Terms Used In Indiana Code > Title 1 > Article 1 - Laws Governing the State

• Adjourn: A motion to adjourn a legislative chamber or a committee, if passed, ends that day's session.
• advisory group: refers to the legislative state of emergency advisory group established by section 11 of this chapter. See Indiana Code 2-2.1-1.2-1
• 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.
• agency: refers to the legislative services agency established by Indiana Code 2-2.2-4-1
• 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.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• Bankruptcy: Refers to statutes and judicial proceedings involving persons or businesses that cannot pay their debts and seek the assistance of the court in getting a fresh start. Under the protection of the bankruptcy court, debtors may discharge their debts, perhaps by paying a portion of each debt. Bankruptcy judges preside over these proceedings.
• 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}
• body: refers to either of the following:

  Indiana Code 2-2.1-4-2

• boundary county: refers to any of the following:

  Indiana Code 1-3-2.2-1

• 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.
• chamber: refers to either of the following:

  Indiana Code 2-2.1-4-3

• 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 of court: An officer appointed by the court to work with the chief judge in overseeing the court's administration, especially to assist in managing the flow of cases through the court and to maintain court records.
• commission: refers to the Indiana arts commission established by IC 4-23-2-1. See Indiana Code 1-2-12-1
• commission: refers to the Indiana-Michigan boundary line commission established by section 3 of this chapter. See Indiana Code 1-3-2.2-2
• committee: refers to any board, commission, committee, or task force created in a statute adopted by the general assembly. See Indiana Code 1-1-15.5-2
• committee: refers to the probate code study committee established by section 2 of this chapter. See Indiana Code 2-5-16.1-1
• committee: refers to the code revision committee described in section 3 of this chapter. See Indiana Code 2-5-1.4-1
• company: means any of the following that exists to make a profit:

  Indiana Code 1-1-16-1

• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Continuance: Putting off of a hearing ot trial until a later time.
• council: refers to the youth advisory council established by section 2 of this chapter. See Indiana Code 2-5-29-1
• council: refers to the legislative council created by Indiana Code 2-5-1.4-2
• council: means the governor's security council established by Indiana Code 1-1-16-2
• covered communications equipment or service: means communications equipment or service (as defined in Indiana Code 1-1-15-0.1
• critical infrastructure: means any part of:

  Indiana Code 1-1-16-3

• Cross examine: Questioning of a witness by the attorney for the other side.
• cybersecurity system: means a system designed to protect any:

  Indiana Code 1-1-16-4

• Decedent: A deceased person.
• Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
• Deposition: An oral statement made before an officer authorized by law to administer oaths. Such statements are often taken to examine potential witnesses, to obtain discovery, or to be used later in trial.
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• district: refers to a district described in IC 2-1-12 or IC 2-1-13. See Indiana Code 2-1-9-2
• electronically file or submit: includes delivery of a document by electronic mail, text, or any other means of delivering a document electronically, except by facsimile (fax) machine. See Indiana Code 1-1-7.7-1
• 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.
• Ex officio: Literally, by virtue of one's office.
• 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.
• Executor: A male person named in a will to carry out the decedent
• 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.
• final day of session: means :

  Indiana Code 2-2.1-4-4

• Garnishment: Generally, garnishment is a court proceeding in which a creditor asks a court to order a third party who owes money to the debtor or otherwise holds assets belonging to the debtor to turn over to the creditor any of the debtor
• GIS: refers to the geographic information system maintained by the office that contains the following information:

  Indiana Code 2-1-9-3

• government information: refers to any information created, received, maintained, or stored by or otherwise in the control of a governmental entity, regardless of the form or the media on which the information is recorded. See Indiana Code 2-5-1.7-3
• governmental entity: means any of the following:

  Indiana Code 2-5-1.7-2

• 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.
• Honor and Remember flag: means the Honor and Remember, Inc. See Indiana Code 1-1-14.5-1
• interim: refers to the following:

  Indiana Code 2-5-1.3-1

• Joint resolution: A legislative measure which requires the approval of both chambers.
• 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.
• legislative council: refers to the legislative council established by Indiana Code 2-2.2-4-3
• legislative council: refers to the legislative council created under Indiana Code 2-2.1-1.2-3
• legislative notary: refers to any of the following:

  Indiana Code 2-3-4-0.5

• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Majority leader: see Floor Leaders
• member: refers to either of the following:

  Indiana Code 2-2.1-4-5

• military installation: means :

  Indiana Code 1-1-16-5

• Minority leader: See Floor Leaders
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Oath: includes "affirmation" and "to swear" includes to "affirm". See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
• Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
• office: refers to the office of census data of the legislative services agency. See Indiana Code 2-1-9-5
• office: refers to the office of legislative ethics established by section 5 of this chapter. See Indiana Code 2-2.2-4-4
• office of technology: refers to the office of technology established by Indiana Code 1-1-7.7-2
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• political subdivision: has the meaning set forth in IC 36-1-2-13. See Indiana Code 1-1-15-1
• 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.
• presiding officer: refers to the following:

  Indiana Code 2-2.1-4-6

• Probate: Proving a will
• prohibited person: refers to a person that has been designated as posing a national security threat to the integrity of communications networks or the communications supply chain under Indiana Code 1-1-15-2
• prohibited person: means either of the following:

  Indiana Code 1-1-16-6

• qualified entity: means any of the following:

  Indiana Code 1-1-16-7

• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Quorum call: A call of the roll to establish whether a quorum is present. If any legislator "suggests the absence of a quorum," the presiding officer must direct the roll to be called.
• Ranking minority member: The highest ranking (and usually longest serving) minority member of a committee or subcommittee.
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• real property: include lands, tenements, and hereditaments. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
• records: means any writing, paper, report, study, map, photograph, book, card, tape recording, or other material that is created, received, retained, maintained, or filed by or with the advisory group and which is generated on paper, paper substitutes, photographic media, chemically based media, magnetic or machine readable media, electronically stored data, or any other material, regardless of form or characteristics. See Indiana Code 2-2.1-1.2-5
• selection committee: refers to the committee described in section 4 of this chapter. See Indiana Code 1-2-12-2
• senate district: refers to a district of the senate of the general assembly described in:

  Indiana Code 2-1-9-6

• standing committee: means the following:

  Indiana Code 2-5-1.3-2

• state agency: means an authority, board, branch, commission, committee, department, division, or other instrumentality of any of the following:

  Indiana Code 1-1-15-3

• state agency: has the meaning set forth in IC 4-13-1-1(b). See Indiana Code 1-1-7.7-3
• state of emergency: refers to an emergency declared by the governor under IC 10-14-3. See Indiana Code 2-2.1-1.2-6
• study committee: means an interim study committee established by section 4 of this chapter. See Indiana Code 2-5-1.3-3
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Testify: Answer questions in court.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• 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.
• Venue: The geographical location in which a case is tried.
• Verified: when applied to pleadings, means supported by oath or affirmation in writing. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5