republic-os/legislation/us/states/in/2024/sb-179.md

type, title, description, jurisdiction, legislature, session, identifier, citation, classification, subjects, status, primary_sponsors, version_count, action_count, vote_count, first_action, last_action, source, source_identifier, source_url, source_hash, vintage, source_snapshot, retrieved_at, confidence, tags

type	title	description	jurisdiction	legislature	session	identifier	citation	classification	subjects	status	primary_sponsors	version_count	action_count	vote_count	first_action	last_action	source	source_identifier	source_url	source_hash	vintage	source_snapshot	retrieved_at	confidence	tags
Bill	Commission on court appointed attorneys.	Requires the justice reinvestment advisory council (council) to conduct a study on criminal indigency determinations by all Indiana trial courts. Requires the council to submit a report containing recommendations on specified topics to the legislative council before July 1, 2025. Changes the name of the Indiana public defender commission to the Indiana commission on court appointed attorneys (commission). Provides that from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2029, certain counties may be reimbursed for 40% of indigent defense services provided for misdemeanors in a superior or circuit court. (Current law excludes misdemeanors from reimbursement.) Requires the commission to submit a report to the legislative council and the budget committee not later than December 1, 2029, concerning the 40% reimbursement for indigent defense services provided for misdemeanors. Requires each clerk of the court to make an annual report to the commission concerning certain fees. Changes the distribution of fees for indigent defendant representation. Increases certain fees if a court finds a person is able to pay the cost of representation by counsel. Prohibits the commission from: (1) receiving additional appropriations from the general assembly for misdemeanor reimbursement; or (2) reimbursing certain counties for misdemeanor reimbursement; before July 1, 2029. Provides that each court in certain counties receiving reimbursement from the public defense fund shall require a person claiming indigency to submit a uniform form, prescribed by the office of judicial administration, to assist the court in determining whether the person is indigent. Specifies that such courts shall review or designate a staff member to review the form submitted to ensure accuracy of the information contained in the form. Allows such a court to request any additional information needed from the person to verify the accuracy of the information submitted in the form.	us/states/in	Indiana General Assembly	2024	SB 179	Indiana SB 179 (2024)	bill	AGENCIES; Commission on Court Appointed Attorneys COURTS; Generally CRIMINAL LAW AND PROCEDURE; Generally GENERAL ASSEMBLY; Legislative Council PUBLIC DEFENDER; Generally SOCIAL SERVICES; Generally STATE GOVERNMENT; State and Local Funding	enacted	Eric Koch Liz Brown Susan Glick Wendy McNamara	4	33	4	2024-01-09	2024-03-13	openstates	ocd-bill/1aae1c0a-0a54-43a2-ab4d-53afaa60254e	https://api.iga.in.gov/2024/bills/sb0179	2e1a8dfe308b54b1c3eacda8be5c9a6582a3981d98d550b3d1e27ba574239699	2026-07-01	https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump	2026-07-06	reported	legislation bill us-in

Indiana SB 179 (2024) — Commission on court appointed attorneys.

Requires the justice reinvestment advisory council (council) to conduct a study on criminal indigency determinations by all Indiana trial courts. Requires the council to submit a report containing recommendations on specified topics to the legislative council before July 1, 2025. Changes the name of the Indiana public defender commission to the Indiana commission on court appointed attorneys (commission). Provides that from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2029, certain counties may be reimbursed for 40% of indigent defense services provided for misdemeanors in a superior or circuit court. (Current law excludes misdemeanors from reimbursement.) Requires the commission to submit a report to the legislative council and the budget committee not later than December 1, 2029, concerning the 40% reimbursement for indigent defense services provided for misdemeanors. Requires each clerk of the court to make an annual report to the commission concerning certain fees. Changes the distribution of fees for indigent defendant representation. Increases certain fees if a court finds a person is able to pay the cost of representation by counsel. Prohibits the commission from: (1) receiving additional appropriations from the general assembly for misdemeanor reimbursement; or (2) reimbursing certain counties for misdemeanor reimbursement; before July 1, 2029. Provides that each court in certain counties receiving reimbursement from the public defense fund shall require a person claiming indigency to submit a uniform form, prescribed by the office of judicial administration, to assist the court in determining whether the person is indigent. Specifies that such courts shall review or designate a staff member to review the form submitted to ensure accuracy of the information contained in the form. Allows such a court to request any additional information needed from the person to verify the accuracy of the information submitted in the form.

Version chain

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

1. Enrolled Senate Bill (S) (committee substitute) — source
2. Introduced Senate Bill (S) (committee substitute) — source
3. Senate Bill (H) (committee substitute) — source
4. Senate Bill (S) (committee substitute) — source

Votes

• SB 179 - Koch — 35–13 (pass) · upper
• SB 179 - Koch - 3rd Reading — 49–0 (pass) · upper
• SB 179 - McNamara — 91–1 (pass) · lower
• SB 179 - McNamara - 3rd Reading — 96–2 (pass) · lower

Sponsors

• Eric Koch — primary (person)
• Liz Brown — primary (person)
• Susan Glick — primary (person)
• Wendy McNamara — primary (person)
• Gregory Steuerwald — cosponsor (person)
• Lonnie Randolph — coauthor (person)
• Ragen Hatcher — cosponsor (person)
• Rodney Pol — coauthor (person)
• Sharon Negele — cosponsor (person)

Timeline

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

• 2024-01-09 Authored by Senators Koch, Brown L, Glick
• 2024-01-09 First reading: referred to Committee on Judiciary reading-1, referral-committee
• 2024-01-09 Coauthored by Senator Pol
• 2024-01-18 Committee report: amend do pass adopted; reassigned to Committee on Appropriations committee-passage, referral-committee
• 2024-01-22 Senator Randolph added as coauthor
• 2024-01-25 Committee report: amend do pass, adopted committee-passage
• 2024-01-29 Second reading: ordered engrossed reading-2
• 2024-01-30 House sponsor: Representative McNamara
• 2024-01-30 Third reading: passed; Roll Call 62: yeas 49, nays 0 passage, reading-3, reading-3
• 2024-01-30 Cosponsors: Representatives Steuerwald, Negele, Hatcher
• 2024-01-31 Referred to the House referral
• 2024-02-06 First reading: referred to Committee on Courts and Criminal Code reading-1, referral-committee
• 2024-02-15 Committee report: amend do pass, adopted committee-passage
• 2024-02-15 Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means pursuant to House Rule 127
• 2024-02-27 Committee report: amend do pass, adopted committee-passage
• 2024-02-29 Second reading: ordered engrossed reading-2
• 2024-03-04 Third reading: passed; Roll Call 262: yeas 96, nays 2 passage, reading-3, reading-3
• 2024-03-05 Senate advisors appointed: Pol, Glick and Brown L
• 2024-03-05 House conferees appointed: McNamara and Hatcher
• 2024-03-05 House advisors appointed: Steuerwald, Negele, Gore and Pryor
• 2024-03-05 Senate conferees appointed: Koch and Randolph Lonnie M
• 2024-03-05 Senate dissented from House amendments
• 2024-03-05 Motion to dissent filed filing
• 2024-03-05 Returned to the Senate with amendments receipt
• 2024-03-07 CCR # 1 filed in the House filing
• 2024-03-07 CCR # 1 filed in the Senate filing
• 2024-03-08 Rules Suspended. Conference Committee Report 1: adopted by the House; Roll Call 330: yeas 91, nays 1
• 2024-03-13 Signed by the Governor executive-signature
• 2024-03-13 Public Law 111 became-law
• 2024-03-12 Signed by the President of the Senate passage
• 2024-03-08 Signed by the President Pro Tempore passage
• 2024-03-11 Signed by the Speaker passage
• 2024-03-08 Rules Suspended. Conference Committee Report 1: adopted by the Senate; Roll Call 309: yeas 35, nays 13

Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/1aae1c0a-0a54-43a2-ab4d-53afaa60254e. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Indiana legislature records).