Statehouse Update 1
Introduction
Welcome to the first Statehouse Update of the 2025 legislative session. During the session, the Ball State Governmental Relations team will produce weekly summaries of the key activities of the Indiana General Assembly.
The Indiana General Assembly began its work on the 2025 legislative session on Wednesday, January 8 and, by statute, must conclude by April 29. During this “long session”, the General Assembly will craft a new biennial budget to fund the state government and initiatives from July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2027.
The budget process begins in the House of Representatives once the Speaker assigns the bill to the House Ways and Means Committee. The bill is then debated, amended, reported out, and eventually goes to the House floor for second reading amendments and third reading votes. After House passage, the Senate will then consider the budget in a similar process. After passing the Senate, the fiscal leaders of each of the four caucuses will reconcile differences in the House and Senate passed bills in conference committee before going back to the House and Senate floors for a final vote. The engrossed bill will then move to the Governor for signature before coming law.
In addition to the budget, legislators will also introduce bills on a number of issues including public health and safety, education, and workforce development. To date, almost 600 bills have been introduced, nearly 100 of which are being tracked by Ball State Governmental Relations. In order to become law, bills must progress through their chamber of origin by the third reading deadline (February 20). Similar to the budget, both chambers must pass the bills before going to the Governor for signature.
This week, the General Assembly heard the first reading of bills, began committee hearings, and held a joint convention to certify the election of Governor-Elect Mike Braun and Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith. This joint resolution was adopted unanimously by voice vote. Governor-Elect Braun is scheduled to deliver his first State of the State Address on January 29, which will outline his first-term agenda.
Next week, President Mearns will present the University’s budget proposal for the House Ways and Means Committee. In addition to our budget proposal, he has the opportunity to highlight some of our institution’s recent accomplishments and initiatives.
Below is a sample of the bills being followed by Ball State. 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.
Introduced Bills
House Bills
HB 1022 - Antisemitism: Provides that "antisemitism" has the meaning set forth in the May 26, 2016, working definition of antisemitism adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. Provides that an act of antisemitism constitutes a discriminatory practice. Requires certain training materials to contain an educational program to protect against antisemitism.
HB 1032 – Foreign Interests: Prohibits a prohibited person from entering into a contract for the provision of goods or services with the state, a state agency, and a political subdivision. Requires agents acting on behalf of certain countries of concern to register with the attorney general. Establishes the foreign adversary enforcement fund. Requires schools and school corporations in Indiana to disclose certain foreign gifts and contracts. Requires public and private postsecondary educational institutions in Indiana to disclose certain foreign gifts and contracts. Prohibits certain individuals and business entities from acquiring: (1) an interest in business entities governed under Indiana law; and (2) real property located in Indiana. Requires certain individuals and business entities to divest their ownership of any interests in business entities or real property not later than January 1, 2026. Repeals existing statutes regarding foreign ownership of real property.
HB 1059 – High Value Workforce Ready Credit-Bearing Grant: Provides that an applicant who has previously received a baccalaureate degree or an associate degree may be eligible for a high value workforce ready credit-bearing grant if the applicant: (1) received a diploma of graduation, a high school equivalency certificate, or a state of Indiana general educational development diploma five or more years before the applicant applies for a grant; and (2) is not working in the subject matter field in which the applicant received the baccalaureate degree or associate degree. (Current law provides that an applicant for a high value workforce ready credit-bearing grant may not have previously received a baccalaureate degree, an associate degree, or an eligible certificate.)
HB 1069 - Tuition Caps: Provides that the commission for higher education shall determine a tuition rate and mandatory fee cost of living adjustment for specified postsecondary educational institutions. Requires that, except for cost of living adjustments, the tuition rate and mandatory fees at specified postsecondary educational institutions may not increase from the time the student initially enrolls until the student graduates for an undergraduate student who is an Indiana resident.
HB 1070 – Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program: Establishes the hunger-free campus grant program (grant program) to provide grants to state educational institutions for purposes of addressing food insecurity among students enrolled in state educational institutions. Provides that the commission for higher education (commission) shall provide a grant under the grant program to a state educational institution, if at least one campus is designated by the commission as a hunger-free campus. Establishes criteria that a campus of a state educational institution must meet in order to be designated a hunger-free campus. Makes an appropriation.
HB 1071- Resident Tuition Rate: Provides that an individual who meets certain conditions is eligible for the resident tuition rate as determined by the state educational institution. Requires such an individual to verify that the individual meets the criteria to receive the resident tuition rate.
HB 1163 – School Wellness Grant Fund: Establishes the school wellness grant fund (fund) to provide grants to school corporations to support local wellness initiatives developed by the school corporation. Requires the department of education to develop criteria to award grants from the fund. Makes an appropriation.
HB 1170 – Elimination of Gun-Free Zones: Provides, with some exceptions, that beginning July 1, 2025, the state of Indiana may not regulate: (1) firearms, ammunition, and firearm accessories; and (2) the ownership, possession, carrying, transportation, registration, transfer, and storage of firearms, ammunition, and firearm accessories. Specifies that a certain provision of an ordinance, measure, enactment, rule, policy, or exercise of proprietary authority is void. Provides that a person not otherwise prohibited from carrying or possessing a firearm under federal or state law may carry or possess a firearm, without restriction, on certain property affiliated with the following state agencies beginning July 1, 2025: (1) The department of natural resources. (2) The state fair commission. (3) The department of administration. (4) The department of workforce development. Prohibits, with some exceptions, a state educational institution (institution) from regulating the possession or transportation of firearms, ammunition, or firearm accessories in particular places. Allows a person to bring an action against an institution if the person is adversely affected by certain rules concerning firearms.
HB 1173 – Ban on University Practices: Provides that a state educational institution may not investigate, threaten disciplinary action regarding, punish, or solicit the reporting of certain student speech. Provides that the race, color, or ethnicity of a student or applicant of a postsecondary educational institution may not be used in certain decision making processes or provided to specified individuals, and establishes a cause of action for a violation of these provisions.
HB 1203 – Reservist Tuition Supplement Program: Establishes the reservist tuition supplement program fund (fund). Requires the commission for higher education to administer the fund and use money in the fund to award scholarships to eligible applicant
HB 1326 – Student and Teaching Scholarships: Provides that a student must be at least three years of age to qualify for a scholarship granting organization scholarship and removes income eligibility requirements. (Currently, the student must be at least four years of age to qualify and be a member of a household with a certain annual income.) Provides that applicants enrolled in a transition to teaching program after June 30, 2024, may qualify for certain scholarships if the applicant is a member of a household with an annual income of not more than 400% of the amount required for the applicant to qualify for the federal free or reduced price lunch program. (Currently, the annual income threshold is $100,000 or less.) Permits the commission for higher education to use the remaining balance allocated to certain teaching scholarships or in certain teaching scholarship funds to fund additional specified teaching scholarships.
Senate Bills
SB 34 – Literacy Endorsement: Provides that the department of education may not renew a practitioner license or an accomplished practitioner license issued to an individual unless the individual receives a literacy endorsement by completing 40 (instead of 80) hours of evidence based professional development. Removes written examination requirements to receive a literacy endorsement for individuals renewing a practitioner license or an accomplished practitioner license. Provides that the state board of education may not require certain individuals to take or pass a written examination to be eligible to receive a literacy endorsement.
SB 35 – School Curriculum: Requires each school corporation, charter school, and state accredited nonpublic elementary school to include print handwriting, cursive handwriting, and spelling in its curriculum.
SB 36 – School Counselors: Provides that, for the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school years, a school shall ensure that at least 60% of a school counselor’s aggregate time performing the counselor’s job duties is devoted to providing direct services to students. Provides that, beginning with the 2027-2028 school year, a school shall ensure that at least 80% of a school counselor’s aggregate time performing the counselor’s job duties is devoted to providing direct services to students. Exempts schools that have a school counselor/student ratio that is not more than one school counselor to 350 students from the school counselor time requirement provisions.
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.
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.
SB 213 – K-12 Education Funding: Requires each school corporation to establish a minimum salary of $65,000 for each full-time teacher not later than July 1, 2027. Increases the income cap of a family that may participate in the On My Way prekindergarten program from 150% to 185% of the federal poverty level. Provides that a child who is otherwise eligible for participation in the federal CCDF voucher program may continue to participate unless the child’s family income exceeds 300% of the federal income poverty level. Increases school funding by 6% in 2026 and 6% in 2027 for the following categories: (1) Foundation amount. (2) Complexity. (3) Academic performance grants. (4) Special education. (5) Career and technical training. Appropriates approximately $50,000,000 in both 2026 and 2027 for non-English speaking program grants. Appropriates (and increases from the previous budget) funding for the following programs each year of the biennium beginning July 1, 2025: (1) $35,000,000 each year for Indiana secured school safety grants. (2) $30,000,000 each year for summer school programs. (3) $200,000,000 each year to the curricular materials fund for purposes of the fund. Establishes the student support services and teacher retention grant program (program) and fund (fund) to be administered by the department of education. Provides that the purpose of the program is to address the ongoing challenges with teacher attraction and retention and shortages in critical student support service areas. Appropriates $50,000,000 to the fund for purposes of the program and for recruitment, hiring, and retention strategies for educators and support staff. Requires the program to be administered in conjunction with the: (1) school intervention and career counseling development program; (2) elementary school counselors, social workers, and school psychologists program; and (3) grants for mental health counselor licenses for school counselors; in a manner that streamlines these under the overall purposes of the program. Provides that a school employer may discuss certain items with the exclusive representative of certificated employees with regard to expenditures for education service centers of a public school corporation and expenditures from the Indiana secured school fund for school safety purposes.
SB 235 – Limitations on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Establishes prohibitions and requirements on state agencies, recipients of state contracts or grants, state educational institutions, and health profession licensing boards regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion. Provides that certain civil actions for noncompliance may be filed against a state educational institution. Establishes: (1) requirements regarding a standardized admissions test; and (2) requirements regarding altering academic standards; for postsecondary educational institutions that offer certain health education programs.
Looking Ahead
Next week we can expect to see a number of additional bills introduced. During a typical long session, we generally see between 1,200 and 1,600 bills introduced. Once the bills are introduced, we will also see them begin to be assigned to, and move through, legislative committees.
