---
type: "Bill"
title: "Indemnity agreements in public works contracts."
description: "Provides that a statute that invalidates indemnity agreements in construction contracts relating to providing certain professional services is applicable to such contracts relating to public works projects. Provides that a specified chapter does not apply to: (1) projects covered by INDOT's contractor qualification statute; or (2) a project that is the construction, improvement, alteration, repair, or maintenance of a highway, street, or road. Provides that a BOT agreement may provide for the transfer of a public facility to a governmental body by means of a lease or an installment contract. Defines certain terms."
jurisdiction: "us/states/in"
legislature: "Indiana General Assembly"
session: "2021"
identifier: "SB 304"
citation: "Indiana SB 304 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["PUBLIC CONTRACTS", "PUBLIC WORKS AND IMPROVEMENTS; PUBLIC BUILDINGS; PUBLIC PROPERTY"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Eric Koch", "Jerry Torr", "Mark Messmer"]
version_count: 6
action_count: 24
vote_count: 1
first_action: "2021-01-14"
last_action: "2021-04-29"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/16bef82a-58ec-4e5a-9ad5-518a350935dd"
source_url: "http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2021/bills/senate/304"
source_hash: "ba15c676a2305f6e9e9ec17df946f4525d2877f03670f1df78c8611ebd494c2c"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-in"]
---

# Indiana SB 304 (2021) — Indemnity agreements in public works contracts.

Provides that a statute that invalidates indemnity agreements in construction contracts relating to providing certain professional services is applicable to such contracts relating to public works projects. Provides that a specified chapter does not apply to: (1) projects covered by INDOT's contractor qualification statute; or (2) a project that is the construction, improvement, alteration, repair, or maintenance of a highway, street, or road. Provides that a BOT agreement may provide for the transfer of a public facility to a governmental body by means of a lease or an installment contract. Defines certain terms.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Engrossed Senate Bill (H)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://in-proxy.openstates.org/2021/bills/SB0304/versions/SB0304.05.ENGH)
2. **Engrossed Senate Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://in-proxy.openstates.org/2021/bills/SB0304/versions/SB0304.03.ENGS)
3. **Enrolled Senate Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://in-proxy.openstates.org/2021/bills/SB0304/versions/SB0304.06.ENRH)
4. **Introduced Senate Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://in-proxy.openstates.org/2021/bills/SB0304/versions/SB0304.01.INTR)
5. **Senate Bill (H)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://in-proxy.openstates.org/2021/bills/SB0304/versions/SB0304.04.COMH)
6. **Senate Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://in-proxy.openstates.org/2021/bills/SB0304/versions/SB0304.02.COMS)

## Votes

- SB 304 - Messmer - 3rd Reading — **47–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Eric Koch — primary (person)
- Jerry Torr — primary (person)
- Mark Messmer — primary (person)
- James Buck — coauthor (person)
- Lonnie Randolph — coauthor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2021-01-14** Authored by Senator Messmer
- **2021-01-14** First reading: referred to Committee on Judiciary `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2021-02-04** Senator Koch added as second author
- **2021-02-04** Senator Randolph added as coauthor
- **2021-02-04** Committee report: amend do pass, adopted `committee-passage`
- **2021-02-08** Amendment #1 (Messmer) prevailed; voice vote `amendment-failure, amendment-passage`
- **2021-02-08** Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed `reading-2`
- **2021-02-09** Senator Buck added as coauthor
- **2021-02-09** House sponsor: Representative Torr
- **2021-02-09** Third reading: passed; Roll Call 89: yeas 47, nays 0 `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-02-10** Referred to the House
- **2021-03-02** First reading: referred to Committee on Judiciary `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2021-03-25** Committee report: do pass, adopted `committee-passage`
- **2021-04-01** Amendment #1 (Bartels) prevailed; voice vote `amendment-failure, amendment-passage`
- **2021-04-01** Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed `reading-2`
- **2021-04-05** Third reading: passed; Roll Call 353: yeas 89, nays 6 `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-04-06** Returned to the Senate with amendments `amendment-failure`
- **2021-04-06** Motion to concur filed
- **2021-04-08** Senate concurred in House amendments; Roll Call 374: yeas 47, nays 0 `amendment-failure`
- **2021-04-12** Signed by the President Pro Tempore
- **2021-04-13** Signed by the Speaker
- **2021-04-28** Signed by the President of the Senate
- **2021-04-29** Signed by the Governor `executive-signature`
- **2021-04-29** Public Law 149

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/16bef82a-58ec-4e5a-9ad5-518a350935dd`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Indiana legislature records).