Senate Rules Committee advances bill to eliminate dozens of boards, shift rulemaking and delay expirations to 2027

The State Senate Rules Committee unanimously approved House Bill 1,003 as amended, advancing a wide-ranging package that would repeal or consolidate dozens of state boards and change the state's rulemaking and building-code review process.

Chair Rob Bray opened the April hearing and said the committee would consider Amendment 19 before voting on the bill. Legislative counsel Ross summarized Amendment 19, saying it substantially reduced the bill's size (from roughly 440 pages to 322 in counsel's description) and reduced the number of sections (reported in the summary as 747 to 518). Ross said the amendment shifts the bill's approach from expiring boards to repealing them and moves key dates to July 1, 2027. He also noted changes in the building-code provisions and that building codes would remain published in the Indiana Administrative Code.

Sponsor Senator Maxwell told the committee the bill's goal is to "reduce government" and to eliminate 32 boards and commissions while merging others and transferring substantial duties to existing agencies so "services remain uninterrupted." Maxwell said the measure would codify a recent…