Indiana 2025 Regular Session

Indiana Senate Bill SB0305 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. 305
4	4	_____
5	5	DIGEST OF INTRODUCED BILL
6	6	Citations Affected: IC 4-4-44.5.
7	7	Synopsis: Rural communities. Establishes the saving rural Indiana
8	8	program (program) for the purpose of building additional local capacity
9	9	allowing innovative communities to create solutions for challenges
10	10	facing rural Indiana. Establishes the saving rural Indiana matching
11	11	grant fund to carry out the purpose of the program.
12	12	Effective: July 1, 2025.
13	13	Zay
14	14	January 13, 2025, read first time and referred to Committee on Agriculture.
15	15	2025 IN 305—LS 7162/DI 134 Introduced
16	16	First Regular Session of the 124th General Assembly (2025)
17	17	PRINTING CODE. Amendments: Whenever an existing statute (or a section of the Indiana
18	18	Constitution) is being amended, the text of the existing provision will appear in this style type,
19	19	additions will appear in this style type, and deletions will appear in this style type.
20	20	Additions: Whenever a new statutory provision is being enacted (or a new constitutional
21	21	provision adopted), the text of the new provision will appear in this style type. Also, the
22	22	word NEW will appear in that style type in the introductory clause of each SECTION that adds
23	23	a new provision to the Indiana Code or the Indiana Constitution.
24	24	Conflict reconciliation: Text in a statute in this style type or this style type reconciles conflicts
25	25	between statutes enacted by the 2024 Regular Session of the General Assembly.
26	26	SENATE BILL No. 305
27	27	A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning state
28	28	offices and administration.
29	29	Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:
30	30	1 SECTION 1. IC 4-4-44.5 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE
31	31	2 AS A NEW CHAPTER TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
32	32	3 JULY 1, 2025]:
33	33	4 Chapter 44.5. Saving Rural Indiana Program
34	34	5 Sec. 1. As used in this chapter, "board" means the saving rural
35	35	6 Indiana program grant board established by section 16 of this
36	36	7 chapter.
37	37	8 Sec. 2. As used in this chapter, "eligible county" means a county
38	38	9 in Indiana with a population of less than one hundred thousand
39	39	10 (100,000).
40	40	11 Sec. 3. As used in this chapter, "fund" means the saving rural
41	41	12 Indiana matching grant fund established by section 11 of this
42	42	13 chapter.
43	43	14 Sec. 4. As used in this chapter, "local unit" means a county, city,
44	44	15 town, township, or school corporation.
45	45	16 Sec. 5. As used in this chapter, "office" means the office of
46	46	17 community and rural affairs established by IC 4-4-9.7-4.
47	47	2025 IN 305—LS 7162/DI 134 2
48	48	1 Sec. 6. As used in this chapter, "program" means the saving
49	49	2 rural Indiana program established by section 8 of this chapter.
50	50	3 Sec. 7. As used in this chapter, "strategic investment plan"
51	51	4 means a plan designed for an eligible county to carry out the
52	52	5 purpose of this chapter.
53	53	6 Sec. 8. The saving rural Indiana program is established for the
54	54	7 purpose of building additional local capacity allowing innovative
55	55	8 communities to create solutions for challenges facing rural Indiana
56	56	9 with a focus on the following:
57	57	10 (1) Housing.
58	58	11 (2) Child care.
59	59	12 (3) Downtown redevelopment.
60	60	13 (4) Broadband.
61	61	14 (5) Education.
62	62	15 (6) Workforce and talent development and recruitment.
63	63	16 (7) Amenity development (including riverfronts, trails, and
64	64	17 parks).
65	65	18 (8) Marketing and branding.
66	66	19 (9) Entertainment.
67	67	20 (10) Main street and small retail business support.
68	68	21 Sec. 9. The office shall administer the program.
69	69	22 Sec. 10. A strategic investment plan under this chapter must be
70	70	23 adopted by the participating eligible county and all local units
71	71	24 within the eligible county.
72	72	25 Sec. 11. (a) The saving rural Indiana matching grant fund is
73	73	26 established to carry out the purpose of the program.
74	74	27 (b) The office shall administer the fund.
75	75	28 (c) The expenses of administering the fund shall be paid from
76	76	29 money in the fund.
77	77	30 (d) The fund consists of the following:
78	78	31 (1) Two hundred million dollars ($200,000,000) to be
79	79	32 reallocated from the Indiana economic development
80	80	33 corporation to the office.
81	81	34 (2) Money appropriated by the general assembly.
82	82	35 (3) Donations, gifts, and money received from any other
83	83	36 source, including transfers from other funds or accounts.
84	84	37 (e) The treasurer of state shall invest the money in the fund not
85	85	38 currently needed to meet the obligations of the fund in the same
86	86	39 manner as other public money may be invested. Interest that
87	87	40 accrues from the investments shall be deposited in the fund.
88	88	41 (f) Money in the fund at the end of a state fiscal year does not
89	89	42 revert to the state general fund.
90	90	2025 IN 305—LS 7162/DI 134 3
91	91	1 Sec. 12. An eligible county may apply to the office for a grant
92	92	2 from the fund to be used for the purpose of this chapter. The
93	93	3 application must:
94	94	4 (1) be in the form and manner prescribed by the office;
95	95	5 (2) be submitted by the date set by the office; and
96	96	6 (3) contain a strategic investment plan that has been approved
97	97	7 by the office and all local units within the eligible county and
98	98	8 their respective officers as described in section 10 of this
99	99	9 chapter.
100	100	10 Sec. 13. There shall be two (2) annual grant application cycles
101	101	11 each calendar year. The application deadline for the first grant
102	102	12 cycle shall be June 30 of each calendar year and the application
103	103	13 deadline for the second grant cycle shall be December 31 of each
104	104	14 calendar year. The office shall award grants and distribute the
105	105	15 corresponding grant funds not more than ninety (90) days after the
106	106	16 deadline of each respective grant cycle.
107	107	17 Sec. 14. An eligible county must contribute funds for the
108	108	18 implementation of the eligible county's strategic investment plan.
109	109	19 Sec. 15. An eligible county's application for a grant from the
110	110	20 fund must specify the amount of money that the eligible county is
111	111	21 committing to the implementation of the strategic investment plan.
112	112	22 Sec. 16. (a) The saving rural Indiana program grant board is
113	113	23 established as a continuing executive branch board.
114	114	24 (b) The purpose of the board is to:
115	115	25 (1) review grant applications for the program;
116	116	26 (2) approve or reject grant applications for the program; and
117	117	27 (3) report approvals, rejections, and recommendations to the
118	118	28 office.
119	119	29 (c) The board shall be made up of the following voting
120	120	30 members:
121	121	31 (1) An officer of the office, or the officer's designee, appointed
122	122	32 by the office.
123	123	33 (2) An officer of the Indiana economic development
124	124	34 corporation, or the officer's designee, appointed by the
125	125	35 Indiana economic development corporation board described
126	126	36 in IC 5-28-4.
127	127	37 (3) An officer of the Indiana destination development
128	128	38 corporation, or the officer's designee, appointed by the
129	129	39 Indiana destination development corporation board described
130	130	40 in IC 5-33-4.
131	131	41 A quorum consists of at least two (2) members. An affirmative vote
132	132	42 of at least two (2) members of the board is necessary to approve or
133	133	2025 IN 305—LS 7162/DI 134 4
134	134	1 reject an application under this chapter.
135	135	2 (d) The board shall meet as frequently as necessary during the
136	136	3 ninety (90) day period following a grant application deadline to
137	137	4 consider pending grant applications. The director of the office shall
138	138	5 call the meetings.
139	139	6 (e) The office shall staff the board.
140	140	7 (f) Each member of the board shall serve:
141	141	8 (1) for the duration of the member's position as an officer
142	142	9 within the office, the Indiana economic development
143	143	10 corporation, or the Indiana destination development
144	144	11 corporation, respectively; and
145	145	12 (2) at the will of the appointing authority.
146	146	13 (g) A vacancy on the board shall be filled by the appointing
147	147	14 authority of the member who vacated the board.
148	148	15 (h) The director of the office shall designate a member of the
149	149	16 board as chair of the board to serve:
150	150	17 (1) for the duration of the member's position as an officer
151	151	18 within the office, the Indiana economic development
152	152	19 corporation, or the Indiana destination development
153	153	20 corporation, respectively; and
154	154	21 (2) at the will of the appointing authority.
155	155	22 (i) A member of the board serves without compensation except
156	156	23 per diem as provided by law.
157	157	24 Sec. 17. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), if the board
158	158	25 approves a grant to an eligible county under this chapter, the office
159	159	26 shall award a grant from the fund to the eligible county in an
160	160	27 amount equal to the amount that the eligible county commits to the
161	161	28 strategic investment plan.
162	162	29 (b) If the amount of money requested for grants from the fund
163	163	30 exceeds the amount of money in the fund, the office shall
164	164	31 proportionately reduce the amount of each grant from the fund.
165	165	32 Sec. 18. An eligible county that receives annual matching funds
166	166	33 under this chapter shall hire an implementation leader to
167	167	34 implement the strategic investment plan. The implementation
168	168	35 leader may be one (1) of the following:
169	169	36 (1) An employee of a local economic or community
170	170	37 development nonprofit agency.
171	171	38 (2) An employee of an eligible county or local unit within the
172	172	39 eligible county.
173	173	40 (3) An independent contractor.
174	174	41 Sec. 19. Within two (2) years of a grant being awarded to an
175	175	42 eligible county under this chapter, the office shall provide to the
176	176	2025 IN 305—LS 7162/DI 134 5
177	177	1 eligible county a notice of completion form for the eligible county
178	178	2 to complete and submit to the office. Upon receipt and certification
179	179	3 of the completed form by the office, the office shall return the
180	180	4 certified form to the eligible county.
181	181	5 Sec. 20. (a) Within five (5) years of a grant being awarded to an
182	182	6 eligible county, the office shall provide to the eligible county an
183	183	7 impact statement form to the eligible county for the eligible county
184	184	8 to complete and submit to the office. Upon receipt and certification
185	185	9 of the completed form by the office, the office shall return the
186	186	10 certified form to the eligible county.
187	187	11 (b) The impact statement must include:
188	188	12 (1) private investment data with regard to the grant; and
189	189	13 (2) any other data the office deems necessary to measure the
190	190	14 impact or outcomes of the program.
191	191	15 Sec. 21. The office shall annually summarize all impact
192	192	16 statements received from eligible counties during the previous
193	193	17 calendar year and provide the summary to the budget board for
194	194	18 review.
195	195	2025 IN 305—LS 7162/DI 134