Indiana 2024 Regular Session

Indiana Senate Bill SB0177 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2	Introduced Version
3	3	SENATE BILL No. 177
4	4	_____
5	5	DIGEST OF INTRODUCED BILL
6	6	Citations Affected: IC 2-5-54.
7	7	Synopsis: Agrivoltaics task force. Establishes an agrivoltaics task
8	8	force (task force) to review issues related to agrivoltaics. Sets forth the
9	9	membership, and requires the task force to issue a report to the general
10	10	assembly and the governor not later than November 1, 2024.
11	11	Effective: July 1, 2024.
12	12	Yoder
13	13	January 9, 2024, read first time and referred to Committee on Environmental Affairs.
14	14	2024 IN 177—LS 6372/DI 150 Introduced
15	15	Second Regular Session of the 123rd General Assembly (2024)
16	16	PRINTING CODE. Amendments: Whenever an existing statute (or a section of the Indiana
17	17	Constitution) is being amended, the text of the existing provision will appear in this style type,
18	18	additions will appear in this style type, and deletions will appear in this style type.
19	19	Additions: Whenever a new statutory provision is being enacted (or a new constitutional
20	20	provision adopted), the text of the new provision will appear in this style type. Also, the
21	21	word NEW will appear in that style type in the introductory clause of each SECTION that adds
22	22	a new provision to the Indiana Code or the Indiana Constitution.
23	23	Conflict reconciliation: Text in a statute in this style type or this style type reconciles conflicts
24	24	between statutes enacted by the 2023 Regular Session of the General Assembly.
25	25	SENATE BILL No. 177
26	26	A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning
27	27	general provisions.
28	28	Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:
29	29	1 SECTION 1. IC 2-5-54 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE AS
30	30	2 A NEW CHAPTER TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY
31	31	3 1, 2024]:
32	32	4 Chapter 54. Agrivoltaics Task Force
33	33	5 Sec. 1. As used in this chapter, "agrivoltaic" means the dual
34	34	6 operation of a solar photovoltaic facility and agriculture on a single
35	35	7 piece of land.
36	36	8 Sec. 2. The agrivoltaics task force is established as a temporary
37	37	9 task force, which serves the general assembly.
38	38	10 Sec. 3. As used in this chapter, "task force" refers to the
39	39	11 agrivoltaics task force established by section 2 of this chapter.
40	40	12 Sec. 4. (a) The task force consists of the following nineteen (19)
41	41	13 voting members:
42	42	14 (1) Five (5) members of the senate, appointed as follows:
43	43	15 (A) Three (3) members appointed by the president pro
44	44	16 tempore.
45	45	17 (B) Two (2) members appointed by the minority leader of
46	46	2024 IN 177—LS 6372/DI 150 2
47	47	1 the senate.
48	48	2 (2) Five (5) members of the house of representatives,
49	49	3 appointed as follows:
50	50	4 (A) Three (3) members appointed by the speaker.
51	51	5 (B) Two (2) members appointed by the minority leader of
52	52	6 the house of representatives.
53	53	7 (3) One (1) officer or employee of the department of
54	54	8 environmental management, appointed by the governor.
55	55	9 (4) One (1) officer or employee of the department of natural
56	56	10 resources, appointed by the governor.
57	57	11 (5) One (1) officer or employee of the department of
58	58	12 agriculture, appointed by the governor.
59	59	13 (6) One (1) officer or employee of the office of energy
60	60	14 development, appointed by the governor.
61	61	15 (7) One (1) officer or employee of the Indiana Farm Bureau,
62	62	16 appointed by the governor.
63	63	17 (8) One (1) member who is a resident of Indiana and has
64	64	18 research experience from Purdue University's Institute for a
65	65	19 Sustainable Future, appointed by the governor.
66	66	20 (9) One (1) member who is a resident of Indiana and has
67	67	21 research experience from Indiana University's Environmental
68	68	22 Resilience Institute, appointed by the governor.
69	69	23 (10) One (1) member who is a resident of Indiana and has at
70	70	24 least ten (10) years of professional experience in electric utility
71	71	25 policy, appointed by the governor.
72	72	26 (11) One (1) member who is a representative from a farmer
73	73	27 member organization based in Indiana, appointed by the
74	74	28 governor.
75	75	29 (b) The president pro tempore shall designate one (1) of the
76	76	30 members appointed under subsection (a)(1)(A) as co-chair of the
77	77	31 task force.
78	78	32 (c) The speaker shall designate one (1) of the members
79	79	33 appointed under subsection (a)(2)(A) as co-chair of the task force.
80	80	34 (d) A member of the task force serves for the duration of the
81	81	35 task force. If a vacancy occurs on the task force, the appointing
82	82	36 authority that appointed the member whose position is vacant shall
83	83	37 appoint an individual to fill the vacancy.
84	84	38 (e) An individual appointed to fill a vacancy must have the
85	85	39 qualifications that a member appointed by the appointing
86	86	40 authority must have.
87	87	41 (f) An individual appointed to fill a vacancy serves for the
88	88	42 remainder of the term of the member the individual is appointed
89	89	2024 IN 177—LS 6372/DI 150 3
90	90	1 to succeed.
91	91	2 (g) Appointments to the task force under this section shall be
92	92	3 made not later than July 1, 2024.
93	93	4 Sec. 5. (a) Ten (10) members of the task force constitute a
94	94	5 quorum.
95	95	6 (b) The affirmative votes of a majority of the members
96	96	7 appointed to the task force are required for the task force to take
97	97	8 action on any measure, including final reports.
98	98	9 (c) The task force shall meet at the call of the co-chairs.
99	99	10 Sec. 6. All meetings of the task force shall be open to the public
100	100	11 in accordance with and subject to IC 5-14-1.5. All records of the
101	101	12 task force shall be subject to the requirements of IC 5-14-3.
102	102	13 Sec. 7. The task force shall do the following:
103	103	14 (1) Review available research and data on the effects of dual
104	104	15 operation of solar photovoltaic facilities and agriculture on
105	105	16 single pieces of land.
106	106	17 (2) Solicit and consider relevant stakeholder testimony
107	107	18 regarding agrivoltaic projects.
108	108	19 (3) Discuss policies and regulations to facilitate the
109	109	20 installation of agrivoltaic projects in Indiana, while
110	110	21 simultaneously considering the impact agrivoltaic has on:
111	111	22 (A) land use and categorizations;
112	112	23 (B) water quality;
113	113	24 (C) soil health; and
114	114	25 (D) food production.
115	115	26 (4) Review best practices for third party certification,
116	116	27 including the following:
117	117	28 (A) Consistent standards.
118	118	29 (B) Streamlined review.
119	119	30 (C) Quality control.
120	120	31 (D) Verification.
121	121	32 (5) Review best practices on carbon accounting and other
122	122	33 methods for quantifying the greenhouse gas emissions
123	123	34 sequestered with respect to agricultural land.
124	124	35 Sec. 8. The task force shall make recommendations based upon
125	125	36 the study conducted under section 7 of this chapter.
126	126	37 Sec. 9. The task force shall:
127	127	38 (1) issue a report setting forth the determinations and
128	128	39 recommendations it makes under this chapter; and
129	129	40 (2) not later than November 1, 2024, submit the report:
130	130	41 (A) in an electronic format under IC 5-14-6 to the
131	131	42 executive director of the legislative services agency for
132	132	2024 IN 177—LS 6372/DI 150 4
133	133	1 distribution to the members of the general assembly; and
134	134	2 (B) to the governor.
135	135	3 Sec. 10. The legislative services agency shall provide staff
136	136	4 support to the task force.
137	137	5 Sec. 11. (a) Each legislative member and each lay member of the
138	138	6 task force is entitled to receive the same per diem, mileage, and
139	139	7 travel allowances paid to individuals serving as legislative and lay
140	140	8 members, respectively, on an interim study committee established
141	141	9 by the legislative council.
142	142	10 (b) A member of the task force who is a state employee is not
143	143	11 entitled to a per diem. However, the member is entitled to receive
144	144	12 the same travel allowances paid to members of the task force
145	145	13 described in subsection (a).
146	146	14 Sec. 12. The task force's expenses, including the payment of per
147	147	15 diem, mileage, and travel allowances under section 11 of this
148	148	16 chapter, are payable from amounts appropriated to the legislative
149	149	17 council.
150	150	18 Sec. 13. This chapter expires December 31, 2024.
151	151	2024 IN 177—LS 6372/DI 150