care facility or abortion clinic for disposition by interment or cremation. States that a pregnant woman who has an abortion has the right to have the health care facility or abortion clinic dispose of the aborted fetus by cremation or interment and to ask the health care facility or abortion clinic the method of disposition used. Requires the pregnant woman to inform the health care facility or abortion clinic of the pregnant woman's decision for disposition or, in the case of an abortion induced by an abortion inducing drug, whether the pregnant woman will return the aborted fetus to the health care facility or abortion clinic for disposition. Requires the health care facility or abortion clinic to dispose of the returned fetus by cremation or interment. Requires that a burial transit permit that includes multiple aborted fetal remains be accompanied by a log prescribed by the state department containing certain information, except in certain circumstances, about each fetus included under the burial transit permit.

Authorizes counties and municipalities within the Indianapolis metropolitan area to establish a central Indiana regional development authority pilot that will sunset on July 1, 2025. Requires counties and municipalities that wish to establish the development authority to adopt substantially similar resolutions to adopt a preliminary strategic economic development plan (preliminary development plan). Provides that the development authority shall be governed by a strategy committee composed of members selected according to the terms of the preliminary development plan adopted to establish the development authority. Specifies the duties of the development authority. Requires the development authority to prepare a comprehensive strategic economic development plan. Codifies the establishment and governing provisions of the Indianapolis metropolitan planning organization. Requires the Indianapolis metropolitan planning organization to: (1) develop a comprehensive asset management report for the metropolitan planning area in collaboration with the Indiana department of transportation; and (2) present the comprehensive asset management report to the city-county council of Indianapolis and Marion County, the fiscal and legislative bodies of each entity that is a member of the Indianapolis metropolitan planning organization, and the budget committee.

Requires each state educational institution in Indiana to submit an annual report to the state budget committee regarding the state educational institution's progress in achieving the goals established by the governor's commission on minority and women's business enterprises for the use of minority and women's business enterprises and veteran owned small businesses as contractors.

Changes the rural telephone cooperative act to the rural communications cooperative act, allowing the formation of nonprofit cooperative corporations for the purposes of providing telecommunications service and information service, including video service, broadband service, and VOIP service. Makes conforming amendments.

Provides that the office of community and rural affairs, rather than the Indiana economic development corporation, administers the broadband ready communities development center.

Amends the access to public records act to provide that personal information regarding a correctional officer, probation officer, community corrections officer, law enforcement officer, judge, crime victim, or their family members may be withheld from disclosure when requested by a person confined in a prison, county jail, detention facility, or in a community corrections program as a result of the person's arrest or conviction for a crime, or that person's agent or relative. (Currently the law permits withholding personal information of officers, judges, victims, or their family members, if the information is requested by a person incarcerated in a penal institution after conviction for a crime.) Provides that the term "agent" does not include an attorney in good standing admitted to the practice of law in Indiana.