Statehouse Update 1
Introduction
Welcome to the first Statehouse Update for the 2020 legislative session! During the session, the Ball State University Governmental Relations team will provide weekly reports summarizing the key activities and legislation before the Indiana General Assembly.
The General Assembly began its work on Monday, January 6 and, by statute, must conclude its business by March 14. During this “short session,” the General Assembly will consider legislation on a range of public policy issues, and policymakers have identified education and healthcare issues as top priorities.
To date, the Ball State Governmental Relations team is tracking roughly 100 pieces of introduced legislation, and we expect that number to grow as bills continue to be introduced and assigned to committee. In order to continue their progress toward becoming law, bills must pass their chamber of origin by the third reading deadline (February 3 for the House and February 4 for the Senate). If you have questions about the bills listed below (or any other pieces of legislation), please reach out to our office at gov@bsu.edu.
In addition, on January 9 we celebrated Ball State Day at the Statehouse. Representatives from all of the University’s colleges and from a number of other campus units were on hand to help show Indiana’s policymakers that in Serving Indiana, WE FLY! Thank you to all of those students, staff, and faculty who came down to the Statehouse to participate in the day!
Introduced Bills
House Bills
HB 1018: Student hunger and homelessness – The bill establishes the student hunger and homelessness study committee for the purposes of: (1) studying the prevalence of homelessness, housing insecurity, and food insecurity among students at Indiana colleges and universities during the 2020 academic year; and (2) providing suggestions for eliminating these issues. Requires the committee to report the results of the study to the governor and the legislative council not later than July 31, 2021. The bill was assigned to the House Rules and Legislative Procedures committee.
HB 1072: Resident tuition rate for military spouses and dependents – The bill makes changes to provisions concerning resident tuition rate eligibility for active duty armed forces personnel and dependents of active duty armed forces personnel and provides that spouses of active duty armed forces personnel are eligible for the resident tuition rate. Provides that a dependent or spouse of a person who serves on active duty in the armed forces is eligible for the resident tuition rate for the duration of the spouse's or dependent's continuous enrollment at a state educational institution. The bill is scheduled for a hearing in the House Education committee on January 15th.
HB 1082: Various higher education matters – The bill is the Commission for Higher Education’s legislative agenda bill. It makes changes to the employment aid readiness network (EARN) Indiana program, changes the name of the "return and complete" project to the "You Can. Go Back." project and makes changes to the definitions regarding the project. Provides that money in the graduate medical education fund does not revert to any other fund. Repeals provisions that do the following: (1) Require state educational institutions to report annually to the commission regarding return and complete students. (2) Expire the return and complete project provisions. The bill is scheduled for a hearing in the House Education committee on January 15th.
HB 1086: Education benefits relating to military service – The bill provides that a student meets the residency requirements for enrollment at a public school if the parent of the student: is transferred to or is pending transfer to a military installation within Indiana while on active duty pursuant to an official military order; and submits to the public school certain information, including official documentation, as determined by the state board of education, regarding the transfer or pending transfer. Provides that the student is considered to have legal settlement in the attendance area of the school corporation in which the parent: has submitted the required application and documentation; and intends to reside. Requires a parent who is transferred to or is pending transfer to a military installation within Indiana to provide proof of residence to the public school not later than 10 instructional days after the arrival date provided on the required documentation. Provides that if the parent of the student fails to provide the proof of residence, the public school may exclude the student from attendance pending an expulsion proceeding. The bill also includes language similar to SB 12 and HB 1072 concerning tuition rates for the spouses and dependents of active duty military personnel. The bill was assigned to the House Education committee.
HB 1110: Health workforce student loan repayment program – The bill establishes the following: (1) The health workforce student loan repayment program. (2) The health workforce council. (3) The health workforce student loan repayment program fund for the purpose of providing funds to repay outstanding student loans of certain health providers who meet the program requirements. Provides that the professional licensing agency shall, in coordination with the council, administer the program. Repeals provisions concerning the following: (1) The primary care physician loan forgiveness program. (2) The mental health services development programs. (3) The dental underserved area and minority recruitment program. The bill was assigned to the House Public Health Committee.
HB 1153: Governor’s workforce cabinet – The bill provides that the governor's workforce cabinet shall, on or before December 1, 2020, create a comprehensive strategic plan to ensure alignment of Indiana's primary, secondary, and postsecondary education systems with Indiana's workforce training programs and employer needs. The bill is scheduled for a hearing in the House Education committee on January 15th.
Senate Bills
SB 107: Eligibility for resident tuition rate – The bill provides that an individual who meets certain conditions is eligible for the resident tuition rate as determined by the state educational institution. Requires the commission for higher education to prescribe the form of the affidavit an individual must file to be eligible for the resident tuition rate. Provides that an agency or political subdivision is not required to verify that an individual is a United States citizen or qualified alien for the individual to be eligible to pay the resident tuition rate. Repeals a provision that provides that an individual who is not lawfully in the United States is not eligible to pay the resident tuition rate. The bill was assigned to the Senate Education and Career Development Committee.
SB 175: Prevention of sexual violence, domestic violence, and stalking – The bill requires each approved postsecondary educational institution to do the following: establish policies concerning sexual violence, domestic violence, and stalking; develop a notice of student rights and options; designate individuals to serve as confidential advisors to students who are victims of sexual or domestic violence or stalking; establish a complaint resolution procedure; provide training and information on sexual and domestic violence and stalking for students and certain employees; establish a campus wide task force to work on coordination with local stakeholders, and submit a report to the Commission for Higher Education concerning the above actions. Requires the commission to maintain on the commission's Internet web site a list of all the approved postsecondary educational institutions that fail to comply with the reporting requirements. The bill was assigned to the Senate Education and Career Development Committee.
SB 266: Teacher training – The bill requires the department of education to do the following: (1) Evaluate teacher training requirements in Indiana. (2) Prepare a report that includes recommendations for: (A) streamlining, combining, and reducing, as applicable, the teacher training requirements in Indiana; (B) the possibility of including teacher training requirements in teacher preparation programs; and (C) requiring, as appropriate, the completion of teacher training requirements in conjunction with the renewal of teacher licenses. (3) Not later than October 1, 2020, submit the report to the general assembly. The bill was assigned to the Senate Education and Career Development Committee.
Bills that Moved
House Bills
HB 1007: Fiscal matters – The bill adds several standard provisions to the sports wagering fund. Repeals a provision requiring review by the budget committee of certain agreements or extensions of agreements entered into by the Indiana finance authority or the state. Appropriates money from the state general fund for various projects of Indiana's state educational institutions. The bill was ordered engrossed and is now eligible for 3rd reading in the House.
Senate Bills
SB 12: Resident tuition rate for active duty personnel – The bill makes changes to provisions concerning resident tuition rate eligibility for active duty armed forces personnel and dependents of active duty armed forces personnel and provides that spouses of active duty armed forces personnel are eligible for the resident tuition rate. Clarifies that a dependent or spouse of a person who serves on active duty in the armed forces is eligible for the resident tuition rate for the duration of the spouse's or dependent's continuous enrollment at a state educational institution. The bill received an initial hearing in the Senate Education and Career Development Committee on Wednesday and will be eligible for amendments and a committee vote next week.
Looking Ahead
Next week we can expect to see a number of additional bills introduced and more committee hearings on bills.
