Cap on assessed valuation increases for homesteads. Limits the annual increase in assessed value of a homestead to the lesser of: (1) 3%; or (2) the change in the Consumer Price Index; unless ownership of the homestead changes during the year or the increase results from physical changes to the homestead.

Various criminal law matters. Makes it organized retail theft, a Level 6 felony, for a person to exercise unauthorized control over the property of a retail merchant with the intent to directly or indirectly distribute the property for resale, and increases the penalty to a Level 5 felony if certain circumstances exist. Permits a person to petition for expungement of an arrest if no charges have been filed within one year of the arrest. (Under current law, the arrest is expunged without a petition after 180 days.) Requires a court, in granting a petition for expungement, to include in the order statutory language specifying that the person's civil rights are restored. Allows disclosure of expunged records to a school in connection with the employment of a person likely to have contact with a student. Specifies that an expunged record may not be destroyed or deleted. Repeals the requirement that certain acts taken by a prosecuting attorney are invalid without a seal. Makes conforming amendments and a technical correction.

Material harmful to a minor. Removes the defense to prosecution for dissemination of matter or conducting a performance harmful to minors that the matter was disseminated or displayed to or that the performance was performed before the recipient by a bona fide school, museum, or public library that qualifies for certain property tax exemptions, or by an employee of such a school, museum, or public library acting within the scope of the employee's employment.

Removal of access fees to vehicle owner data base. Provides that a storage yard or towing service that conducts a search of the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System or an equivalent and commonly available data base may not be charged a fee by the bureau of motor vehicles to access the data base.

Cannabis. Establishes a procedure for the lawful production and sale of cannabis in Indiana. Makes conforming amendments. Makes an appropriation.

Public defender participation in PARF. Adds a person who serves in one of the following positions on or after January 1, 2014, to the prosecuting attorneys retirement fund (PARF): (1) The state public defender or the second highest paid staff person employed by the state public defender. (2) The executive director of the public defender council of Indiana or the second highest paid staff person employed by the public defender council of Indiana. (3) The highest paid or the second highest paid staff person employed by the Indiana public defender commission. (4) A chief public defender or chief deputy public defender. Allows staff attorneys of the prosecuting attorneys council of Indiana employed on or after January 1, 2012, to participate in PARF. Changes the name of the prosecuting attorneys retirement fund to the prosecuting attorneys and public defenders retirement fund. Provides that after a participant has contributed to PARF for 22 years, the state or county shall pay the contributions to the fund for the participant. Provides that the computation of benefits is based in part on the highest salary that was paid to the participant before separation from service. Provides that 1% shall be added to the percentage used to calculate benefits for each year of service after 22 years. Provides that a reduced annual retirement benefit equals the benefit that would be payable if the participant were 65 years of age reduced by 0.10% for each month before the participant's sixty-fifth birthday. Allows a participant to receive service credit in PARF for more than one year and less than 10 years of service received by the participant in the public employees' retirement fund under certain conditions. Provides for the calculation of an offset of PARF benefits payable to a participant from a participant's public employees' retirement fund benefits based on the concurrent service and wages the participant earned in both the public employees' retirement fund and PARF. Makes corresponding changes.

Landlord-tenant relations concerning bed bugs. Requires a tenant to inform the landlord if the tenant reasonably suspects the presence of bed bugs. Requires the landlord to have the dwelling unit inspected by a qualified inspector. Requires the landlord, after receipt of the inspection report, to inform the tenant whether the dwelling unit contains bed bugs. Requires the landlord to begin reasonable measures to treat the bed bug presence if an inspection indicates the presence of bed bugs. Establishes responsibilities for the tenant and landlord concerning notice, access, and costs. Allows the state chemist to adopt rules concerning certain matters. Requires the state chemist to establish requirements for the certification of a bed bug inspector. Defines certain terms.

Watershed development commissions. Provides that the executives of one or more counties may adopt ordinances designating their counties as members of a proposed watershed development commission and that the proposed watershed development commission is established as a legal entity with the counties as its members if it is recognized by the natural resources commission. Allows a watershed development commission to be established for certain flood damage reduction, drainage, storm water management, recreation, and water infrastructure purposes, but provides that "water infrastructure purposes" excludes any drinking water project in a county or municipality. Requires the natural resources commission, in deciding whether to recognize a proposed watershed development commission, to answer certain questions. Provides that a nonmember county may become a member of an established watershed development commission if its membership is accepted by the member counties and recognized by the natural resources commission. Requires the department of natural resources (department), with the approval of the natural resources commission, to certify the area of a member county that is within a watershed development commission's designated watershed. Provides that a watershed development commission may also have water quality purposes if its board develops a water quality improvement plan that is approved by the natural resources commission. Specifies that a water quality purpose, goal, project, or interstate agreement does not convey water quality regulatory authority to a watershed development commission. Provides for a watershed development commission to be governed by a board that includes: (1) the director of the department or the director's designee; (2) the county surveyor of each county that is a member of the commission and is entitled to membership on the board; (3) an individual other than the county surveyor representing each county that is a member of the commission and is entitled to membership on the board; and (4) either: (A) one individual appointed to represent each second class city that is located in a participating county and within the designated watershed of the watershed development commission; or (B) if a participating county does not include a second class city that is located within the designated watershed of the watershed development commission, one individual appointed to represent the municipality that has the largest population of all municipalities that are located in the participating county and within the designated watershed of the watershed development commission. Requires a watershed development commission to develop a flood damage reduction and drainage plan for its designated watershed. Grants a watershed development commission exclusive authority to perform drainage and flood damage reduction activities within the channel of the river that is the surface water outlet of its designated watershed. Authorizes a watershed development commission to enter into an interlocal cooperation agreement with an existing local governmental authority to apportion flood damage reduction authority and financial support between the two entities. Provides for the funding of a watershed development commission through an annual special assessment that may be imposed against each taxable parcel of real property located: (1) in a member county; and (2) within the designated watershed of the watershed development commission. Establishes maximum assessment levels and allows the board of a watershed development commission to reduce the special assessment to lower levels. Authorizes a member county to adopt any of three alternative methods of funding the watershed development commission. Prohibits the use of money collected from a special assessment for highway bridge repairs or reconstruction. Authorizes a watershed development commission to give preference to an Indiana business over an out-of-state business in contracting for public works. Establishes a procedure under which the Maumee River basin commission, the St. Joseph River basin commission, or the Upper Wabash River basin commission may be transformed into a watershed development commission. Provides that if the St. Joseph River basin commission is transformed into a watershed development commission, the members of the St. Joseph River basin commission become the first members of the St. Joseph River watershed development commission's advisory committee.

New markets tax credit. Establishes the Indiana new markets tax credit (credit) for certain qualified equity investments. Provides that the total amount of the credit over the seven year credit allowance period is equal to: (1) 42%, multiplied by; (2) the purchase price paid to the qualified community development entity for the qualified equity investment. Establishes a procedure for a qualified community development entity to apply to the Indiana economic development corporation (IEDC) for qualified equity investment authority in a qualified active low income community business with principal business operations in Indiana under the rural allocation or the statewide allocation. Requires a qualified community development entity to pay a nonrefundable application fee of $5,000 to the IEDC. Provides that the credit is subject to recapture. Allows the IEDC to issue letter rulings requested by taxpayers, similar to private letter rulings issued by the Internal Revenue Service at the federal level, and adopt rules regarding the credit. Requires each qualified community development entity to submit an annual report to the IEDC regarding qualified low income community investments made by the qualified community development entity.

Acquisition of STEM learning technology. Requires the department of education (department) to purchase the licensing to a three-dimensional game-based learning platform that meets certain criteria. Makes an appropriation to the department to purchase the licensing.

Employment of individuals with a disability. Establishes a tax credit for an eligible taxpayer that employs certain individuals with a disability. Provides for calculation of the amount of the tax credit. Requires the taxpayer to submit information to the department of state revenue to claim the credit.

Secured school safety grants. Specifies that an educational service center may receive a grant from the Indiana safe schools fund. Increases the secured school safety matched grant amount that may be awarded to a school corporation, charter school, or accredited nonpublic school. Provides that a school corporation, charter school, or accredited nonpublic school that is awarded a secured school safety matching grant may apportion that grant to an educational service center or career and technical education school for certain purposes.

Charter school matters. Provides all charter schools access to loans through the Indiana bond bank. Requires a county auditor to distribute a portion of revenue received from a school corporation's operations fund property tax levy to each: (1) charter school in which students who receive not more than 50% virtual instruction and who have legal settlement in the school corporation attend; and (2) transferee school corporation that a transferred student who has legal settlement in the school corporation attends. Phases in the distributions over three years. Provides that, for a resolution to adopt a school operating referendum tax levy adopted after June 30, 2023, a county auditor must distribute a portion of revenue received from the levy or school safety referendum tax levy to each transferee school corporation and charter school in which students who receive not more than 50% virtual instruction and who have legal settlement in the school corporation attend. Provides that if a charter school receives a distribution from a school corporation from a school operating referendum tax levy or a school safety referendum tax levy, the charter school must post certain information on the charter school's website. Provides that a charter school or transferee school corporation that may receive money from a school operating referendum tax levy or a school safety referendum tax levy may not promote a position on a referendum, in the same manner as a school corporation is prohibited from promoting a position on a referendum. Provides that the maximum length of a charter is 15 years. (Current law provides that the maximum length of a charter is seven years.) Amends the definition of "school building construction program" to: (1) include the purchase, lease, or financing of land, the construction and equipping of school buildings, and the remodeling, repairing, or improving of school buildings by a charter school; and (2) replace "adjusted assessed valuation" with "assessed valuation" with regard to school corporation eligibility for an advance from the common school fund. Establishes the public school options program and fund. Provides that a charter school (excluding a virtual charter school or adult high school) may receive an advance from the common school fund if the charter school's authorizer approves the application. Provides that the state board of education shall repay a charter school's advance from proceeds in the public school options fund. Provides that the department of state revenue shall make a distribution from the state retail and use tax that it collects to the public school options fund. Makes conforming amendments. Makes a technical correction.

Possession of pepper spray on campus. Provides that state educational institutions may not adopt regulations that prohibit students, faculty, employees, and others on the educational institution's property from carrying pepper spray.

Vehicle Bill. None