Sec. 1. (a) The authority is granted all powers necessary or appropriate to carry out and effectuate its public and corporate purposes under the referenced statutes, including the following:

(1) Have perpetual succession as a body politic and corporate and an independent instrumentality exercising essential public functions.

(2) Without complying with IC 4-22-2, adopt, amend, and repeal bylaws, rules, guidelines, and policies not inconsistent with the referenced statutes, and necessary or convenient to regulate its affairs and to carry into effect the powers, duties, and purposes of the authority and conduct its business under the referenced statutes. These bylaws, rules, guidelines, and policies must be made by a resolution of the authority introduced at one (1) meeting and approved at a subsequent meeting of the authority.

(3) Sue and be sued in its own name.

(4) Have an official seal and alter it at will.

(5) Maintain an office or offices at a place or places within the state as it may designate.

(6) Make, execute, and enforce contracts and all other instruments necessary, convenient, or desirable for the purposes of the authority or pertaining to:

(A) a purchase, acquisition, or sale of securities or other investments; or

(B) the performance of the authority's duties and execution of any of the authority's powers under the referenced statutes.

(7) Employ architects, engineers, attorneys, space planners, construction managers, inspectors, accountants, agriculture experts, silviculture experts, aquaculture experts, health care experts, and financial experts, and any other advisers, consultants, and agents as may be necessary in its judgment and to fix their compensation and contract for the creation of plans and specifications for a facility.

(8) Procure insurance against any loss in connection with its property and other assets, including loans and loan notes in amounts and from insurers as it may consider advisable.

(9) Borrow money, make guaranties, issue bonds, and otherwise incur indebtedness for any of the authority's purposes, and issue debentures, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness, whether secured or unsecured, to any person, as provided by the referenced statutes. Notwithstanding any other law, the:

(A) issuance by the authority of any indebtedness that establishes a procedure for the authority or a person acting on behalf of the authority to certify to the general assembly the amount needed to restore a debt service reserve fund or another fund to required levels; or

(B) execution by the authority of any other agreement that creates a moral obligation of the state to pay all or part of any indebtedness issued by the authority;

is subject to review by the budget committee and approval by the budget director.

(10) Procure insurance or guaranties from any public or private entities, including any department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States, to guarantee, insure, coinsure, and reinsure against political and commercial risk of loss, and any other insurance the authority considers necessary, including insurance to secure payment:

(A) on a loan, lease, or purchase payment owed by a participating provider to the authority; and

(B) of any bonds issued by the authority, including the power to pay premiums on any insurance, reinsurance, or guarantee.

(11) Purchase, receive, take by grant, gift, devise, bequest, or otherwise, and accept, from any source, aid or contributions of money, property, labor, or other things of value to be held, used, and applied to carry out the purposes of the referenced statutes, subject to the conditions upon which the grants or contributions are made, including but not limited to gifts or grants from any department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States, and lease (as lessee or lessor) or otherwise acquire, own, hold, improve, employ, use, or otherwise deal in and with real or personal property or any interest in real or personal property, wherever situated, for any purpose consistent with the referenced statutes.

(12) Enter into agreements with any department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States or this state and with lenders and enter into loan agreements, sales contracts, financial assistance agreements, and leases with contracting parties, including participants for any purpose allowed under IC 5-1.2-10, IC 5-1.2-11, or IC 5-1.2-14, borrowers, lenders, developers, or users, for the purpose of planning, regulating, and providing for the financing and refinancing of any economic development project, for any purpose allowed under IC 5-1.2-10, IC 5-1.2-11, or IC 5-1.2-14, or intrastate and interstate sales, transactions and business activities or international exports, and distribute data and information concerning the encouragement and improvement of economic development projects, intrastate and interstate sales, transactions and business activities, international exports, and other types of employment in the state undertaken with the assistance of the authority under this article.

(13) Enter into contracts or agreements with lenders and lessors for the servicing and processing of loans and leases pursuant to the referenced statutes.

(14) Provide technical assistance to local public bodies and to for profit and nonprofit entities in the development or operation of economic development projects.

(15) To the extent allowed under its contract with the holders of the bonds of the authority, consent to any modification with respect to the rate of interest, time, and payment of any installment of principal or interest, or any other term of any contract, loan, loan note, loan note commitment, contract, lease, or agreement of any kind to which the authority is a party.

(16) To the extent allowed under its contract with the holders of bonds of the authority, enter into contracts with any lender containing provisions enabling it to reduce the rental or carrying charges to persons unable to pay the regular schedule of charges when, by reason of other income or payment by any department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States or of this state, the reduction can be made without jeopardizing the economic stability of the economic development project being financed.

(17) Notwithstanding IC 5-13, but subject to the requirements of any trust agreement entered into by the authority, invest:

(A) the authority's money, funds, and accounts;

(B) any money, funds, and accounts in the authority's custody; and

(C) proceeds of bonds or notes;

in the manner provided by an investment policy established by resolution of the authority.

(18) Fix and revise periodically, and charge and collect, fees and charges as the authority determines to be reasonable in connection with:

(A) the authority's loans, guarantees, advances, insurance, commitments, and servicing; and

(B) the use of the authority's services or facilities.

(19) Cooperate and exchange services, personnel, and information with any federal, state, or local government agency, or instrumentality of the United States or this state.

(20) Sell, at public or private sale, with or without public bidding, any loan or other obligation held by the authority.

(21) Enter into agreements concerning, and acquire, hold, and dispose of by any lawful means, land or interests in land, building improvements, structures, personal property, franchises, patents, accounts receivable, loans, assignments, guarantees, and insurance needed for the purposes of the referenced statutes.

(22) Purchase, lease as lessee, construct, remodel, rebuild, enlarge, or substantially improve economic development projects, including land, machinery, equipment, or any combination of these.

(23) Lease economic development projects to users or developers, with or without an option to purchase.

(24) Sell economic development projects to users or developers, for consideration to be paid in installments or otherwise.

(25) Make direct loans from the proceeds of the bonds to users or developers for:

(A) the cost of acquisition, construction, or installation of economic development projects, including land, machinery, equipment, or any combination of these; or

(B) eligible expenditures for an educational facility project;

with the loans to be secured by the pledge of one (1) or more bonds, notes, warrants, or other secured or unsecured debt obligations of the users or developers.

(26) Lend or deposit the proceeds of bonds to or with a lender for the purpose of furnishing funds to the lender to be used for making a loan to a developer or user for the financing of economic development projects under this article.

(27) Enter into agreements with users or developers to allow the users or developers, directly or as agents for the authority, to wholly or partially construct economic development projects to be leased from or to be acquired by the authority.

(28) Establish reserves from the proceeds of the sale of bonds, other funds, or both, in the amount determined to be necessary by the authority to secure the payment of the principal of and interest on the bonds.

(29) Adopt rules and guidelines governing its activities authorized under the referenced statutes.

(30) Purchase, discount, sell, and negotiate, with or without guaranty, notes and other evidence of indebtedness.

(31) Sell and guarantee securities.

(32) Procure letters of credit or other credit facilities or agreements from any national or state banking association or other entity authorized to issue a letter of credit or other credit facilities or agreements to secure the payment of any bonds issued by the authority or to secure the payment of any loan, lease, or purchase payment owed by a participating provider to the authority, including the power to pay the cost of obtaining such letter of credit or other credit facilities or agreements.

(33) Accept gifts, grants, or loans from, and enter into contracts or other transactions with, any federal or state agency, municipality, private organization, or other source.

(34) Sell, convey, mortgage, pledge, assign, lease, exchange, transfer, or otherwise dispose of property or any interest in property, wherever the property is located.

(35) Reimburse from bond proceeds expenditures for economic development projects under this article.

(36) Acquire, hold, use, and dispose of the authority's income, revenues, funds, and money.

(37) Purchase, acquire, or hold debt securities or other investments for the authority's own account at prices and in a manner the authority considers advisable, and sell or otherwise dispose of those securities or investments at prices without relation to cost and in a manner the authority considers advisable.

(38) Fix and establish terms and provisions with respect to:

(A) a purchase of securities by the authority, including dates and maturities of the securities;

(B) redemption or payment before maturity; and

(C) any other matters that in connection with the purchase are necessary, desirable, or advisable in the judgment of the authority.

(39) To the extent allowed under the authority's contracts with the holders of bonds or notes, amend, modify, and supplement any provision or term of:

(A) a bond, a note, or any other obligation of the authority; or

(B) any agreement or contract of any kind to which the authority is a party.

(40) Subject to the authority's investment policy, do any act and enter into any agreement pertaining to a swap agreement (as defined in IC 8-9.5-9-4) related to the purposes of the referenced statutes in accordance with IC 8-9.5-9-5 and IC 8-9.5-9-7, whether the action is incidental to the issuance, carrying, or securing of bonds or otherwise.

(41) Do any act necessary or convenient to the exercise of the powers granted by the referenced statutes, or reasonably implied from those statutes, including compliance with requirements of federal law imposed from time to time for the issuance of bonds.

(b) The authority's powers under this article shall be interpreted broadly to effectuate the purposes of this article and may not be construed as a limitation of powers. The omission of a power from the list in subsection (a) does not imply that the authority lacks that power. The authority may exercise any power that is not listed in subsection (a) but is consistent with the powers listed in subsection (a) to the extent that the power is not expressly denied by the Constitution of the State of Indiana or by another statute.

(c) This chapter does not authorize the financing of economic development projects for a developer unless any written agreement that may exist between the developer and the user at the time of the bond resolution is fully disclosed to and approved by the authority.

(d) The authority shall work with and assist the Indiana housing and community development authority created by IC 5-20-1-3, the ports of Indiana created under IC 8-10-1-3, and the state fair commission established by IC 15-13-2-1 in the issuance of bonds, notes, or other indebtedness. The Indiana housing and community development authority, the ports of Indiana, and the state fair commission shall work with and cooperate with the authority in connection with the issuance of bonds, notes, or other indebtedness.

As added by P.L.189-2018, SEC.25. Amended by P.L.10-2019, SEC.12.