ACEC Indiana Legislative Summary for 2015 Session
The “long” session of the Indiana General Assembly ended on April 28th with mixed news on additional road funding for INDOT, as reported by the Build Indiana Council. The shortfall in the revenue forecast of $213 million lead budget leaders to pare down earlier versions of the budget. As usual, the final version had winners and losers.
At the beginning of the legislative session, the Governor made it known that the top priority was education and it remained so until the end; both higher education and K-12 got increases, but not as much as in earlier budget drafts, and charter schools received an increase representing one-third of the Governor’s request. Another “winner” on the Administration’s priority list was the Regional Cities initiative which received an $84-million authorization from a tax “amnesty” program. Part of the offset came from new funds in the Major Moves 2020 fund; the Governor initially requested $300 million over the biennium, which was bumped up to $400 million during the legislative process, but finally settled at $200 million over two years. On the good news side, we beat back attempts to erode the professional qualifications of the State Building Commissioner, but reinforced the need for all members to educate the value of Professional Engineers to state and local officials.
Your Government Affairs Committee, staff and lobbyists worked hard all session to protect your business and professional interests. A moment’s pause is in order to thank our lobby team at LegisGroup Public Affairs, LLC for their tireless effort on behalf of ACEC Indiana: Glenna Shelby, Ron Breymier and Matt Brase. We also thank the Build Indiana Council (BIC) lobbyists, Dennis Faulkenberg, Laurie Maudlin and Bill Livvix for their efforts on behalf of the coalition.
Success would not have been possible without the efforts of our members who contacted their legislators on the key issues supported or opposed by ACEC Indiana. We appreciate the time that you devoted from busy schedules and thank you for making the difference in the outcome of this session!
A short summary ofmost impactful bills that passed is below.However, a full list of the bills on ACEC Indiana’s bill track that passed the General Assembly is available on the members-only section at .Senate and House bills can be viewed at
State Budget, Funding & Tax
State Budget (House Enrolled Act 1001) As reported by BIC, gains from last session to end “diversions” in road funding were preserved, and an additional $100 million per year in Major Moves 2020 was authorized.
Budget details:
INDOT pgs. 47-52-57
Major Moves pg. 133
State-based Initiatives pg. 98 (federal grant opportunities)
Historic Property Preservation/Rehab Grants pg. 99-100
Telecom infrastructure pg. 106
State Archives Building pg. 118
Motorsports infrastructure pg. 121
Regional Cities pg. 122
P3 State Park projects pg. 134
INDOT Consulting Budget / FY 2015 / FY 2016Hwy. Capital Improvement / $15.7million / $13.8 million
Fed. Apportionment Consulting / $71.58 million / $59.61 million
Other Transportation:
I-69: HB 1036 allows construction of I-69 in Perry Township.
Regional Cities Initiative: HB 1403 provides grants & loans.
Recreational Trails Guidelines: HEA 1471 requires IDNR to develop trails guidelines.
Motor Vehicle License Excise Surtax: SB 436 allows different rates.
Water and Environment:
Water & Wastewater Distressed Utilities acquisition: HB 1319
USGS Monitoring of water resources: HB 1319
Environmental Variances: HB 1350, eliminates some renewal of variances except from certain water quality standards, and also includes wetlands “in lieu fee” mitigation provision.
IDNR issues: HB 1452 allows sale of abandoned railroad corridor property, use of GIS for certain land inspections, some endangered species info to remain confidential, and certain floodway pemits to be renewed for 5 years.
Petroleum Releases: SEA 311
Tank Reporting & Water Threat Minimization: SB 312
Septic Regulation: SB 461
Water Utility Planning: SB 474
School Building Sanitary Regulations: SEA 556
Energy, Utilities and MEP:
Local fire safety & building ordinances: HB 1300 required local ordinances be approved by the State Fire Prevention & Building Safety Commission within certain timeframes before they may be effective.
Wireless Telecom construction permits: HB 1318
Professional:
10-year Statute of Limitation on Surveyors: HB 1050, based on date of the survey.
General Business:
Repeal of Common Construction Wage: HB 1019 also increases the “small project” cap for Public Works from $150,000 to $300,000, and requires the Indiana Dept. of Labor to report on impact of repeal of CCW to General Assembly by 2021.
Patent Trolls: HB 1102, prohibits “bad faith” claims of patent infringement.
Performance Bonds of Land Developers: HB 1508, impacts land developer of Class 1 or Class 2 structures.
Controlled Projects in Hamilton County: SB 251
Big Box Retail Property Valuation: SB436, and more.
Now is the time for every member of ACEC Indiana to establish or strengthen your relationship with your State Senator and State Representative so that you can help educate them about the value and expertise of professional consulting engineers. You can meet them for coffee, take them to lunch, or invite them to your office to see your operations and meet your staff. You can discussany of the subjects addressed above since these topics are fresh to the legislators,or use the opportunity to discuss the water and waste water infrastructure needs of this state since that is still a very pressing problem. To get contact information on your legislator, go to It won’t be too long before interim study committees begin and bills start to get drafted for the 2016 session, so don’t delay.