IPA Active in Legislative Session
By Tom Hohman and John Goss
The focus of IPA in the state legislature is usually related to budget bills, trying to increase funding for our state parks and nature preserves. This was not a budget year, and we expected it to be relatively quiet. We were wrong
HB 1003: The purpose of this bill, introduced by Rep. Bartels from Eckerty, was to eliminate a large number of state boards and commissions that Governor Braun feels are either obsolete, or not functioning well. The bill itself was huge, 345 pages when introduced, and eventually grew to 454 pages by the time it passed the House. As the bill was analyzed, conservationists were surprised to learn that the Natural Resources Commission (NRC), was included. The NRC has a reputation as an effective and important organization, providing a voice for those concerned about our state’s natural areas and wildlife.
IPA and other conservation organizations were united in opposition to elimination of the NRC. Efforts to remove it from the bill were unsuccessful in the House, but fared better in the Senate. The members of the Senate Rules and Legislative Procedure Committee, chaired by Sen. Bray of Martinsville, reacted to a deluge of emails and phone calls from constituents about the importance and effectiveness of the NRC, and removed it from the bill. This is proof that legislators do listen to constituents, even if we are not always happy with the final results. Thank you to all who called or emailed legislators about this bill.
After the amendment to remove the NRC, the bill then passed the Rules Committee and eventually both the Senate and House. It is expected to be signed by Governor Braun. Removal of the NRC from this bill was a win for open government and conservation in Indiana.
SB 67: The purpose of this bill, introduced by Sen. Yoder from Bloomington, was to require that the Department of Natural Resources conduct a formal study of the impact of natural lands on public health. While the importance of contact with nature on public health is understood intuitively by those of us who believe in natural areas, others are skeptical of it. It is important that someone study the research that is available and pull that research together in such a way as to make clear how this applies to Indiana. Doing so could go a long way to convince state leaders to invest in our natural areas. The idea for this bill was a direct outgrowth of the recommendations of the 2025 summer study committee on the value of public lands.
Conservation groups, including IPA, were united in support of this bill. It passed the Senate and was assigned to the Natural Resources Committee in the House. Unfortunately, the chair of that committee, Rep. Lindauer of Jasper, decided not to give the bill a hearing. That killed the bill for this session. This was a loss for our state parks, nature preserves and other natural areas in Indiana.
HB 1204: As introduced by Rep. Hall of Brown County, this bill would have allowed counties to decide to add $1 to state park gate fees for use by local emergency medical services. The bill passed the House and was assigned to the Senate Natural Resources Committee. This committee then expanded the scope to allow the additional fee to also be used for local roads and utilities.
Conservation groups split on this bill. IPA was originally neutral. While we were reluctant to see gate fees increased and those funds not go directly to cash-starved state parks, local emergency service providers do provide a critical service for those properties. However, once the scope was broadened we switched to full opposition, believing it had become an attempt to help fund local communities on the backs of park visitors. After passage by the Senate Natural Resources Committee, the bill was assigned to the Senate Appropriations Committee, chaired by Sen. Mishler from Mishawaka, due to its fiscal impact. That committee did not give the bill a hearing, killing it for this session. This was a win for our state parks, and future efforts to fund them adequately.
Thank you again to all who responded to our emails and social media post to let your legislators know that you value and support Indiana’s public lands.