Indiana Code > Title 2 > Article 2.2 – Legislative Ethics


Chapter 1	Definitions
Chapter 2	Statement of Economic Interests
Chapter 3	Legislative Ethics Committees
Chapter 4	Office of Legislative Ethics
Chapter 5	Prohibitions and Violations
Chapter 6	Miscellaneous

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Terms Used In Indiana Code > Title 2 > Article 2.2 - Legislative Ethics

Adjournment sine die: The end of a legislative session "without day." These adjournments are used to indicate the final adjournment of an annual or the two-year session of legislature.
Advisory body: means an authority, a board, a commission, a committee, a task force, or other body designated by any name of the executive department that is authorized only to make nonbinding recommendations. See Indiana Code 4-2-6-1
Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
Affirmed: In the practice of the appellate courts, the decree or order is declared valid and will stand as rendered in the lower court.
agency: refers to the legislative services agency established by Indiana Code 2-2.2-4-1
Agency: means an authority, a board, a branch, a bureau, a commission, a committee, a council, a department, a division, an office, a service, or other instrumentality of the executive, including the administrative, department of state government. See Indiana Code 4-2-6-1
Agency: means any executive or administrative department, commission, council, board, bureau, division, service, office, officer, administration, or other establishment in the executive or administrative branch of the state government not provided for by the constitution. See Indiana Code 4-3-6-2
Agency of the state: means any officer, agency, department, board, bureau, commission, division or institution of the state of Indiana, the trustees or board of directors of any corporation of the state or body politic of the state supported in whole or in part by appropriations from the state, and the trustees of any state-supported university. See Indiana Code 4-3-9-1
Allegation: something that someone says happened.
Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
Annuity: A periodic (usually annual) payment of a fixed sum of money for either the life of the recipient or for a fixed number of years. A series of payments under a contract from an insurance company, a trust company, or an individual. Annuity payments are made at regular intervals over a period of more than one full year.
Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
Appointing authority: means the following:
Indiana Code 4-2-6-1
Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
Assist: means to:
Indiana Code 4-2-6-1
Attorney: includes a counselor or other person authorized to appear and represent a party in an action or special proceeding. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
Bench trial: Trial without a jury in which a judge decides the facts.
Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. ^{Source: OCC}
Bequest: Property gifted by will.
breach of the security of the system: means unauthorized acquisition of computerized data that compromises the security, confidentiality, or integrity of personal information maintained by a state or local agency. See Indiana Code 4-1-11-2
Business relationship: includes the following:
Indiana Code 4-2-6-1
Caucus: From the Algonquian Indian language, a caucus meant "to meet together." An informal organization of members of the legislature that exists to discuss issues of mutual concern and possibly to perform legislative research and policy planning for its members. There are regional, political or ideological, ethnic, and economic-based caucuses.
Chief judge: The judge who has primary responsibility for the administration of a court but also decides cases; chief judges are determined by seniority.
Clerk: means the clerk of the court or a person authorized to perform the clerk's duties. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
Commission: refers to the state ethics commission created under section 2 of this chapter. See Indiana Code 4-2-6-1
Compensation: means any money, thing of value, or financial benefit conferred on, or received by, any person in return for services rendered, or for services to be rendered, whether by that person or another. See Indiana Code 4-2-6-1
Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
Concurrent resolution: A legislative measure, designated "S. Con. Res." and numbered consecutively upon introduction, generally employed to address the sentiments of both chambers, to deal with issues or matters affecting both houses, such as a concurrent budget resolution, or to create a temporary joint committee. Concurrent resolutions are not submitted to the President/Governor and thus do not have the force of law.
Confidential: means information which has been so designated by statute or by promulgated rule or regulation based on statutory authority. See Indiana Code 4-1-6-1
Continuance: Putting off of a hearing ot trial until a later time.
Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
Cross examine: Questioning of a witness by the attorney for the other side.
Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
Data subject: means an individual about whom personal information is indexed or may be located under the individual's name, personal number, or other identifiable particulars, in a personal information system. See Indiana Code 4-1-6-1
Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
department: refers to the Indiana department of administration created by IC 4-13-1-2. See Indiana Code 4-2-8-2
Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
Devise: To gift property by will.
Direct line of supervision: means the chain of command in which the superior affects, or has the authority to affect, the terms and conditions of the subordinate's employment, including making decisions about work assignments, compensation, grievances, advancements, or performance evaluation. See Indiana Code 4-2-6-1
Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
district: refers to a district described in:
Indiana Code 3-3-4-2
Employee: means an individual, other than a state officer, who is employed by an agency on a full-time, a part-time, a temporary, an intermittent, or an hourly basis. See Indiana Code 4-2-6-1
Employer: means any person from whom a state officer or employee or the officer's or employee's spouse received compensation. See Indiana Code 4-2-6-1
Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
executive director: refers to the executive director of the agency employed under Indiana Code 2-2.2-4-2
Executive session: A portion of the Senate's daily session in which it considers executive business.
Fair Credit Reporting Act: A federal law, established in 1971 and revised in 1997, that gives consumers the right to see their credit records and correct any mistakes. ^{Source: OCC}
Fair market value: The price at which an asset would change hands in a transaction between a willing, informed buyer and a willing, informed seller.
Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
Financial interest: means an interest:
Indiana Code 4-2-6-1
Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
GIS: refers to the geographic information system maintained by the office that contains the following information:
Indiana Code 3-3-4-3
Grand jury: agreement providing that a lender will delay exercising its rights (in the case of a mortgage,
Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
Impeachment: (1) The process of calling something into question, as in "impeaching the testimony of a witness." (2) The constitutional process whereby the House of Representatives may "impeach" (accuse of misconduct) high officers of the federal government for trial in the Senate.
in writing: include printing, lithographing, or other mode of representing words and letters. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
Information of a confidential nature: means information:
Indiana Code 4-2-6-1
Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
interest in land: means both legal and equitable title and interest in land. See Indiana Code 4-3-9-1
Joint session: When both chambers of a legislature adopt a concurrent resolution to meet together.
Judgment: means all final orders, decrees, and determinations in an action and all orders upon which executions may issue. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
Land: means both unimproved and improved land. See Indiana Code 4-3-9-1
Lawsuit: A legal action started by a plaintiff against a defendant based on a complaint that the defendant failed to perform a legal duty, resulting in harm to the plaintiff.
Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
legislative council: refers to the legislative council established by Indiana Code 2-2.2-4-3
Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
Minority leader: See Floor Leaders
Month: means a calendar month, unless otherwise expressed. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
Nolo contendere: No contest-has the same effect as a plea of guilty, as far as the criminal sentence is concerned, but may not be considered as an admission of guilt for any other purpose.
Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
office: refers to the office of legislative ethics established by section 5 of this chapter. See Indiana Code 2-2.2-4-4
office: refers to the office of census data of the legislative services agency. See Indiana Code 3-3-4-4
Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: refers to the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P. See Indiana Code 4-1-12-1
person: means an individual, a corporation, a limited liability company, a partnership, or other legal entity. See Indiana Code 4-1-10-1.5
Person: means any individual, proprietorship, partnership, unincorporated association, trust, business trust, group, limited liability company, or corporation, whether or not operated for profit, or a governmental agency or political subdivision. See Indiana Code 4-2-6-1
Personal information: means any information that describes, locates, or indexes anything about an individual or that affords a basis for inferring personal characteristics about an individual including, but not limited to, the individual's education, financial transactions, medical history, criminal or employment records, finger and voice prints, photographs, or the individual's presence, registration, or membership in an organization or activity or admission to an institution. See Indiana Code 4-1-6-1
personal information: means :
Indiana Code 4-1-11-3
Personal information system: means any recordkeeping process, whether automated or manual, containing personal information and the name, personal number, or other identifying particulars of a data subject. See Indiana Code 4-1-6-1
Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
political subdivision: shall mean any county, township, city, and town. See Indiana Code 4-1-4-1
Political subdivision: means a county, city, town, township, school district, municipal corporation, special taxing district, or other local instrumentality. See Indiana Code 4-2-6-1
Population: has the meaning set forth in Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
President pro tempore: A constitutionally recognized officer of the Senate who presides over the chamber in the absence of the Vice President. The President Pro Tempore (or, "president for a time") is elected by the Senate and is, by custom, the Senator of the majority party with the longest record of continuous service.
Presiding officer: A majority-party Senator who presides over the Senate and is charged with maintaining order and decorum, recognizing Members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules, practices and precedents.
Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
Probate: Proving a will
Property: has the meaning set forth in Indiana Code 4-2-6-1
Property: includes personal and real property. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
Relative: means any of the following:
Indiana Code 4-2-6-1
Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
Reorganization: means :
Indiana Code 4-3-6-2
Represent: means to do any of the following on behalf of a person:
Indiana Code 4-2-6-1
Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
Sheriff: means the sheriff of the county or another person authorized to perform sheriff's duties. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
sister: include a brother or sister by the half blood. See Indiana Code 4-2-6-1
Special state appointee: means a person who is:
Indiana Code 4-2-6-1
State agency: means every agency, board, commission, department, bureau, or other entity of the administrative branch of Indiana state government, except those which are the responsibility of the state comptroller, treasurer of state, secretary of state, attorney general, and excepting the department of state police and state educational institutions. See Indiana Code 4-1-6-1
state agency: means an authority, a board, a branch, a commission, a committee, a department, a division, or another instrumentality of the executive, including the administrative, department of state government. See Indiana Code 4-1-10-2
state agency: has the meaning set forth in IC 4-1-10-2. See Indiana Code 4-1-11-4
state agency: means every agency, board, commission, department, bureau, or other entity of the administrative branch of Indiana state government. See Indiana Code 4-1-13-1
State officer: means any of the following:
Indiana Code 4-2-6-1
state officer: means an individual who holds one (1) of the following elected offices:
Indiana Code 4-2-9-1
Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
Subpoena duces tecum: A command to a witness to produce documents.
Testify: Answer questions in court.
Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
Transfer: means a gift, grant, conveying, exchange, lease, or sale. See Indiana Code 4-3-9-1
Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
Uniform Commercial Code: A set of statutes enacted by the various states to provide consistency among the states' commercial laws. It includes negotiable instruments, sales, stock transfers, trust and warehouse receipts, and bills of lading. ^{Source: OCC}
United States: includes the District of Columbia and the commonwealths, possessions, states in free association with the United States, and the territories. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
United States of America: shall include the United States government and any agency or entity thereof. See Indiana Code 4-3-9-1
Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.
Verified: when applied to pleadings, means supported by oath or affirmation in writing. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5