Statehouse Update 2
Introduction
The Indiana General Assembly remained active during its second week of the 2025 Legislative Session conducting first bill reads, committee hearings, and introducing new legislation. The current total of bills for this session is now over 1,200 bills.
Governor Mike Braun was sworn in as Indiana’s 52nd Governor in an inauguration ceremony held on January 13 at Hilbert Circle Theatre in Monument Circle. During his first week, the administration presented the 2025-2027 biennial budget proposal to the State Budget Committee, which outlined the governor’s funding recommendations on key issues such as education, public safety, and tax relief. The governor’s budget proposal will now be introduced as House Bill (HB) 1001 and move through the legislative process beginning in the House. Our office will follow this process closely and continue to provide updates as they are available.
Below is a sample of bills being tracked by Ball State Governmental Relations that have been either introduced or moved during the last week. If you have questions, please contact the Office of Governmental Relations at gov@bsu.edu.
Introduced Bills
House Bills (HB)
HB 1002 – Various Education Matters: Removes and repeals various education provisions and expired education provisions. Merges and amends provisions regarding fund distribution upon the termination of a charter and the cessation of a charter school. Amends the age eligibility for a member of a governing body. Establishes information that must be included in a consolidated audit by an organizer. Provides adult high schools are excluded from all cohort based graduation rate calculations except to the extent required under federal law. Amends the termination and notice requirements with regard to terminating a transportation program. Relocates a provision regarding trauma informed classroom instruction curriculum in teacher preparation programs. Provides that a provision that decreases state tuition support for failure to meet student instructional day.
HB 1361 – Exclusion of Discharged Student Loans as Income: Provides that the Indiana adjusted gross income add back of forgiven federal student loan debt that is excluded under the Internal Revenue Code applies only to the 2021 taxable year and does not apply to forgiven federal student loan debt forgiven in subsequent taxable years.
HB 1435 – STEM Enrollment: Requires the board of trustees of each state educational institution (institution) to adopt a policy that prohibits certain foreign students from enrolling in or receiving instruction in a qualifying STEM program offered by the institution. Requires that the policy be established and enforced not later than August 15, 2025. Provides that the policy must apply to certain foreign students who enroll in an institution after August 15, 2025.
HB 1484 – State Educational Institution Prohibitions: Prohibits state educational institutions from using certain institution funds to finance a speaker series.
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. Allows a parent of a student who does not meet the conditions for automatic enrollment to opt the student into a middle school advanced math course. Establishes requirements regarding: (1) mathematics screening, evaluation, and intervention; and (2) teacher preparation program math curriculum and content.
Senate Bills (SB)
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.
SB 334 – Higher Education Benefits for Military Service: Provides that a child of a disabled veteran may be eligible for a tuition exemption if the person's mother or father served in the armed forces of the United States. (Current law requires the person's mother or father to serve in the armed forces of the United States during a war or perform duty equally hazardous that was recognized by the award of a service or campaign medal of the United States.) Changes the residency requirement, from five years to one year, for a mother or father who served in the armed forces in determining the eligibility requirements for the child of a Purple Heart recipient tuition exemption and child of a disabled veteran tuition exemption. Repeals a provision that reduces a child of a disabled veteran tuition exemption if the individual's father or mother suffered a disability as determined by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs with a rating of less than 80%.
SB 365 – Education Matters: Requires the department of education (department), in collaboration with the management performance hub (hub) and the commission for higher education (commission), to collect, maintain, and aggregate certain data regarding career and technical education programs. Requires the department, in collaboration with the governor's workforce cabinet (cabinet), the commission, and the department of workforce development, to conduct a return on investment analysis on adult education programs, and report the department's findings to the legislative council. Requires the report to be published on the hub's website. Requires the commission, in collaboration with the cabinet, the department, and the department of workforce development, to conduct a return on investment analysis for postsecondary career and technical education, the twenty-first century scholars program, and certain grants, and report the commission's findings to the legislative council. Requires certain reports conducted by the commission to be published on the hub's website. Establishes additional requirements and restrictions regarding entities eligible to receive a career coaching grant (grant). Provides that a state educational institution is not eligible for a grant
SB 448 – Higher Education and Workforce Development Matters: Requires the Indiana management performance hub to annually report certain credential information on its website. Requires the secretary of education to establish a plan to develop a market driven stackable credentials and qualifications framework and submit the plan to the general assembly. Provides that the commission for higher education (commission) shall (instead of may) approve or disapprove certain branches, campuses, centers, new colleges, new schools, degrees, or programs. Provides that before the commission approves or disapproves a degree or program, a state educational institution shall provide, and the commission shall consider, certain information regarding the degree or program. Requires the commission to: (1) review each degree or program for approval or disapproval at least one time every 10 years; (2) outline a process for degree and program monitoring, improvement, suspension, and closure; and (3) publish certain information. Requires that, beginning with the 2026-2027 academic year, at least 50% of the students in a freshman class at a state educational institution must be residents of Indiana. Requires the commission to: (1) prepare recommendations regarding the percentage of resident students state educational institutions should enroll to meet workforce demands; and (2) submit the recommendations to the governor and legislative council.
Bills That Moved
House Bills (HB)
HB 1111 – Indiana National Guard: Increases, from $8,800 to $20,000, the amount that shall be paid by the state if a member of the Indiana National Guard dies in the active service of the state. Provides that a spouse or dependent of a member of the Indiana National Guard is eligible for a state employee death benefit if the member dies while serving on state active duty. Provides that the adjutant general may procure a medical insurance plan for members of the Indiana National Guard who are ordered to state active duty. Adds awards and decorations that may be awarded by the Indiana National Guard. Provides that members of the Indiana National Guard, while serving on state active duty, shall be considered state employees for purposes of receiving worker's compensation. Provides that a scholarship applicant of the National Guard tuition supplement program may use the scholarship for a credential certifying program, licensing program, trade certification program, or apprenticeship program for an in-demand occupation as identified by the adjutant general and the department of workforce development, in consultation with the commission for higher education. Provides that if a scholarship applicant of the National Guard tuition supplement program receives a twenty-first century scholars program scholarship, the scholarship applicant may use a National Guard tuition supplement program scholarship awarded to pay for room and board for two years. Makes technical corrections. HB 1111 passed the House Veterans Affairs and Public Safety 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. SB 74 passed the Senate Committee on Corrections and Criminal Law and is scheduled for a Second Reading.
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 181 passed the Senate Committee on Health and Provider Services.
Looking Ahead
Next week we can expect the General Assembly to increase committee activity and hold second and third readings for bills that have passed out of their assigned committees.
