Senate Bills: 0044 0156 0169 0195 0388
House Bills: 1040 1054 1149 1150 1273 1383 1431 1656 1737 1848

Senate Bill 0044 (Support)
Introduced by Senator Beverly Gard

Synopsis: Environmental committees. Makes the environmental quality service council (EQSC) permanent. Repeals the compliance advisory panel and reestablishes the panel as a committee of the EQSC.

• Makes state government more efficient by improving capabilities of the managers and staff.
• Will lead to significant financial savings through increased departmental efficiency.
• Translates to less resources and staff time for businesses, farms and local governments who interact with IDEM for permits, reporting and other regulatory issues.
• Will provide for important checks and balances for IDEM.
• Provides an organized forum for citizens, the regulated community and legislators to discuss broad policy directions of IDEM.

Action List

Senate Bill 0156 (Presumed dead)
Introduced by Senators Sue Landske and Rose Ann Antich-Carr

Synopsis: Notice of utility rates, bonds, and taxes. Requires a municipally owned utility to mail notice of bond issues, tax levies, and proposed rate changes to residents or owners of property located in the utility’s service area or taxing district but outside the corporate boundaries of the municipality. Requires the utility regulatory commission to mail notice of certain hearings to these residents and property owners.

Action List

Senate Bill 0169
Introduced by Senator Beverly Gard

Synopsis: Environmental studies. Requires the department of environmental management to study the feasibility of using environmental tickets or citations, using electronic permit applications and reports, and expediting the issuance of environmental licenses. Requires the environmental quality service council to study various aspects of environmental funds.

• Follows through on the recommendations of the IDEM Efficiency Task Force – a task force created and directed by the legislature.
• Will provide a thorough review of all 18 dedicated environmental funds. This review will help determine fund size, source of money and how the fund has been used, leading to more efficiency within IDEM and more effective customer service for IDEM customers.
• Through the analysis of environmental tickets and citations, the use of electronic permit applications and reports, and the creation of a more expedited issuance service for environmental licenses, IDEM’s customers will receive better customer service and communication and have a better understanding of the purposes behind the agency’s regulatory rules.
• Creates a cost savings for the state of Indiana.
• Builds a more purposeful, more directed and more efficient IDEM.

Action List

Senate Bill 0195
Introduced by Senator Kenley

Synopsis: Environmental crimes task force. Establishes the environmental crimes task force to study the appropriate class of criminal violation that should be assigned to each type of environmental crime. Requires the task force to file a final report before November 1, 2007.

Action List

Senate Bill 0388 (Presumed dead)
Introduced by Senator Greg Server

Synopsis: Water and sewer sales tax exemptions. Provides a sales tax exemption for sales of any chemicals to a: (1) municipally owned water or sewer utility; (2) water or sewer utility owned by a special district; (3) water or sewer utility owned by a nonprofit corporation; or (4) person that contracts with a municipality to provide water or sewer services to the municipality; if the person acquiring the chemicals will use them to treat water or sewage within the utility system.

Action List

House Bill 1040
Introduced by Representative Robertson

Synopsis: Water authority audits. Requires a water authority to be audited annually by a certified public accounting firm, keep the audit report on file, and provide the report to the state board of accounts.

Action List

House Bill 1054
Introduced by Representative Ulmer

Synopsis: Notice of underground storage tank leaks. Requires notification to nearby property owners of a release or potential release of a contaminant from an underground storage tank system.

Action List

House Bill 1149 (Presumed dead)
Introduced by Representative Lutz

Synopsis: IURC merger and fining authority. Provides that a merger, consolidation, reorganization, or stock transaction involving an energy company may not occur without the approval of the utility regulatory commission (IURC) if the transaction will cause more than 51% of the company's voting stock to be held by different interests. Requires the IURC to approve the transaction unless the resulting entity will lack the capability to provide adequate and reliable service. Allows the IURC to impose a civil penalty of up to $5,000 if a public utility providing energy services violates any: (1) utility law; or (2) rate or service requirement imposed by the IURC. Allows the IURC to impose an additional penalty of up to $10,000 if the violation demonstrates a willful disregard by the public utility of its duty to remedy the violation. Specifies that a suit to recover a penalty imposed by the IURC shall be brought by the attorney general.

Action List

(Presumed dead)
Introduced by Representative Phyllis PondHouse Bill 1273

Synopsis: Use of county hazardous waste disposal tax fund. Allows the use of the county hazardous waste disposal tax fund to pay for testing for contamination of drinking water wells located near a hazardous waste disposal facility.

Action List

House Bill 1383
Introduced by Representative David Wolkins

Synopsis: Environmental rulemaking. Prohibits the air pollution control board, water pollution control board, and solid waste management board from adopting a rule or standard that is more stringent than a corresponding federal provision established under federal law unless the: (1) environmental quality service council makes a recommendation to the general assembly that the rule or standard should be more stringent than the corresponding federal provision; and (2) general assembly enacts a statute that authorizes the board to adopt a rule or standard that is more stringent than the corresponding federal provision.

Action List

House Bill 1431
Introduced by Representative William Friend

Synopsis: Funding for clean water program. Reduces the amount that is annually appropriated from the cigarette tax fund to the department of natural resources from one-third to one-sixth of the money in the fund. Annually appropriates one-sixth of the money in the cigarette tax fund to the clean water Indiana fund.

Action List

House Bill 1656 (Presumed dead)
Introduced by Representative Don Lehe

Synopsis: Bottled water excise tax. Establishes a bottled water excise tax of $0.01 per one-half liter on sales of bottled water. Requires the department of state revenue to deposit the excise taxes collected into the clean water Indiana fund.

Action List

House Bill 1737
Introduced by Representative Paul Robertson

Synopsis: Water authority audits. Requires a water authority to: (1) have an audit annually by a certified public accounting firm; (2) keep the audit report on file; and (3) provide the report to the state board of accounts. Provides that a water authority is not subject to rules of the state board of accounts.

Action List

House Bill 1848
Introduced by Representatives Bosma and Friend

Synopsis: Contracts for public water and wastewater projects. Includes water and wastewater, in addition to energy, under the guaranteed savings contracts and utility efficiency programs that may be used by local units of government.

Status: Passed Environmental Affairs on 2/14

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