Sec. 15.1. (a) If an agreement has not been reached on the items permitted to be bargained collectively under section 4 of this chapter, within fifteen (15) days after mediation under section 13 of this chapter has ended, the board shall initiate factfinding.

     (b) Factfinding must culminate in the factfinder imposing contract terms on the parties. The factfinder must select one (1) party’s last best offer as the contract terms. The factfinder’s order must be restricted to only those items permitted to be bargained and included in the collective bargaining agreement under section 4 of this chapter and must not put the employer in a position of deficit financing (as defined in IC 20-29-2-6). The factfinder’s order may not impose terms beyond those proposed by the parties in their last, best offers.

     (c) Costs for the factfinder shall be borne equally by the parties.

     (d) Factfinding may not last longer than thirty (30) days.

As added by P.L.229-2011, SEC.181. Amended by P.L.219-2015, SEC.4.