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Committee holds unsafe-building bill after testimony from property owner and Indianapolis officials
Summary
Lawmakers paused action on Senate Bill 197 after extended testimony about code-enforcement practices, notice timelines, liens placed on tax bills and local appeals procedures; the bill's sponsor signaled willingness to work on fixes.
The House Judiciary Committee heard more than an hour of testimony on Senate Bill 197, a bill that would change how unsafe-building enforcement and civil penalties are administered; the committee elected to hold the bill for further work rather than vote.
Senator Greg Freeman, the bill sponsor, told committee members the current law allows a 10-day notice period and then permits municipalities to place civil penalties on a property owner's tax bill without a court hearing. "10 days notice, never seeing a judge, and then fining you on your property tax bill. I find those 3 things to be egregious," Freeman said, urging more time and a hearing mechanism.
The hearing included testimony from the affected property owner, Jim Trimble, who described…
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