We're Building A Better Tri-State Together
WNIN
Here and Now
WNIN
Here and Now
Next Up: 3:00 PM All Things Considered
0:00
0:00
Here and Now
WNIN
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Weekly Statehouse update: Property tax debate, improving energy transmission, farmer online portal

The northwestern exterior of the Indiana Statehouse, at night.
Brandon Smith
/
IPB News
The 2025 session of the Indiana General Assembly must finish no later than April 29.

A House committee kicks off second-half debate on property tax reform. Legislation aims to help improve energy transmission. And a bill to create an online portal for Hoosier farmers nears the governor’s desk.

Here’s what you might have missed this week at the Statehouse.

SB 1: Property tax relief

Debate on major property tax reform legislation, SB 1, started the second half of session much like it ended the first: Gov. Mike Braun said broad relief for homeowners should be the top priority, while local government and school leaders said significant cuts will blow huge holes in their budgets.

SB 422: Advanced transmission technologies

There’s so much proposed wind and solar energy that there’s not enough power lines to get it where it needs to go. And building out new transmission is expensive. A House committee-approved bill, SB 422, requires utilities to consider “advanced transmission technologies” in their long-term plans — tech that can be added to things like power lines to make them more efficient and reduce congestion.

Join the conversation and sign up for our weekly text group: the Indiana Two-Way. Your comments and questions help us find the answers you need on statewide issues, including our project Civically, Indiana and our 2025 bill tracker.

HB 1149: Agricultural online portal

And a Senate committee unanimously approved a bill, HB 1149, that tasks the Indiana State Department of Agriculture with building an online portal for Hoosier farmers. Farmers would be able to search for necessary government information and learn about state and federal funding opportunities.

Find all the measures we're covering this legislative session on our 2025 bill tracker.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

Brandon Smith has covered the Statehouse for Indiana Public Broadcasting for more than a decade, spanning three governors and a dozen legislative sessions. He's also the host of Indiana Week in Review, a weekly political and policy discussion program seen and heard across the state. He previously worked at KBIA in Columbia, Missouri and WSPY in Plano, Illinois. His first job in radio was in another state capitol - Jefferson City, Missouri - as a reporter for three stations around the Show-Me State.