State Sen. Jean Leising to Serve as Co-Chair of Drainage Task Force

The task force was created by Leising.

INDIANAPOLIS - State Sen. Jean Leising (R-Oldenburg) will serve as co-chair of the Drainage Task Force in preparation for the 2024 legislative session.

The task force was created by Senate Enrolled Act 85, authored by Leising, during the 2022 legislative session to study the regulatory matters of agriculture land drainage.

The task force will:

• Review the responsibilities of landowners and state and local authorities under current laws relating to the drainage of land;
• Make determinations and recommendations concerning drainage and regulatory matters; and
• Determine whether the balance between state and local authority over agricultural land drainage favors state authority more in Indiana than in neighboring states.

"Last interim, the Drainage Task Force gathered great insight on how Indiana code restricted a property owner's right to develop or sell their land because floodplain administrators were required to use state floodplain mapping data instead of the best data available," Leising said. "This provision created unneeded frustration for constituents because their land would be labeled as a floodplain in state floodplain mapping data, but not in federal floodplain mapping data."

Senate Enrolled Act 242, which Leising authored during the 2023 legislative session, repealed a provision requiring a local floodplain administrator to use state floodplain mapping data unless at a landowner's request. Landowners can now choose whether they want a floodplain administrator to use state floodplain mapping data or an engineering study when making permit determinations.

"Despite repealing this provision through Senate Enrolled Act 242 this session, there is still more to consider and potentially address during the 2024 legislative session," Leising said. "I look forward to studying our state's drainage laws and provisions more this summer so we can continue to improve our drainage laws without harming the environment."

The task force will consist of 19 members including six members of the Indiana Senate, six members of the Indiana House of Representatives and seven governor-appointed individuals.

Governor-appointed individuals will include an employee of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, an employee of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, a member of a county drainage board, a member of the governing body of a soil and water conservation district, a representative of the Indiana Chapter of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, a representative of a statewide farm organization and a county surveyor.

To view study committee agendas and stream hearings online, visit iga.in.gov. To view a list of topics that will be examined by the committees, click here.