Statehouse Update 14
Introduction
This week was a busy one at the Indiana Statehouse. Legislative committees worked diligently to finish hearing all bills assigned to them in time for the House and Senate committee report deadlines, which was Thursday for both chambers. Second and third reading deadlines for both chambers are Monday and Tuesday, respectively. All bills that do not receive a second or third reading by Monday will no longer be eligible for passage during this legislative session.
Concurrence votes and dissents also took place this week. A number of conference committees have been assigned for those bills in which the author has issued a dissent on a bill that has been returned to them from the opposite chamber. A few conference committees have had initial meetings, and we expect activity to increase as the House and Senate continue to pass legislation and return to the chamber or origin. Additional bills were also sent to the Governor for signature, and 44 pieces of legislation have already been signed into law.
One bill that made it through the committee process was the state’s biennial budget – HB 1001. The bill was amended by the Senate Appropriations Committee in a number of ways. The bill, which contains $35.8 billion in state expenditures over the biennium, includes appropriations for higher education which makes up 11.5% of the total proposed budget.
The budget bill contains general operating, debt service for existing buildings, repair and restoration funds, and line items for Ball State University. The Senate budget restores funding in FY 2022 to the FY 2021 appropriation level, and contains a 2% increase in funding for operating for higher education overall, which then runs through the ICHE’s performance funding formula. For Ball State this means a $1.4 million increase in FY 2023. Line items for the Indiana Academy and the Entrepreneurial University remain the same at $4,384,956 and $2,500,000 for both years of the biennium, respectively. The current budget does not contain funding for university capital projects. The bill now moves to the full Senate for second reading amendments and a third reading vote before likely moving through the conference committee process.
Please see below for a list of bills being tracked by Ball State Governmental Relations that have moved during the last week. As always, if you have any questions, please reach out to our office at gov@bsu.edu.
Bills That Moved
HB 1002 - Civil immunity related to COVID-19: The bill protects health care providers from professional discipline for certain acts or omissions related to the provision of health care services during a state disaster emergency. Provides that the protection applies to the provision of health care services after February 29, 2020, and before April 1, 2022. The bill was approved by the Senate with a 41-9 vote and is now eligible for the House's concurrence or dissent.
HB 1169 - Cybersecurity incidents: The bill provides that the office of technology shall maintain a repository of cybersecurity incidents. Provides that a state agency and a political subdivision shall report any cybersecurity incident to the office without unreasonable delay and not later than two business days after discovery of the cybersecurity incident in a format prescribed by the chief information officer. Allows the office of technology to assist a state agency with certain issues concerning information technology. The House concurred with Senate amendments and the bill is now eligible for action by the Governor.
HB 1191 - Local unit power to prohibit utility connection: The bill provides that a county executive or the legislative body of a city or town does not have the power to prohibit: a public utility or department of public utilities from furnishing utility service to a utility customer; or a customer of a public utility or department of public utilities from purchasing, using, or connecting or reconnecting to a utility service; based on the energy source of the utility service. Provides that, except for purposes of compliance with specified building and fire safety laws, a local unit does not have the power to require or restrict particular design components or materials. The bill was amended in committee this week to remove language that would have impacted higher education institutions. It is now eligible for a second reading in the Senate.
HB 1437 - Electronic communication at public meetings: The bill allows, with certain exceptions, a governing body of a political subdivision (except for an airport authority or a local department of aviation) to allow its members to participate in a meeting of the governing body by any means of electronic communication if the public agency adopts a written policy establishing the procedures for electronic participation and the means of communication permits simultaneous communication between the members and allows the public to attend and observe the meeting. The House concurred with Senate amendments and the bill is now eligible for action by the Governor.
SB 54 - FAFSA completion incentive awards: The bill was amended to require the department of education to establish a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion incentive pilot program and provides requirements for a school corporation to receive a FAFSA completion incentive award. The Senate dissented from House amendments and the bill will now head to conference committee.
SB 205 - Teacher training: The bill requires a teacher preparation program to include curriculum that instructs teachers about social emotional learning practices that are helpful in supporting students who have experienced trauma. Also provides an additional avenue for alternative licensure for teachers. The bill was approved by the House Education committee with a 10-3 vote and is now eligible for a second reading in the House.
SB 414 – Various education matters: The bill contains a number of provisions relating to K-12 and higher education matters, including early warning systems for K-12 schools; internet use in K-12 schools; expand possibilities for differential pay for K-12 teachers by subject taught; and the creation of a number of new reports. It was amended in House Education to include language that requires studies on the following topics: ways to reduce costs for students in higher education institutions; student perceptions of the campus environment with respect to free speech and expression; and protection from foreign malfeasance. The bill had a second reading in the House on Thursday and is eligible for final action by the House next week.
Looking Ahead
The third reading deadline for both the House and Senate will be on Tuesday. All bills up for consideration must pass a third reading vote by this point in order to remain viable during the 2021 session of the General Assembly. The remainder of the session will be spent on conference committee meetings, as well as voting on concurrences or completing conference committee reports, which will allow bills to move on to the Governor’s office for signature or veto before becoming law.
