House passes Pryor plan to ensure seamless office transition

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana House members have passed legislation authored by State Rep. Cherrish Pryor (D-Indianapolis) that will ensure a smooth transition to office for newly-elected officials in local government.

By a 97-0 margin, representatives passed House Bill 1140, which requires state and local officials to develop a checklist of pertinent information that the new officeholders would need to ensure a seamless transition from the incumbent official to the successor.

“These checklists would include details like who has contracts, the number of employees in that office, their job descriptions, and salaries, along with a flow chart that shows a chain of command,” Pryor said. “In short, it’s the kind of information that a person should know before they assume office in order to begin performing their functions with minimal distress and disruption to taxpayers.”

The lists would be required for offices at the township, town, city, and county levels.

“While most transitions have been handled with very little trouble, there have been instances in which the outgoing officeholder has refused to help the successor,” Pryor noted. “If they choose to be difficult, this forces them to do the right thing.”

The checklist would be formulated by officials with the Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF) and the State Board of Accounts (SBOA) in conjunction with the Association of Indiana Counties (AIC), Accelerate Indiana Municipalities (AIM), and other local government organizations.

Joining Pryor as co-authors of House Bill 1140 are State Reps. Karen Engleman (R-Georgetown), Thomas Saunders (R-New Castle), and Chris Chyung (D-Dyer).

The measure now moves to the Indiana Senate, where it will be sponsored by State Sen. Randall Head (R-Logansport).

Watch Rep. Pryor present House Bill 1140 before the Indiana House of Representatives.