The House and Senate faced their Third Reading deadlines last Monday (2/5/24) and Tuesday (2/6/24), respectively. If bills failed to receive a vote by those dates, they are now considered dead (though nothing’s truly dead until Sine Die, when the gavel finally falls on the 2024 Legislative Session). Legislative business was pro forma on Wednesday, and legislators took a break Thursday and Friday while Statehouse staff continued their work to process the legislation that crossed chambers. 

One bill that already passed its house of origin and its opposite chamber is House Bill 1383, which seeks to loosen regulations on Indiana wetlands. The bill has been fast tracked despite intense opposition and a front page IndyStar takedown, complete with quotes from a technical expert at the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), acknowledging that IDEM wetlands experts weren’t consulted in HB1383 negotiations. We were in the hallways alongside wetlands advocates as the bill passed the Senate, 32-17. Check and see how your Senator voted here.  This bill combined with SEA389 (2021) and the Sackett v EPA decision will completely upend regulation for Indiana wetlands and situate Hoosiers to again bear the brunt of legislative action to benefit the homebuilders lobby. The Governor could sign HB1383 any moment, so please take action on the bill here.

This week we will be testifying in opposition to  House Bill 1264. House Bill 1264 is a bill that claims to be about "election security" that risks preventing lawful residents from being able to cast a ballot. Indiana already struggles with voter turnout. In 2022, we were 50th out of 51 for voter turnout, and in 2020, we ranked 46th in the nation. The Indiana General Assembly could pursue any number of policies designed to increase voter turnout: extending polling hours, making mail-in voting accessible to a larger population, or supporting automatic voter registration.

Instead, the IGA is pursuing House Bill 1264, which would allow the state to use notoriously error-prone third party credit bureau data to verify voter addresses, which has real potential to result in lawful voters losing their voter registration status over time. HB1264 also adds additional proof of residency requirements for first-time Indiana voters, which would make it more difficult for people to vote - particularly college students, people who recently moved to Indiana, and folks in assisted living facilities.

Coming up on the Senate Utilities schedule this week is House Bill 1306, which seeks to exempt the Indiana utility regulatory commission (IURC) from providing a live transmission of hearings. While we were initially opposed to the legislation, the bill was amended to mostly address our concerns, and as such, our testimony was neutral. 

The House Utilities Committee will meet this week to discuss SB247, a bill intended to streamline the acquisition of very small, distressed water and wastewater utilities, and Senate Bill 5, authored by Sen. Eric Koch (R-Bedford). We will offer testimony in support of SB5 which aims to accelerate the replacement of customer owned lead service lines. 

Senate Bill 52 has not yet been scheduled but we would not be surprised if a hearing were announced soon. As a reminder, SB52 will upend IndyGo’s Blue Line, which will connect Cumberland, on the east side of Indianapolis, to the airport on the west side. If passed into law, SB52 will compromise federal funds and improvements for sidewalks, street paving, and ADA accessible ramps. Take action on SB52!

Things are moving like a freight train as bills must move no later than February 27th out of the House and March 5th for the Senate. Buckle up, it will be quite the ride. Both chambers must adjourn sine die by March 14th. 

Take action on our priorities here:

• Tell your state legislators to protect our water and wetlands and vote NO on HB1383 at act.citact.org/kbgnnsn.
• Tell your state legisaltors to support mass transit and vote NO on SB52 at act.citact.org/Lsfkqfw.
• Tell your state legislators to protect our voting rights and vote NO on HB1264 at act.citact.org/qe18xjh.

As always, our most up-to-date information is on our social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Respectfully Submitted,

Lindsay Shipps Haake & Kerwin Olson
Government Affairs