The Indiana General Assembly‘s 2015 legislative session has officially reached its halfway point. At this time, all bills that have passed the Senate will move to the Indiana House of Representatives where they may be assigned to a committee for further consideration. The same will happen to bills that come over to the Senate from the House.
Indiana State Senator Randy Head is highlighting a few noteworthy bills that have passed out of the Senate:
Strengthening Property Rights: Head said, “This session, I authored legislation that will give more power to landowners when municipalities seek to annex land outside of their current boundaries.” Senate Bill 330 would require municipalities to obtain majority consent from taxpayers in an affected area before the government can annex land. Additionally, SB 330 would prohibit agreements that block property owners from protesting the annexation of their land. Current law makes it very difficult for property owners to overturn an annexation. Head said, “SB 330 is a realistic solution for Hoosiers and gives landowners additional protection from unwanted annexation.” The Indiana Farm Bureau showed their support for the legislation by tweeting, “IN Senate gives landowners true voice by eliminating forced annexation. Thx for passing SB 330 34-16!”
State Balanced Budget Amendment: Head commented on the state’s budget saying, “Despite Indiana’s strong fiscal track record, our state is one of only nine states without a legal requirement that the legislature must pass a balanced budget.” Senate Joint Resolution 19 would amend the constitution to prohibit state spending from exceeding state revenue unless two-thirds of the General Assembly deems it necessary to use emergency spending measures.
Pro-Growth Tax Relief: In an effort to protect Hoosier farmers, Senate Bill 436 would prevent significant property tax increases on Hoosier farmers by freezing the farmland assessment in 2015. Head said, “Additionally, this bill would provide targeted tax relief for small businesses by ending the equipment tax for any employer with less than $20,000 in equipment.” This change will significantly reduce compliance costs for about half of the employers in the state, but will have a very small fiscal impact to the government because the employers’ tax bills are typically small.
Fighting the Meth Epidemic: To prevent the manufacturing of methamphetamine, Senate Bill 536 would require drug-related felony convicts to get a prescription before buying cold medicines with ephedrine, a key meth ingredient. Senator Head said, “This bill will not affect law-abiding Hoosiers’ access to ephedrine medicines.”
To stay up to date on the progress of the General Assembly during the second half of session, visit www.in.gov/iga.
