Statehouse Update 6
Introduction
This week, the General Assembly returned from their break to consider bills that were sent from the opposite chamber. Committee hearings began, and a few bills have advanced to floor action.
Tuesday saw the annual State of Higher Education Address where Commissioner Teresa Lubbers gave her final address in her role as Indiana’s Commissioner for Higher Education. She discussed aspects of the Commission’s strategic plan, including student success, financial accessibility, and workforce needs as they pertain to both the present and future of higher education.
On Thursday, our office along with the VSTOP, Voting System Technical Oversight Program, Office hosted State Representative Timothy Wesco (R-Osceola) and staff from the House Elections Committee and the Secretary of State’s Office for an information session and tour of the VSTOP facility housed on Ball State’s campus. We were grateful to have had insightful conversation and spent time with our colleagues who work hard for our state and its elections.
Bills That Moved
House:
SB 91 - Accreditation of teacher preparation programs: Allows a teacher preparation program to report the program's admission practices, in accordance with the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) standards, for teacher preparation programs accredited by the AAQEP. Requires the department of education to approve at least two accreditors that: (1) accredit teacher preparation programs; and (2) are recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation; to accredit teacher preparation programs for use in Indiana. SB 91 was heard in the House Education Committee.
SB 237 - Notice requirements for local government meetings. Requires an agency of a political subdivision (local agency) under the open door law to post a meeting notice and meeting agenda (if any) on the local agency's official web site, in addition to giving notice by any other method required by law. Specifies that the local agency's official web site may be on a social media platform for purposes of: (1) the open door law; and (2) the law allowing a local agency to make the first required publication of a notice in the newspaper and any required subsequent publications of the notice on the local agency's official web site. Specifies that the official web site of a local agency may not require a user to register or pay a fee to access the web site.
SB 366 - Higher education funding: Includes requirements for the commission on higher education to create a higher educational operating funding outcomes based formula and higher educational capital project evaluation metrics in each year prior to a budget session of the general assembly. Provides requirements for the commission to base its recommendations for capital projects based on the evaluation metrics. Also includes reporting and communication-based provisions for the budget committee and the commission upon a biannual third-party audit for the funding formula. SB 366 passed the House Ways and Means Committee and is now eligible for second reading by the House.
Senate:
HB 1003 – Nursing programs and licensing matters. Establishes certain requirements for the temporary licensure of retired or inactive emergency medical services personnel, retired or inactive health care professionals, out-of-state health care professionals, or recently graduated students who have applied for certain licenses. Allows a health care provider or an officer, agent, or employee of a health care provider who has a temporary license to qualify for coverage under the Medical Malpractice Act. Provides that the state board of nursing (board) shall issue by endorsement a license to practice as a registered nurse or practical nurse to an applicant who is a graduate of a foreign nursing school and provides certain documentation. Allows: (1) an eligible associate degree or bachelor's degree registered nursing program to increase enrollment at any rate deemed appropriate by the program; and (2) a nursing program that is not an eligible program but meets specified requirements to increase enrollment by not more than 100%. Allows a nursing program to substitute a certain number of simulation hours for clinical hours in certain circumstances. Establishes requirements for clinical preceptors. Provides that a majority of the faculty is not required to be full-time employees of a state educational institution that operates a nursing program that predominantly issues associate degrees.
HB 1242 – State purchasing. Requires the department of administration (department) to determine the technological upgrades and other expenditures required to collect and compile information regarding purchases made by state agencies from the following: (1) A minority business enterprise. (2) A nonprofit agency for individuals with disabilities. (3) A veteran owned small business. (4) A women's business enterprise. Provides that if a nonprofit agency for individuals with disabilities (qualified agency) withdraws from a department pilot project through which the qualified agency sells products or services to governmental bodies through a third party contractor, the department must award the qualified agency a quantity purchase agreement (QPA) for the same products and services and under the same terms under which the qualified agency had a QPA with the department before participating in the pilot project.
Looking Ahead
Next week, the General Assembly will continue to hear bills in committee and we will likely see greater floor activity as bills move through 2nd and 3rd readings.
