The bipartisan bill
passed the Indiana House today on a 97-0 vote. SB 319 did not receive any
negative votes in either house, which clearly indicates that the factors need to
be further evaluated by the Department of Local Government Finance. SB 319 now
goes to the governor for his signature.
Particular thanks
go to Sens. Jean Leasing, Greg Walker, and John Waterman, who authored the bill,
and the House sponsor and co-sponsor, Reps. Don Lehe and Bob Cherry, as well as
the dozens of representatives and senators who signed on to the bill. Farm
Bureau also thanks House Speaker Brian Bosma and Senate President Pro Tem David
Long for fast-tracking SB 319 that will allow it to be enacted before the March
1, 2013, assessment date.
The bill will retain the long-standing soil
productivity factors for the 2013 assessment (pay 2014) of farmland. It also
directs the Department of Local Government Finance, in cooperation with the
Purdue College of Agriculture, to develop and submit to the General Assembly
recommendations and justifications for any proposed changes in the methodology
used to establish soil productivity factors that adjust the base value of
farmland.
According to the
bipartisan Legislative Services Agency, SB 319 will save Indiana farmers from
paying an additional $57.4 million next year and each year
thereafter.
