Committee approves allowing second‑class cities to hire corporation counsel from contiguous Indiana counties

Sen. Carrasco presented Senate Bill 524, a short statutory change intended to implement a recommendation from the Supreme Court–commissioned study on attorney shortages. The bill would allow a second‑class city to hire a corporation counsel who is resident in a contiguous Indiana county, expanding the pool of candidates for municipal law departments.

Advocates said the change is one small step among several aimed at addressing attorney shortages in rural and underserved parts of the state. Justin Forkner, chief administrative officer for the Indiana Supreme Court and co‑chair of the commission on Indiana’s legal future, testified that Indiana ranks near the bottom nationally in attorneys per capita and that the commission unanimously recommended measures to expand options for public‑sector legal staffing.

Committee members discussed clarifying language to ensure the provision references contiguous Indiana counties; the sponsor agreed to a technical amendment to make the residency clarification explicit. With the amendment agreed, the committee moved and passed the bill by roll call, 9‑0.

Roll call on the bill recorded aye votes from Jackson, Yoder, Taylor, Niemeyer, Behatchek, Dornell, Schmidt, Toms and Buck; the final tally announced was 9‑0. The committee will forward the amended bill for further consideration.