Committee hears bill to codify Hoosier Homestead protections and remonstrance process

Representative (unnumbered in excerpt) presented House Bill 1265 as a companion measure to farmland-protection proposals. The bill would codify the Hoosier Homestead Farm program in statute, require ISDA to maintain an electronic registry of qualifying homestead farms, and establish a local remonstrance process allowing a homestead farm to request review by the local legislative body before a fee-simple condemnation affecting the homestead proceeds.

The presenter said the program recognizes families that have owned farms continuously for long timeframes and framed the bill as a way to balance public projects with the interests of multigenerational farms. "1265 gives Hoosier Homestead Families a voice to push back against potential condemnation of their heritage farm," the presenter said in the hearing.

Linda Norton, who described her farm as an eighth-generation operation and a past Hoosier Homestead awardee, urged the committee to modernize statutory language and better publicize the program. Jason Abel, a fourth-generation farmer and Shelby County commissioner, said the bill and related policies would be valuable in fast-growth counties facing development pressure.

Quentin Hayes of ISDA testified neutrally and described eligibility requirements for the Hoosier Homestead designation (continuous family ownership thresholds and minimum acreage or gross farm income thresholds) and suggested technical statutory language changes, including procedures and documentation requirements. Hayes recommended the committee consider adding property tax-payment verification and clarifying application rules in statute.

What happens next: ISDA and the bill author are working on technical amendments; the author indicated the item would be held until those changes are drafted and the committee will take it up again.