Statehouse Update 7
Introduction
This week, the General Assembly continued to move bills through committees, as each chamber approaches next week’s committee report deadline for bills in their second chamber. In addition, both chambers saw increased floor action, and bills moved through second and third readings.
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 passed the House Education committee and is now eligible for second reading by the House.
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 237 passed the House Government and Regulatory Reform committee and is now eligible for second reading by the House.
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 on third reading by the House and will be returned to the Senate for the author to concur or dissent with amendments made 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 1003 passed on third reading by the Senate and will now return to the House for the author to concur or dissent amendments made by the Senate.
HB 1134 – Education Matters: The bill was mostly replaced by an amendment in the Senate Education and Career Development committee. The amendment removed provisions in the bill requiring classroom materials to be posted online and vetted by parent review committees. Instead, the amended bill now gives parents access to their school’s learning management system and allows parents to review learning materials used in their child’s classroom upon request. Parents could also request a school board to adopt a parent committee to review curriculum, though it would not be required. Other provisions in the original bill that would have restricted teaching about racism and politics were also substantially modified.
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. HB 1242 passed on third reading by the House and is eligible for consideration by the Senate.
Looking Ahead
Next week, the General Assembly will end its committee work for this session, with the House and Senate facing February 22nd and 24th deadlines respectively, for moving bills out of committee. Bills will also continue to see floor action in each chamber ahead of 2nd and 3rd reading deadlines the following week.
