Specifies the requirements and the real property improvements considered when determining whether property is a dwelling or a homestead for purposes of the standard property tax deduction law. Removes additional definitions of "homestead" from the statute. Specifies that for purposes of the circuit breaker law "nonresidential real property" refers to real property that is not: (1) a homestead; (2) residential property; (3) long term care property; or (4) agricultural land. Provides that, for assessment dates after December 31, 2023, "residential property" includes any other land, building, or residential yard structure, including a deck, patio, gazebo, or pool that is not attached to a dwelling that: (1) is not part of a homestead; and (2) is predominantly used for a residential purpose. Makes a conforming change.
Sponsored bills
Provides that discipline rules adopted by the governing body of a school corporation must include timetables for reporting bullying incidents to parents of both the targeted student and the alleged perpetrator in an expedited manner that is not later than five business days after the incident is reported. (Current law provides that discipline rules adopted by the governing body of a school corporation must include timetables for reporting bullying incidents to parents of both the targeted student and the bully in an expedited manner.) Provides that discipline rules adopted by the governing body of a school corporation: (1) must include provisions that require a school to prioritize the safety of the victim; (2) may include provisions to determine: (A) the severity of an incident of bullying; and (B) whether an incident of bullying may warrant the transfer of the victim or the alleged perpetrator to another school in the school corporation; and (3) must include policies to allow a parent of a child in the school corporation to review any materials used in any bullying prevention or suicide prevention program. Requires public schools to document acts of bullying and abusive behaviors against a victim and committed by a verified perpetrator.
Repeals teacher training requirements regarding: (1) criminal gang organizations awareness; (2) certain information concerning homeless students; and (3) recognizing the signs and symptoms of seizures and the appropriate steps to be taken to respond to the symptoms; and requires that information concerning these subjects be included within the curriculum of teacher preparation programs. Provides that the department of education (department) may establish or license for use an online platform to provide information and training concerning these and other subjects. Removes certain requirements regarding annual performance evaluation plans for certificated employees, including: (1) certain content requirements; and (2) certain requirements that a plan be discussed. Amends requirements to be considered a probationary teacher and professional teacher. Provides that, after a school corporation has assigned an evaluator to perform a certificated employee's evaluation, the certificated employee may request the school corporation to assign another evaluator. Urges the legislative council to assign to an appropriate interim study committee the task of studying current school assessments in an effort to reduce and streamline assessments for Indiana students. Removes a provision that requires a school employer to discuss certain items with the exclusive representative of certificated employees and provides that a school employer may discuss: (1) with a certificated employee or group of certificated employees; or (2) at one or more meetings that are open to all certificated employees; any topic that significantly impacts a certificated employee's working conditions or impacts the educational quality of the school employer's students. Repeals provisions concerning: (1) requirements regarding the adoption of model evaluation plans and an approval process for the plans; (2) the obligation to discuss certain items not requiring either party to enter into a contract, agree to a proposal, or make a concession; and (3) the definition of "discuss" for purposes of the collective bargaining provisions.
Establishes the robotics competition program to provide grants to eligible robotics competition teams (eligible teams) in order to expand opportunities to increase interest and improve skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through participation in competitive robotics programs. Provides a procedure for eligible teams to apply to the department of education (department) to receive a grant. Establishes the robotics competition program fund. Provides that the department shall establish guidelines to: (1) award grants to eligible teams for allowable expenses; and (2) accommodate the participation of students with disabilities on eligible teams or in robotics competitions.
Makes certain changes to the qualification requirements for the: (1) deduction for individuals who are at least 65 years of age; and (2) additional credit for certain homesteads. Increases the amount of the supplemental homestead deduction for property taxes first due and payable in 2024 and 2025. Provides that if a taxpayer presents an appraisal to the county property tax assessment board of appeals (county board) that meets specified requirements, the appraisal is presumed to be correct. Provides that if the county board disagrees with the taxpayer's appraisal, the county board may seek review of the appraisal or obtain an independent appraisal. Provides that after the assignment of value, the parties shall retain their rights to appeal to the Indiana board of tax review. Provides that, notwithstanding any increase in assessed value of property from the previous assessment date, the total amount of operating referendum tax that may be levied by a school corporation for taxes first due and payable in 2024 may not increase by more than 3% over the maximum operating referendum tax that could be levied by the school corporation in the previous year. Provides a calculation to be used in determining the maximum levy growth quotient in 2024 and 2025. Modifies, through December 31, 2024, the threshold amounts used for determining whether a political subdivision's project is a controlled project and whether the petition and remonstrance process or the referendum process applies based on the political subdivision's total debt service tax rate, but excludes certain projects for which a public hearing to issue bonds or enter into a lease has been conducted before July 1, 2023. Creates an exception, through December 31, 2024, to a provision subjecting a controlled project in a political subdivision with a total debt service rate of $0.80 per $100 of assessed valuation to the referendum process, if: (1) the political subdivision submits a request to the department of local government finance (DLGF) seeking a waiver of the provision; (2) the proposed controlled project is a response to a maintenance emergency; and (3) the DLGF determines that the maintenance emergency is sufficient to waive the provision. Amends an exclusion from the definition of "controlled project" for projects required by a court order. Authorizes a county fiscal body to adopt an ordinance to provide property tax relief for property tax liability attributable to homesteads for qualified individuals. Provides that a county may adopt a resolution to require a local income tax supplemental distribution to first be distributed and used to lower the county's levy freeze tax rate. Requires the DLGF to approve a county's request to decrease its levy freeze tax rate if the DLGF finds that the lower rate, in addition to the supplemental distribution amount determined under the resolution adopted by the county, would fund the levy freeze dollar amount. Requires the department of state revenue (department) to annually provide each resident individual taxpayer who paid adjusted gross income taxes in the immediately previous taxable year a taxpayer receipt statement in an electronic format explaining how the individual taxpayer's taxes are being used. Requires the department, in consultation with the budget agency, to create and administer an Internet web page on which individual taxpayers may access an estimate of the allocation of their adjusted gross income taxes to various expenditure categories for the most recent state fiscal year based on the adjusted gross income taxes paid by the taxpayer. Specifies the information that must be provided on the web page. Defines "maintenance emergency". Makes conforming changes.
Provides that, for a resolution to adopt a school operating referendum tax levy or school safety referendum tax levy adopted after May 10, 2023, a county auditor must distribute a portion of revenue received from the school operating referendum tax levy or school safety referendum tax levy to each charter school in which students who receive not more than 50% virtual instruction and who have legal settlement in certain school corporations attend. Provides that if a charter school receives a distribution from a school corporation from a school operating referendum tax levy or a school safety referendum tax levy, the charter school must post certain information on the charter school's website. Provides that a charter school that may receive money from a school operating referendum tax levy or a school safety referendum tax levy may not promote a position on a referendum, in the same manner as a school corporation is prohibited from promoting a position on a referendum. Provides that the maximum length of a charter is 15 years. (Current law provides that the maximum length of a charter is seven years.) Provides all charter schools access to loans through the Indiana bond bank. Provides that the state board of education (state board) may advance money to charter schools to be used for: (1) school building construction programs; and (2) educational technology programs. Amends the definition of "school building construction program" to: (1) include the purchase, lease, or financing of land, the construction and equipping of school buildings, and the remodeling, repairing, or improving of school buildings by a charter school; and (2) replace "adjusted assessed valuation" with "assessed valuation" with regard to school corporation eligibility for an advance from the common school fund. Provides that a charter school may not receive an advance from the common school fund for an educational technology program unless the charter school develops a three year technology plan. Provides that a school corporation may not (instead of is not entitled to) receive or use certain money or advances unless the school corporation develops a three year technology plan. Makes conforming changes regarding advances to charter schools from the common school fund. Establishes standards concerning when a school corporation may close an underutilized school building that had been used at any time for classroom instruction. Provides procedures regarding petitioning for a determination as to whether a school building meets criteria for closure or should be made available for sale or lease. Requires the department of education (department) to make a determination regarding a petition. Requires each school corporation to annually report to the department certain information regarding school buildings. Provides procedures for notifying charter schools or state educational institutions through the department of the availability of a covered school building. Provides for appeals of certain orders or decisions to the state board. Provides that the: (1) department; or (2) selected charter school or state educational institution; may request the attorney general to commence a legal action to enforce a final order for the sale or lease of a covered school building or file a civil action to enforce the final order for the sale or lease after certain time periods. Repeals certain provisions regarding investigating complaints and enforcement by the attorney general. Establishes the charter school facility grant program. Makes conforming amendments. Makes a technical correction.
Requires the department of education to, not later than November 1, 2023, do the following: (1) Create a list of personal liability insurers that offer personal liability insurance policies for teachers. (2) Post the list on the department's website. Provides that the academic standards committee appointed by the secretary of education must include employers (in addition to other members under current law). Provides that a school psychologist may provide services on a private basis to an individual if the school psychologist receives a referral from the individual's parent and the individual is an unemancipated minor.
Exempts military pay for members of a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States or the national guard from the individual income tax. (Current law provides an individual income tax exemption for members of a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States or the national guard for the period the member is mobilized and deployed.) Exempts military pay earned by members of an active component of the armed forces of the United States from the individual income tax. (Current law exempts from the individual income tax the military pay earned by members of the National Guard and reserve components of the armed forces of the United States while serving on active duty.)
Authorizes a county fiscal body to adopt an ordinance to provide a credit against property tax liability for qualified individuals. Defines a "qualified individual" for purposes of the credit. Provides that the ordinance may designate: (1) all of the territory of the county; or (2) one or more specific geographic territories within the county; as a neighborhood enhancement district in which qualified individuals may apply for the credit. Provides that the amount of the credit in a particular year is equal to the amount by which an individual's property tax liability increases by more than the percentage of increase specified by the county fiscal body from the prior year. Provides that the credit does not affect the allocation of taxes to a referendum fund. Requires a qualified individual who desires to claim the credit to file a certified statement with the county auditor. Provides that the county auditor shall apply the credit in succeeding years after the certified statement is filed unless the auditor determines that the individual is no longer eligible for the credit or the county fiscal body rescinds the ordinance. Provides a penalty for wrongly receiving the credit that is the same as the penalty for wrongly receiving the homestead standard deduction. Provides that an individual may not receive both a county option circuit breaker tax credit and an over 65 property tax credit in the same year. Provides that an ordinance must specify that the credit does not apply for property taxes first due and payable after December 31, 2027. Sunsets the county option on January 1, 2028.
Specifies additional information that a certified technology park (park) is required to provide to the Indiana economic development corporation (corporation) in the course of a review. Provides that if a park has reached the limit on deposits and maintains its certification, the park shall become a Level 2 park. Increases, from $100,000 to $250,000, the annual additional incremental income tax deposit amount that a park captures once it has reached its limit on deposits. Clarifies the calculation of the additional incremental income tax deposit amount in the year in which a park reaches its limit on deposits. Provides that when the corporation certifies a Level 2 park, the corporation shall make a determination of whether the park shall continue to be designated as a Level 2 park. Requires the corporation to report to the budget committee certain information pertaining to businesses located in each park on a biennial basis.