Posts in category: Advocacy

Our latest updates in advocacy are here! Check out deadlines to keep in mind as the session moves forward. One Southern Indiana Chamber of Commerce continues to watch for bills that impact our current businesses and communities according to our 2025 advocacy agenda. Read below for more information about the bills and keep an eye out for more updates. 

• Thursday, February 20, 2025: Last day for third reading of House bills in House. 
• Thursday, February 20, 2025: Latest day session must reconvene (IC 2-2.1-1-2) 

Join 1si February 20th for our 5 O’clock network where you will meet with local elected officials, discuss the matters you and your business find important, and learn how you can advocate for the benefit of our region. You can register here. 

Current List of Bills 1si Supports: 

SB-463: Child Care Matters 

Explanation: Adds additional qualified childcare for purposes of the employer childcare expenditure tax credit and extends the credit availability through July 1, 2027. The bill will help support adequate funding and staffing for Indiana childcare centers. The bill strongly ties to 1si’s call to action which emphasizes the affordability and quality of childcare. 

• Status: 
• 2/17/2025- Amendment #1 (Garten) prevailed; voice vote 
• 2/17/2025- Second Reading: amended, ordered engrossed 
• 2/13/2025- Senate Committee recommends passage, as amended 

SB-443: Business personal property tax 

Explanation: The bill proposed to increase business tax exemption by $20,000. This change should help reduce the administrative burden on small businesses, especially those with few fixed assets. However, the impact of the increase is expected to be minor, as it is a relatively small adjustment. 

• Status:  
• 2/14/2025- Referred to the House 
• 2/13/2025- House sponsor: Representative Snow 
• 2/13/2025- Third reading passed; Roll Call 127:
  • Yeas: 39
  • Nays: 7 
• 2/13/2025- Senate Bills on Third Reading 
• 2/11/2025- Second reading amended, ordered engrossed 
• 1/13/2025- Read first time and referred to Committee on Tax and Fiscal Policy 

 HB-1172: Office of entrepreneurship and innovation 

• Status: 
• 2/12/2025- Referred to the Senate 
• 2/11/2025- Senate sponsor: Senator Buchanan 
• 2/11/2025- Third reading passed; Roll Call 
  • Yeas: 131 
  • Nays: 7 
• 2/11/2025- House Bills on Third Reading 
• 2/10/2025- Second reading ordered engrossed 
• 2/10/2025- House Bills on Second Reading 
• 2/6/2025- Committee Report amend do pass, adopted  

HB-1248: Child Care and Development Fund 

Explanation: The bill will help prioritize foster parents to gain assistance through the Childcare Development Fund. The bill strongly connects to 1si’s call to action to increase the availability and affordability of childcare. 

• Status:  
• 2/17/2025- Committee Report: Amend do pass, adopted 
• 1/29/2025- Amended, reported—Do pass. Referred to Committee on Ways and Means pursuant to Rule 126.3. 

Current List of Bills 1si is Monitoring: 

Senate Bills: 

SB-1: Property Tax Relief 

Explanation: We are closely monitoring this bill because the changes to residential and personal taxes significantly impact infrastructure, municipal funding, and workforce education. Based on the reports from the Association of Indiana Counties, you can see the impact of SB-1 here. In light of the bill, we are strongly advocating for the clarity of the expected impacts of this bill on businesses and individuals from our local government officials and elected state officials. We strongly advise our members to understand the bill’s effect within our communities. 

• Status: 
• 2/17/2025- Committee Report amend do pass, adopted 
• 2/17/2025- Third Reading: Passed; Roll Call 132: 
  • Yeas: 37 
  • Nays:10 
• 2/13/2025- Amendment #4 (Young M) failed; Roll Call 119: 
  • Yeas: 16 
  • Nays: 30 

SB-20: Economic development and foreign trade 

• Status: 
• 1/8/2025- Referred to Senate Homeland Security and Transportation 

SB-93: Common Construction wage 

• Status: 
• 1/8/2025- Read first time and referred to committee on Pensions and Labor 

SB-212: Natural Gas and Electric Utility Infrastructure 

• Status: 
• 1/8/2025- Read first time and referred to Committee on Utilities 

SB-251: Indiana Economic Development Corporation 

• Status: 
• 1/13/2025- First reading and referred to Committee on Commerce and Technology 

SB-305: Rural communities 

• Status: 
• 1/13/2025- First reading and referred to Committee on Agriculture 

SB-314: Pass through entity tax 

• Status: 
• 2/11/2025- Referred to House 
• 2/10/2025- Third reading passed, roll call 90: 
  • Yeas: 45 
  • Nays: 4 
• 2/10/2025- Senate Bills on Third Reading 

SB-347: Indiana Economic Development Corporation 

• Status: 
• 1/13/2025- Referred to Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy 

SB-377: Funding for regional economic development 

• Status: 
• 1/23/2025- Senate Appropriations, bill scheduled for hearing 
• 1/13/2025- First reading referred to Committee on Appropriations 

SB-423: Small modular nuclear reactor pilot program 

• Status: 
• 2/4/2025- Referred to House 
• 2/3/2025- House sponsor: Representative Soliday 
• 2/3/2025- Third reading passed; Roll Call 60 
  • Yeas 41 
  • Nays:7 
• Senate Bills on Third Reading 

SB-426: Water utility infrastructure 

• Status: 
• 2/11/2025- House Sponsor: Representative Soliday 
• 2/11/2025- Third reading passed; Roll Call 108 
  • Yeas: 46 
  • Nays: 3 
  • 2/11/2025- Senate Bills on Third Reading 
• 2/10/2025- Amendment #1 (Koch) prevailed; voice vote 

SB-488: Skills training pilot program 

• Status: 
• 2/18/2025- Senate Bills on Third Reading 
• 2/17/2025- Senate reading ordered engrossed 
• 2/17/2025- Senate Bills on Second Reading 
• 2/13/2025- Committee Report amend do pass, adopted 

House Bills 

HB-1021: Training in human trafficking 

• Status: 
• 1/8/2025- Read first time and referred to Committee on Courts and Criminal Code 

HB-1151: Advanced practice registered nurses 

• Status: 
• 1/8/2025- Read first time and referred to Committee on Public Health 

HB-1154: Behavioral health preceptorship tax credit 

• Status: 
• 1/8/2025- Referred to Committee on Ways and Means 

HB-1180: Mental health care for veterans with PTSD 

• Status: 
• 1/8/2025- Read first time and referred to Committee on Veterans Affairs and Public Safety 

HB-1214: Worker’s compensation 

• Status: 
• 2/18/2025- First Reading: Referred to Committee on Insurance and Financial Institutions 
• 2/5/2025- Referred to the Senate 
• 2/04/2025- Senate sponsor- Senator Zay 
• 2/4/2025- Third Reading passed; Roll Call 85: 
  • Yeas: 89 
  • Nays:0 

HB-1223: Tourism development projects 

• Status: 
• 2/3/2025- Amended, reported – Do Pass. Referred to Committee on Ways and Means pursuant to Rule 126.3. 
• 1/9/2025- Referred to House Government and Regulatory Reform 
• Will be redirected somewhere else 

HB-1226: Medicare supplement insurance 

• Status: 
• 2/18/2025- Referred to the Senate 
• 2/17/2025- Senate Sponsors: Senators Walter K and Qaddoura 
• 2/17/2025- Third Reading: Passed; Roll Call: 
  • Yeas: 94 
  • Nays: 0 
• 2/13/2025- Amendment #1 (Dant Chesser) prevailed; voice vote 

HB-1247: Prohibited food ingredients 

• Status: 
• 1/9/2025- Read first time and referred to Committee on Public Health 

HB-1296: Artificial intelligence and policies 

• Status: 
• 1/13/2025- Read first time and referred to Committee on Education 

HB-1347: Real estate matters 

• Status: 
• 2/18/2025- First Reading- Referred to Committee on Insurance and Financial Institutions 
• 1/29/2025- Referred to the Senate 
• 1/28/2025- Third reading: passed; Roll call 33: yeas 91, nays 1  

HB-1402: Local government finance 

• Status: 
• 1/13/2025- Referred to House Ways and Means 

HB-1408: Regional innovation development 

• Status: 
• 1/13/2025- Referred to House Ways and Means 

 You can find a copy of the 1si 2024 Advocacy Agenda by visiting https://1si.org/advocacy/ or downloading a PDF copy here.