Indiana 2025 Regular Session Status: Enacted Bipartisan · 22 R · 2 D cosponsors

SB 4 — Water matters.

Last action — Public Law 99

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. ✓
    Passed Senate
  4. ✓
    Passed House
  5. ✓
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced January 14, 2025. Enacted.

Signed by Governor Mike Braun (Republican) on April 22, 2025.

Odds of enactment

High chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a high chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 78% · moderate confidence

  • Enacted

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 24 sponsors

    4 primary, 20 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (22 R · 2 D) — cross-party backing.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Summary

Prohibits a water utility from constructing a long haul water pipeline unless the water utility first obtains a certificate of public convenience and necessity (CPCN) from the Indiana utility regulatory commission (IURC). Sets forth specified information that an application for a CPCN must include. Sets forth specified findings that the IURC must make before granting a CPCN. Sets forth conditions under which a water utility may recover through rates the actual costs the water utility incurs in reliance on a CPCN issued by the IURC. Provides that a person that transfers, sells, or leases a long haul water pipeline must provide written notice to the IURC of the transfer, sale, or lease not later than 60 days after the transfer, sale, or lease is finalized. Prohibits a person that transfers or proposes to transfer: (1) more than an annual average of 30,000,000 gallons of water per day out of a basin; or (2) water from a restricted use area; from transferring water out of a basin, or supplying water to another person that the person knows will transfer more than 100,000 gallons of water out of a basin, without first obtaining a transfer permit from the department of natural resources (department). Sets forth specified information that must be included in an application for a transfer permit. Provides that a transfer permit is required for an existing or ongoing interbasin transfer (as of July 1, 2025) if the existing or ongoing transfer exceeds the capacity of any system engaged in the interbasin transfer in any 90 day period. Provides that the department shall approve an application for a permit if the department determines that the transfer: (1) will not result in a perennial overdraft of a ground water resource or in a perennial stream flow depletion; and (2) is in the public interest, as described in the Indiana Code section concerning beneficial uses of Indiana's surface water resources. Provides that a transfer permit: (1) does not expire; and (2) may be renewed, revoked, suspended, or modified in certain circumstances. Provides that the department may assess a civil penalty for violations of these provisions.

Bill Text

We don't have the full text on file for this bill yet.

Read SB 4 on the official Indiana source →

Action History

  1. Public Law 99

  2. Signed by the Governor

  3. Signed by the President of the Senate

  4. Signed by the Speaker

  5. Signed by the President Pro Tempore

  6. Senate concurred with House amendments; Roll Call 369: yeas 45, nays 2

  7. Motion to concur filed

  8. Returned to the Senate with amendments

  9. Representative Hall added as cosponsor

  10. Third reading: passed; Roll Call 339: yeas 93, nays 0

  11. Representative Shonkwiler added as cosponsor

  12. Amendment #1 (Pierce M) failed; Roll Call 324: yeas 27, nays 66

  13. Amendment #2 (Campbell) failed; Roll Call 325: yeas 25, nays 66

  14. Second reading: ordered engrossed

  15. Committee report: amend do pass, adopted

  16. First reading: referred to Committee on Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications

  17. Referred to the House

  18. Senator Buchanan added as coauthor

  19. House sponsor: Representative Soliday

  20. Third reading: passed; Roll Call 65: yeas 48, nays 0

  21. Senator Schmitt added as coauthor

  22. Amendment #1 (Deery) prevailed; voice vote

  23. Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed

  24. Committee report: amend do pass, adopted

  25. Senators Becker, Bohacek, Dernulc, Donato, Gaskill, Rogers, Holdman, Tomes added as coauthors

  26. Senators Carrasco and Bassler added as coauthors

  27. Senators Charbonneau, Goode, Doriot added as coauthors

  28. Senator Garten added as second author

  29. Senator Glick added as third author

  30. Senator Alting added as coauthor

  31. Senator Ford J.D. added as coauthor

  32. Senator Hunley added as coauthor

  33. First reading: referred to Committee on Utilities

  34. Authored by Senator Koch

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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4 sponsors · 20 co-sponsors · 126 not signed on

Sponsors (4)

Co-sponsors (20)

Not signed on (126)

126 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 126 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

environment
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does SB 4 do?
Prohibits a water utility from constructing a long haul water pipeline unless the water utility first obtains a certificate of public convenience and necessity (CPCN) from the Indiana utility regulatory commission (IURC). Sets forth specified information that an application for a CPCN must include. Sets forth specified findings that the IURC must make before granting a CPCN. Sets forth conditions under which a water utility may recover through rates the actual costs the water utility incurs in reliance on a CPCN issued by the IURC. Provides that a person that transfers, sells, or leases a long haul water pipeline must provide written notice to the IURC of the transfer, sale, or lease not later than 60 days after the transfer, sale, or lease is finalized. Prohibits a person that transfers or proposes to transfer: (1) more than an annual average of 30,000,000 gallons of water per day out of a basin; or (2) water from a restricted use area; from transferring water out of a basin, or supplying water to another person that the person knows will transfer more than 100,000 gallons of water out of a basin, without first obtaining a transfer permit from the department of natural resources (department). Sets forth specified information that must be included in an application for a transfer permit. Provides that a transfer permit is required for an existing or ongoing interbasin transfer (as of July 1, 2025) if the existing or ongoing transfer exceeds the capacity of any system engaged in the interbasin transfer in any 90 day period. Provides that the department shall approve an application for a permit if the department determines that the transfer: (1) will not result in a perennial overdraft of a ground water resource or in a perennial stream flow depletion; and (2) is in the public interest, as described in the Indiana Code section concerning beneficial uses of Indiana's surface water resources. Provides that a transfer permit: (1) does not expire; and (2) may be renewed, revoked, suspended, or modified in certain circumstances. Provides that the department may assess a civil penalty for violations of these provisions.
Who sponsors SB 4?
SB 4 is sponsored by Dave Hall (Republican), Alaina Shonkwiler (Republican), Edmond Soliday (Republican), Brian Buchanan (Republican), Daryl Schmitt (Republican), Eric Bassler (Republican), Cyndi Carrasco (Republican), James Tomes (Republican), Travis Holdman (Republican), Linda Rogers (Republican), Mike Gaskill (Republican), Stacey Donato (Republican), Dan Dernulc (Republican), Mike Bohacek (Republican), Vaneta Becker (Republican), Blake Doriot (Republican), Greg Goode (Republican), Ed Charbonneau (Republican), Ron Alting (Republican), Andrea Hunley (Democrat), J.D. Ford (Democrat), Susan Glick (Republican), Chris Garten (Republican), and Eric Koch (Republican).
What is the current status of SB 4?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced January 14, 2025. Enacted.
Where can I track SB 4?
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