Burton’s bills head to governor for consideration
STATEHOUSE (March 4, 2016) – This week, the House of Representatives took final action on four bills authored by State Rep. Woody Burton (R-Whiteland), which are now eligible for consideration by the governor.
“Overall, I am pleased that these bills made it through the legislative process,” Burton said. “Oftentimes, legislation doesn’t come out of committee or gets voted down on the floor. This ensures that only the best bills get passed and sent to the governor for final approval.”
Some Hoosier communities are creating what are known as a tax increment finance (TIF) district. Recently, communities have started PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) programs. These PILOT programs would allow local municipalities to tax properties that would normally be exempt within these TIF districts. House Bill 1180 (HB) would prohibit the tax or collection of PILOT fees from churches and church schools. Burton explained his intention with HB 1180 is to keep these faith-based institutions exempt from taxes as they have in the past.
If signed into law, HB 1181 would clarify mortgage licensing procedures for borrowers and lenders. It renames in Indiana code the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System to the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System and Registry. Among other proposed changes, specific dollar amounts would be removed for credit extended to refer to an exempt threshold.
“We need to ensure our tax code is kept up-to-date for Hoosiers and conforms to federal laws,” said Burton, chair of the House Committee on Financial Institutions.
In 2015, Burton authored legislation to create guidelines for homeowners associations and their members. This session, he proposed HB 1222 to address concerns from the previous bill and to eliminate unnecessary red tape for these associations and their members. Additionally, for those who report suspicious or criminal activity in their community, the board would be required to keep their identity confidential. House Bill 1222 would provide an open-door transparency that gives a condominium co-owner or a homeowner’s association member the ability to attend all meetings and review past meeting minutes.
House Bill 1340 urges the Legislative Council to assign for summer study the topic of whether to grant lenders licensed to make small loans under the Indiana Uniform Consumer Credit Code the authority to also make long-term small installment loans. Burton explained that the demand for these types of loans is growing and action is needed to protect consumers.
All four of these bills are now eligible to be signed into law by the governor. To learn more about these bills, visit www.iga.in.gov.
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State Rep. Woody Burton (R-Whiteland) represents a portion of Johnson County.
