KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to Indiana

SB187 • 2026

A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning environmental law.

A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning environmental law.

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Senator Mike Bohacek
Last action
2026-02-02
Official status
Senate Bill (H)
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on how much time a county fiscal body has to decide about borrowing requests, leaving this as an unknown.

Rules for Regional Water and Sewage Districts

This bill sets new rules for regional water, sewage, and solid waste districts in Indiana regarding when they need permission from local governments before making certain decisions or borrowing money.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the board of trustees to notify the district authority in writing before taking certain actions.
  • A trustee can be removed at any time by the person who appointed them.
  • Prohibits new regional water, sewage, or solid waste districts from borrowing money without permission from their county's fiscal body after June 30, 2026.
  • If a district covers more than one county and is created after June 30, 2026, it needs approval from each county before borrowing money.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Regional water, sewage, and solid waste districts in Indiana
  • County fiscal bodies

Terms To Know

board of trustees
A group of people who make decisions for a regional district.
county fiscal body
The local government in charge of managing money and finances for the county.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not specify what happens to districts created before June 30, 2026.
  • Does not provide details on how much time a county fiscal body has to decide about borrowing requests.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

SB0187.01.INTR.AMS01

Committee Introduced Senate Bill (S) • Senator Rick Niemeyer

Filed

Plain English: This amendment does not provide specific details about changes to the Indiana Code concerning environmental law.

  • The official text of the amendment does not specify any concrete changes or updates to the bill, making it unclear what modifications are intended.
SB0187.02.COMS.AMS03

Committee Senate Bill (S) • Senator Scott Baldwin

Filed

Plain English: This amendment would add new requirements for regional water, sewage, and solid waste districts in Indiana.

  • Adds a new section to the Indiana Code that requires regional water, sewage, and solid waste districts to follow certain guidelines.
  • The specific details of what these guidelines are or how they will affect existing operations are not provided in the amendment text.
  • It is unclear which current sections of the Indiana Code this new section would interact with or modify.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-02 House

    Representative Jordan added as cosponsor

  2. 2026-02-02 House

    Representative Pressel removed as sponsor

  3. 2026-02-02 House

    Representative Jordan removed as cosponsor

  4. 2026-02-02 House

    Representative Jordan added as sponsor

  5. 2026-01-29 House

    Representative Jordan removed as sponsor

  6. 2026-01-29 House

    Representative Pressel added as sponsor

  7. 2026-01-28 House

    First reading: referred to Committee on Environmental Affairs

  8. 2026-01-27 Senate

    Referred to the House

  9. 2026-01-26 Senate

    Third reading: passed; Roll Call 76: yeas 44, nays 0

  10. 2026-01-26 Senate

    House sponsor: Representative Jordan

  11. 2026-01-26 Senate

    Cosponsor: Representative Teshka

  12. 2026-01-26 Senate

    Senator Young M added as third author

  13. 2026-01-22 Senate

    Second reading: ordered engrossed

  14. 2026-01-20 Senate

    Committee report: amend do pass, adopted

  15. 2026-01-14 Senate

    Senator Baldwin added as second author

  16. 2026-01-13 Senate

    Committee report: amend do pass adopted; reassigned to Committee on Tax and Fiscal Policy

  17. 2026-01-06 Senate

    Authored by Senator Bohacek

  18. 2026-01-06 Senate

    First reading: referred to Committee on Environmental Affairs

Official Summary Text

A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning environmental law.
Regional sewer districts.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning environmental law.

Regional sewer districts.

Specifies that a board of trustees of a regional water, sewage, or solid waste district (board) must notify the district authority in writing before taking certain actions. Provides that a trustee appointed to a board serves at the pleasure of the appointing authority. Prohibits a regional water, sewage, or solid waste district (district) created after June 30, 2026, from incurring any indebtedness without first obtaining the approval of the county fiscal body.
Specifies that if a district created after June 30, 2026, contains territory in more than one county, the district must first obtain the approval of each county fiscal body in which the district contains territory before incurring any indebtedness. Establishes a timeline for the county fiscal body to approve or deny a district's request to incur indebtedness.