Statehouse Update 12
Introduction
This week the General Assembly increased its pace in anticipation of the April 10 committee report and April 15 third reading deadlines. After next week, bills that fail to receive a committee hearing will be ineligible for consideration during the 2025 legislative session. Additionally, both chambers held concurrence votes, and the Governor began to sign those bills which passed out of the General Assembly. Bills that were amended in the second chamber that did not receive a concurrence vote will be assigned to a conference committee soon after the third reading deadline. We expect these activities to continue to increase next week with final deadlines approaching.
On Wednesday, our office hosted a group of students and faculty from the Department of Social Work at the Statehouse to observe the General Assembly and to connect with Ball State alumni working in and around the Statehouse. The group watched live committee activity, received a Statehouse tour and internship information, and participated in a panel with University alumni working as legislative staff and professional lobbyists.
Over 50 bills have now successfully made it through the General Assembly for the Governor’s signature. That number will continue to grow as bills flow through the legislative process over the coming weeks. The total amount of active bills remains about 350, which will decrease after next week’s committee report deadline. Our office continues to monitor almost 80 bills 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 third reading on the Senate floor (Yeas: 42, Nays: 6) and is now eligible for the Governor’s signature.
HB 1348 – Nonaccredited Nonpublic Schools: Provides that a high school diploma (diploma) or credential issued by a nonaccredited nonpublic school (school) is legally sufficient to demonstrate that the recipient of the diploma or credential has met the requirements to complete high school. Provides that a state or local agency or institution of higher education in Indiana may not reject or otherwise treat a person differently based solely on the source of a diploma or credential. Provides that a person who administers a school has the authority to execute any document required by law, rule, regulation, or policy to provide certain evidence regarding a child's education. This bill passed third reading on the Senate floor (Yeas: 32, Nays: 15) and is now eligible for the Governor’s signature.
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 passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee (Yeas: 10, Nays: 2) and is now eligible for second reading amendments on the Senate floor.
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 was signed into law by the Governor on April 3.
SB 95 – Law Enforcement Training Cost Reimbursement: Allows the state, a state agency, or a political subdivision (public employer) to be reimbursed for the costs of employing and training a law enforcement officer by a public employer that subsequently employs the officer. Provides that the reimbursement amount decreases over time and is eliminated three years after the officer is certified by the law enforcement training board to act as an officer. Allows a public employer to require, as a condition of hiring, that the individual enter into a contract or agreement to reimburse the public employer for employment and training costs, if the individual is subsequently hired by a private or governmental employer that is not defined by statute as a public employer. This bill was signed into law by the Governor on April 3.
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 passed the House Ways and Means Committee (Yeas: 22, Nays: 1) and is now eligible for second reading amendments on the House floor.
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 was recommitted back to the House Education Committee and is scheduled for a hearing on April 9.
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 third reading in the House (Yeas: 66, Nays: 24) and is now eligible for a concurrence vote in the Senate.
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 is scheduled for a hearing in the House Ways and Means Committee on April 7.
Looking Ahead
Next week the General Assembly will complete committee activity for the 2025 legislative session and continue with second and third readings. As part of the committee activity, the Senate Appropriations Committee will also complete its work on drafting its version of the state budget. Our office will monitor important legislation and continue to provide weekly updates.
