Indiana 2025 Regular Session

Indiana House Bill HB1507 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	EH1507.1
2		-	March 12, 2025
3		-	ENGROSSED
	1	+	HB1507.1
	2	+	January 27, 2025
4	3		HOUSE BILL No. 1507
5	4		_____
6		-	DIGEST OF HB 1507 (Updated ~~March 11~~, 2025 10:~~39 am~~ - DI 140)
	5	+	DIGEST OF HB 1507 (Updated January 21, 2025 3:06 pm - DI 140)
7	6		Citations Affected: IC 8-14; IC 8-23; IC 36-9.
8	7		Synopsis: Low water crossings. Authorizes a local county road and
9	8		bridge board to undertake low water crossing projects. Requires the
10	9		commissioner of the department of transportation (department) to
11	10		ensure that the department makes information available to county
12	11		boards of commissioners and county highway departments about
13	12		funding from federal and private sources that might be available to the
14	13		counties for low water crossing projects. Amends the law on the local
15	14		road and bridge matching grant fund: (1) to allow grants to local units
16	15		to be used for low water crossing projects; and (2) to provide that funds
17	16		allocated for grants to local units having a population of less than
18	17		50,000 can be used to make grants to counties below the population
19	18		limit as well as to municipalities located in counties that are below the
20	19		population limit.
21	20		Effective: July 1, 2025.
22	21		Patterson, Zimmerman, Criswell,
23	22		Bascom
24		-	(SENATE SPONSOR — RAATZ)
25	23		January 21, 2025, read first time and referred to Committee on Roads and Transportation.
26	24		January 27, 2025, reported — Do Pass.
27		-	January 29, 2025, read second time, ordered engrossed.
28		-	January 30, 2025, engrossed. Read third time, passed. Yeas 91, nays 0.
29		-	SENATE ACTION
30		-	February 19, 2025, read first time and referred to Committee on Homeland Security and
31		-	Transportation.
32		-	March 11, 2025, reported favorably — Do Pass; reassigned to Committee on
33		-	Appropriations.
34		-	EH 1507—LS 7243/DI 137 March 12, 2025
	25	+	HB 1507—LS 7243/DI 137 January 27, 2025
35	26		First Regular Session of the 124th General Assembly (2025)
36	27		PRINTING CODE. Amendments: Whenever an existing statute (or a section of the Indiana
37	28		Constitution) is being amended, the text of the existing provision will appear in this style type,
38	29		additions will appear in this style type, and deletions will appear in this style type.
39	30		Additions: Whenever a new statutory provision is being enacted (or a new constitutional
40	31		provision adopted), the text of the new provision will appear in this style type. Also, the
41	32		word NEW will appear in that style type in the introductory clause of each SECTION that adds
42	33		a new provision to the Indiana Code or the Indiana Constitution.
43	34		Conflict reconciliation: Text in a statute in this style type or this style type reconciles conflicts
44	35		between statutes enacted by the 2024 Regular Session of the General Assembly.
45		-	ENGROSSED
46	36		HOUSE BILL No. 1507
47	37		A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning
48	38		transportation.
49	39		Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:
50	40		1 SECTION 1. IC 8-14-9-2.5 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE
51	41		2 AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY
52	42		3 1, 2025]: Sec. 2.5. (a) As used in this chapter, "low water crossing"
53	43		4 means a public road waterway crossing:
54	44		5 (1) other than a bridge where construction improvements
55	45		6 have been made in the stream, river, or lake bed to provide a
56	46		7 firm surface for vehicles to travel across the water course;
57	47		8 and
58	48		9 (2) that is designed and constructed to be passable to traffic
59	49		10 most of the year during periods of ordinary stream flow but
60	50		11 are impassable to traffic during periods of high water.
61	51		12 (b) As used in this chapter, "low water crossing project" means
62	52		13 a project that may consist of one (1) or more of the following:
63	53		14 (1) Installing appropriate road signs to warn vehicle drivers
64	54		15 as they approach a low water crossing.
65	55		16 (2) Replacing damaged, undersized, perched, and blocked
66	56		17 road structures in a low water crossing with structures that
67		-	EH 1507—LS 7243/DI 137 2
	57	+	HB 1507—LS 7243/DI 137 2
68	58		1 will accommodate a greater quantity of stream flow under the
69	59		2 road.
70	60		3 (3) Replacing a low water crossing with a bridge.
71	61		4 SECTION 2. IC 8-14-9-5 IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS
72	62		5 [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 5. (a) Whenever the local county
73	63		6 road and bridge board determines that it is necessary for the general
74	64		7 welfare of the persons residing within the local county road and bridge
75	65		8 district and that it will be of public utility and benefit to the property in
76	66		9 the district to carry out:
77	67		10 (1) a project of construction, reconstruction, or operation:
78	68		11 (A) of roads; or
79	69		12 (B) of bridges; or
80	70		13 (C) of both roads and bridges; or
81	71		14 (2) a low water crossing project;
82	72		15 within the district, the board shall adopt a resolution stating the
83	73		16 necessity of the project and the intent of the district to proceed with the
84	74		17 project.
85	75		18 (b) As a part of the resolution, the local county road and bridge
86	76		19 board shall:
87	77		20 (1) adopt preliminary or final plans and specifications for the
88	78		21 entire project; and
89	79		22 (2) determine the estimated cost of all work and all acquisitions
90	80		23 necessary to carry out the project.
91	81		24 SECTION 3. IC 8-23-23-6 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE
92	82		25 AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY
93	83		26 1, 2025]: Sec. 6. The commissioner shall ensure that the department
94	84		27 makes information available to county boards of commissioners
95	85		28 and county highway departments about funding from federal and
96	86		29 private sources that might be available to the counties for projects
97	87		30 involving the reconstruction or replacement of low water crossings
98	88		31 (as defined in IC 8-23-30-1(d)), including the following:
99	89		32 (1) The federal Surface Transportation Block Grant Program
100	90		33 (23 U.S.C. 133).
101	91		34 (2) The United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
102	92		35 SECTION 4. IC 8-23-30-1, AS ADDED BY P.L.146-2016,
103	93		36 SECTION 16, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
104	94		37 JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 1. (a) The following definitions apply throughout
105	95		38 As used in this chapter, (1) "eligible project" means either of the
106	96		39 following:
107	97		40 (1) A project:
108	98		41 (A) that is undertaken by a local unit;
109	99		42 (B) that repairs or increases the capacity of local roads and
110		-	EH 1507—LS 7243/DI 137 3
	100	+	HB 1507—LS 7243/DI 137 3
111	101		1 bridges; and
112	102		2 (C) that is part of the local unit's transportation asset
113	103		3 management plan.
114	104		4 (2) A project that:
115	105		5 (A) is undertaken by a local unit; and
116	106		6 (B) reduces the risk to human life from low water
117	107		7 crossings.
118	108		8 (2) (b) As used in this chapter, "fund" refers to the local road and
119	109		9 bridge matching grant fund established by section 2 of this chapter.
120	110		10 (3) (c) As used in this chapter, "local unit" means a county or
121	111		11 municipality.
122	112		12 (d) As used in this chapter, "low water crossing" means a public
123	113		13 road waterway crossing:
124	114		14 (1) other than a bridge where construction improvements
125	115		15 have been made in the stream, river, or lake bed to provide a
126	116		16 firm surface for vehicles to travel across the water course;
127	117		17 and
128	118		18 (2) that is designed and constructed to be passable to traffic
129	119		19 most of the year during periods of ordinary stream flow but
130	120		20 are impassable to traffic during periods of high water.
131	121		21 (4) (e) As used in this chapter, "transportation asset management
132	122		22 plan" includes planning for drainage systems and rights-of-way that
133	123		23 affect transportation assets.
134	124		24 SECTION 5. IC 8-23-30-1.5 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE
135	125		25 AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY
136	126		26 1, 2025]: Sec. 1.5. A project described in section 1(a)(2) of this
137	127		27 chapter may consist of one (1) or more of the following:
138	128		28 (1) Installing appropriate road signs to warn vehicle drivers
139	129		29 as they approach low water crossings.
140	130		30 (2) Replacing damaged, undersized, perched, and blocked
141	131		31 road structures with structures that will accommodate a
142	132		32 greater quantity of stream flow under the road.
143	133		33 (3) Replacing low water crossings with bridges.
144	134		34 SECTION 6. IC 8-23-30-5, AS ADDED BY P.L.146-2016,
145	135		35 SECTION 16, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
146	136		36 JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 5. In the evaluation of an application for a grant
147	137		37 applications for grants from the fund for projects described in
148	138		38 section 1(a) of this chapter, the department shall give preference to
149	139		39 projects that are anticipated by the department to have the greatest
150	140		40 regional economic significance for the region in which the local unit is
151	141		41 located.
152	142		42 SECTION 7. IC 8-23-30-7, AS AMENDED BY P.L.218-2017,
153		-	EH 1507—LS 7243/DI 137 4
	143	+	HB 1507—LS 7243/DI 137 4
154	144		1 SECTION 82, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
155	145		2 JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 7. The department shall allocate at least fifty
156	146		3 percent (50%) of the amount available to the department to make
157	147		4 grants in a state fiscal year to:
158	148		5 (1) local units that are counties having a population of less
159	149		6 than fifty thousand (50,000); and
160	150		7 (2) local units that are municipalities located in counties having
161	151		8 a population of less than fifty thousand (50,000).
162	152		9 SECTION 8. IC 36-9-42.2-4.5, AS ADDED BY P.L.218-2017,
163	153		10 SECTION 96, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
164	154		11 JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 4.5. As used in this chapter, "transportation asset
165	155		12 management plan" has the meaning set forth in IC 8-23-30-1(4).
166	156		13 IC 8-23-30-1(e).
167		-	EH 1507—LS 7243/DI 137 5
	157	+	HB 1507—LS 7243/DI 137 5
168	158		COMMITTEE REPORT
169	159		Mr. Speaker: Your Committee on Roads and Transportation, to
170	160		which was referred House Bill 1507, has had the same under
171	161		consideration and begs leave to report the same back to the House with
172	162		the recommendation that said bill do pass.
173	163		(Reference is to HB 1507 as introduced.)
174	164		PRESSEL
175	165		Committee Vote: Yeas 11, Nays 0
176		-	_____
177		-	COMMITTEE REPORT
178		-	Mr. President: The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and
179		-	Transportation, to which was referred House Bill No. 1507, has had the
180		-	same under consideration and begs leave to report the same back to the
181		-	Senate with the recommendation that said bill DO PASS and be
182		-	reassigned to the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
183		-	(Reference is to HB 1507 as printed January 27, 2025.)
184		-	CRIDER, Chairperson
185		-	Committee Vote: Yeas 8, Nays 0
186		-	EH 1507—LS 7243/DI 137
	166	+	HB 1507—LS 7243/DI 137