Budget & Taxes

Creates uniform food and beverage tax authorization provisions for cities and counties that are not required or authorized to impose a food and beverage tax under any other food and beverage tax enabling statute. Specifies the food and beverage tax adoption procedure, maximum food and beverage tax rate, uses of revenue from a food and beverage tax, and the duration of the food and beverage tax.

Establishes the hunger-free campus grant program (grant program) to provide grants to state educational institutions for purposes of addressing food insecurity among students enrolled in state educational institutions. Provides that the commission for higher education (commission) shall provide a grant under the grant program to a state educational institution if at least one campus is designated by the commission as a hunger-free campus. Establishes criteria that a campus of a state educational institution must meet in order to be designated as a hunger-free campus. Makes an appropriation.

Freezes an individual's property tax liability attributable to the individual's homestead based on the date on which the individual acquired an ownership interest in the homestead.

Amends the Indiana Constitution to permit the general assembly to enact provisions to allow units of local government to reduce the homestead property tax cap that is applied to the unit of local government's property tax levy within its taxing jurisdiction. Eliminates obsolete provisions. This proposed amendment has not been previously agreed to by a general assembly.

Establishes the housing down payment assistance fund. Establishes a transfer tax equal to 50% of the fair market value of a single family residence for each single family residence acquired by an applicable taxpayer after the applicable date. Establishes a maximum number of single family residences that may be owned by an applicable taxpayer after the applicable date for purposes of calculating an annual excise tax on any excess single family residences.

Creates a uniform municipal innkeeper's tax that may be imposed at a flat rate that does not exceed $5 per night and includes provisions similar to the uniform county innkeeper's tax. Makes corresponding changes to statutes concerning innkeeper's tax administration.

Provides that the horse racing commission may issue three satellite facility licenses (instead of four per permit holder under current law). Requires Allen County, DeKalb County, and Steuben County to place a public question on the 2026 general election ballot that seeks approval from the voters to permit inland casino gambling. Authorizes the Indiana gaming commission (commission) to award a new riverboat license for an inland casino in Allen County, DeKalb County, or Steuben County. Prohibits the commission from awarding an owner's license to operate a casino in Allen County, DeKalb County, or Steuben County if the voters of the county do not approve casino gaming in the county. Specifies application requirements, including local government support and the applicant's commitment and plan to invest at least $500,000,000 for the development of a casino and nongaming amenities. Requires an approved applicant to pay $150,000,000 to the commission to be deposited by the commission as follows: (1) $100,000,000 to the state general fund; and (2) $50,000,000 to the shuttered riverboat fund to be used for local units that are affected by a shuttered riverboat or inland casino closure. Provides that if a licensed owner ceases operations or goes out of business, the license issued under this section is terminated effective on that date.

Requires the Indiana department of transportation to take action necessary to construct one or more additional lanes of traffic across Indiana for: (1) eastbound; and (2) westbound; Interstate Highway 70 in areas of Interstate Highway 70 where there are four lanes of traffic. Makes an appropriation.

Amends the appropriation from the financial responsibility and opportunity growth fund (fund) for the state budget biennium in HEA 1001-2025 to require the total amount appropriated from the fund to be used for funding the Child Care and Development Fund voucher program and On My Way Pre-K programmatic funding and for no other purpose.

Provides that a transaction involving the sale of utility service, as reflected in the total amount billed by a utility in a customer bill that is issued after December 31, 2026, is exempt from the state gross retail tax. Provides that this exemption applies to: (1) the sale of electric, natural gas, water, or wastewater service; and (2) a customer bill issued by a utility after December 31, 2026, regardless of whether the bill includes any fees or charges for utility service provided to the customer before January 1, 2027. Repeals the sales and use tax exemption for certain data centers enacted in the 2025 session in HEA 1601. Provides that after March 14, 2026, the Indiana utility regulatory commission (IURC) may not issue a final order in a base rate case filed by an electricity supplier if the final order, once fully implemented, would result in an average increase of 3% or greater in the total monthly bill of a residential customer of the electricity supplier. Specifies that a municipality includes a consolidated city for purposes of the existing statute authorizing a municipality to purchase, condemn, and operate a utility in the municipality for the purpose of providing utility service to the municipality or the public: (1) without the consent of the IURC; and (2) even if a public utility is engaged in a similar service in the municipality. Provides that the existing statute prohibiting a municipality, public utility, or rural electric membership corporation from bringing an action against a public utility for the condemnation of the public utility's electric utility property does not apply to a municipality that seeks to purchase the electric utility property of a public utility for use of the property in providing electric utility service if: (1) the municipality and the public utility are unable to agree upon a price to be paid for the electric utility property; and (2) the municipality by ordinance declares that a public necessity exists for the condemnation of the electric utility property. Provides that a municipality that adopts such an ordinance may: (1) bring an action in the circuit or superior court of the county where the municipality is located against the public utility for the condemnation of the electric utility property; and (2) exercise the power of eminent domain in accordance with the existing eminent domain statute. Prohibits the IURC from issuing before July 1, 2028, a final order in a base rate case filed by an electricity supplier with the IURC, regardless of the date of filing of the electricity supplier's base rate case with the IURC. Provides that this provision expires July 1, 2028. Provides that existing law providing that the rates and charges of a municipally owned utility may include a reasonable return on the utility plant of the municipality if the legislative body of the municipality so elects does not apply to rates and charges established or amended by a municipal legislative body after March 14, 2026.