Statehouse Update 11
Introduction
This week the General Assembly saw an increased pace on committee hearings, second reading amendments, and third reading votes. Additionally, the House and Senate began the process of holding concurrence votes, a step in the legislative process that requires amended bills to return to their original chambers for a final vote on any changes made. If the author does not agree with the changes made to their bill in the second house, they will file a dissent, which will kick off the conference committee process. That process generally begins after the third reading deadline, which is set for April 15. Bills that clear the concurrence vote are then sent to the Governor for signature, and the bills that do not clear the concurrence vote are assigned to a conference committee to negotiate the differences between the chambers.
Thus far, a handful of bills have successfully made it through the General Assembly for the Governor’s signature. That number will continue to grow as bills continue through the General Assembly over the coming weeks. The total amount of active bills remains about 350, of which our office continues to monitor almost 80 that could impact University operations.
Below is a sampling of bills being tracked by Ball State Governmental Relations that moved during the last week. If you have questions about these or other bills that you may have heard about, please contact the Office of Governmental Relations at gov@bsu.edu.
Bills That Moved
House Bills (HB)
HB 1041 – Student Eligibility in Interscholastic Sports: Requires, for purposes of interscholastic athletic events, state educational institutions and certain private postsecondary educational institutions to expressly designate an athletic team or sport as one of the following: (1) A male, men's, or boys' team or sport. (2) A female, women's, or girls' team or sport. (3) A coeducational or mixed team or sport. Prohibits a male, based on the student's biological sex at birth in accordance with the student's genetics and reproductive biology, from participating on an athletic team or sport designated as being a female, women's, or girls' athletic team or sport. Requires state educational institutions and certain private postsecondary educational institutions to establish grievance procedures for a violation of these provisions. Establishes a civil action for a violation of these provisions. Provides that state educational institutions and certain private postsecondary educational institutions are not subject to liability in a civil, administrative, disciplinary, or criminal action for acting in compliance with these provisions. This bill passed the Senate Committee on Education and Career Development (Yeas: 9, Nays: 4) and is now eligible for second reading amendments on the Senate floor.
HB 1235 – Military and Veteran Matters: Expands the eligibility requirements for admission to the Indiana Veterans' Home. Adds a definition of an "eligible person" for purposes of administering grants for veteran services (GVS). Provides that a qualified entity may receive a GVS to provide certain services to support an eligible person. Makes changes to the qualifications to receive a veteran's burial allowance. Establishes the Medal of Honor license plate. Restores a provision of current law concerning certain disability ratings, as determined by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, and educational cost exemptions. Provides that the disability ratings and educational cost exemptions apply to an individual whose parent enlisted in the armed forces after June 30, 2014 (instead of June 30, 2011). Updates references throughout the Indiana Code relating to the armed forces of the United States or uniformed services to include the United States Space Force. Replaces references to an honorable discharge with references to a discharge with a separation code that has not been determined to be disallowable by the Indiana veterans' affairs commission. Makes technical changes to various references relating to the components of the armed forces of the United States. Makes technical corrections. This bill passed the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs and the Military (Yeas: 6, Nays: 1) and was reassigned to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
HB 1515 – Education and Higher Education Matters: Provides that accredited nonpublic schools are eligible to participate in the following: (1) The establishment of police departments. (2) The science, technology, engineering, and mathematics teacher recruitment grants. (3) The principal institute. Provides that charter schools are eligible to receive science, technology, engineering, and mathematics teacher recruitment grants. Allows a parent of a choice scholarship student or an eligible choice scholarship school on behalf of a parent to petition the department of education to reconsider the eligibility of a choice scholarship student enrolled in the school if the parent has reason to believe that the student was determined ineligible due to enrollment data inaccuracies reported by a school. Provides that a student must be withdrawn from enrollment in a school corporation's virtual education program if the student accumulates 10 consecutive or 18 cumulative unexcused absences (instead of the number of unexcused absences sufficient to result in the student's classification as a habitual truant). Amends eligibility requirements for the high value workforce ready credit-bearing grant. Restricts a county, city, or town (unit) in using the unit's planning and zoning authority to regulate a school corporation's or charter school's use of school property. Provides the following regarding a charter school: (1) A charter school is a permitted use in all zoning districts. (2) A charter school's land use application must be processed by a unit on a first priority basis. This bill was passed by the Senate Education and Career Development Committee (Yeas: 8, Nays: 4) and was reassigned to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
HB 1608 – E-Sports Industry Development Study: Requires the Indiana economic development corporation to study methods and strategies to allow Indiana to become a leader in the development of the e-sports industry and to submit a report on the results of the study to the governor and the general assembly. This bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce and Technology and is awaiting a hearing date.
HB 1634 - Math Education: Requires each school corporation and charter middle school to automatically enroll a student who meets certain conditions in a middle school advanced math course. Allows a parent of a student to opt out of automatic enrollment. Requires the department of education to submit a report to the legislative council that includes certain middle school advanced math course student percentage information. Establishes requirements regarding: (1) mathematics screening, evaluation, and intervention; and (2) teacher preparation program math curriculum and content. This bill was passed out of the Senate Committee on Education and Career Development (Yeas: 11, Nays: 0) and was reassigned to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Senate Bills (SB)
SB 74 – Extension of Lifeline Law Immunity: Provides that an individual who is: (1) reasonably believed to be suffering from a health condition which is the direct result of alcohol consumption; and (2) assisted by a person who requested emergency medical assistance for the individual; is immune from prosecution for certain crimes. This bill passed third reading (Yeas: 87, Nays: 3) on the House floor and will be sent to the Governor for signature.
SB 120 – DNA Samples at Time of Arrest: Requires a sheriff to take a DNA sample of a person taken into custody for a felony. Provides that it is a Class C misdemeanor if a person refuses to provide a DNA sample to a sheriff. This bill passed third reading (Yeas: 80, Nays: 10) on the House floor, and the Senate concurred with House amendments (Yeas: 39, Nays: 8). It will now be sent to the Governor for signature.
SB 146 – Teacher Compensation: Requires the department of education to submit a report to the general assembly before November 1, 2025, that provides an analysis of the feasibility and cost of increasing school corporation employee health plan options. Creates the Indiana teacher recruitment program and fund. Beginning June 30, 2025: (1) increases the minimum salary for a teacher employed by a school corporation to $45,000 (current law requires $40,000); and (2) requires a school corporation to expend an amount for teacher compensation that is not less than 65% of state tuition support (current law requires 62%). Makes an appropriation. This bill was passed by the House Committee on Education (Yeas: 13, Nays: 0) and was reassigned to the House Ways and Means Committee.
SB 181 – Nurse Training in Trauma Informed Care: Requires the state board of nursing to adopt or amend rules to require trauma informed care training as part of the required curriculum for nursing education programs. This bill was heard by the House Committee on Public Health and held for further consideration and amendment.
SB 216 – Mental Health Professionals: Makes the following changes in regard to marriage and family therapists, mental health counselors, addiction counselors, and clinical addiction counselors: (1) Provides that an individual must be licensed as an associate before obtaining the relevant experience hours, except in certain circumstances. (2) Clarifies the effect on experience hours of the expiration of a temporary license or permit. Removes certain provisions regarding first available examinations. This bill passed third reading (Yeas: 94, Nays: 0) on the House floor and was returned to the Senate with amendments.
SB 255 – Education Matters: Requires the department of education to grant an initial practitioner license to an individual who: (1) holds a bachelor's degree with a major in any combination of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics; (2) successfully completes a total of at least nine academic credits regarding certain instruction in teaching; and (3) meets other specified requirements. Requires a principal to allow a student who is enrolled in a public secondary school to receive religious instruction for a period or periods that do not exceed the amount of time that is equivalent to attending one elective course at the public secondary school during the week. (Current law provides for a period or periods of not more than 120 minutes in total in any week.) Changes certain requirements regarding the reporting of a bullying "incident" to the reporting of a bullying "investigation". Requires discipline rules to include a provision to make a reasonable attempt to notify both the parent of a targeted student and the parent of an alleged perpetrator that the school is investigating a possible incident of bullying before the end of the calendar day on which the school is made aware of the possible incident of bullying. This bill passed the House Education Committee (Yeas: 9, Nays: 4) and is now eligible for second reading amendments on the House floor.
SB 365 – Education Matters: Requires the department of education (department), in collaboration with the commission for higher education (commission) and the department for workforce development, to create a combined return on investment report for specified programs. Requires the department, in collaboration with the commission and the department for workforce development, to collect and maintain certain data concerning the specified programs. Requires the department to publish the return on investment report on the department's website and submit the report to the governor's workforce cabinet and the legislative council. Provides that the department shall administer and implement the career navigation coaching system developed by the commission. Establishes the career coaching fund (fund) and provides that the department shall administer the fund. Provides certain requirements for an eligible entity to receive a grant from the fund. Requires the department to prepare a report concerning career coaching and submit the report to the governor and legislative council. Requires the department of workforce development to update wage threshold data used to categorize career and technical education programs for use in the subsequent school year. Makes conforming changes. This bill passed the House Education Committee (Yeas: 9, Nays: 4) and is now eligible for second reading amendments on the House floor.
SB 472 – Cybersecurity: Requires political subdivisions, state agencies, school corporations, and state educational institutions (public entities), with the exception of specified categories of hospitals, to adopt not later than December 31, 2027, a: (1) technology resources policy; and (2) cybersecurity policy; that meet specified requirements. Requires the office of technology (office) to develop: (1) standards and guidelines regarding cybersecurity for use by political subdivisions and state educational institutions; and (2) a uniform cybersecurity policy for use by state agencies. Requires the office to develop, in collaboration with the department of education: (1) a uniform technology resources policy governing use of technology resources by the employees of school corporations; and (2) a uniform cybersecurity policy for use by school corporations. Requires: (1) a public entity to biennially submit to the office the cybersecurity policy adopted by the public entity; and (2) the office to establish a procedure for collecting and maintaining a record of submitted cybersecurity policies. Requires a public entity that engages a third party to conduct an assessment of the public entity's cybersecurity policy to provide the results of the assessment to the office. Establishes: (1) the cybersecurity insurance program (program) for the purpose of providing coverage to a participating government entity for losses incurred by the government entity as a result of a cybersecurity incident; and (2) the cybersecurity insurance board (board) to administer the program. Provides that coverage for losses incurred by a participating government entity as a result of a cybersecurity incident are paid under the program from premiums paid into a trust fund by participating government entities. Specifies that claims from the fund shall not be paid until the balance in the fund reaches $10,000,000. Provides that the board shall contract with cybersecurity professionals who can be dispatched by the board to assist a participating government entity in the event of a cybersecurity incident. Provides that fines recovered by the attorney general for any of the following violations are deposited in the trust fund: (1) Failure of an adult oriented website to implement or properly use a reasonable age verification method. (2) Failure of a data base owner to safeguard personal information of Indiana residents. (3) Failure of a data base owner to disclose or provide notice of a security breach. (4) Violation of consumer data protection law. Makes an appropriation. This bill passed the House Committee on Government and Regulatory Reform (Yeas: 12, Nays: 0) and was reassigned to the House Ways and Means Committee.
Looking Ahead
Next week we can expect the General Assembly to continue to increase its legislative activities as the April 10 committee report deadline approaches. Bills that fail to pass out of committee by the deadline will become ineligible for this legislative session. We will continue to monitor important legislation and provide weekly updates.
