Statehouse Update

The sixth week of session continued to pick up pace after the intersession break. The House has six more business days to hear Senate bills in committee and the Senate has eight more business days to hear House bills. IU State Relations anticipates significant bill movement next week as legislators negotiate which bills will continue to move through the process. 

House Bills 

HB 1001: Education and Higher Education Matters 
Heard in Senate Education and Career Development and held for amendments and committee vote 

This bill includes language to improve the Career Scholarship Account (CSA). Effective July 1, 2025, allows recipients of the 21^st Century Scholarship and Frank O’Bannon Grant to use funding towards the cost of employer or labor organization training. This bill requires public colleges to report information to the Commission for their analysis of information. 

HB 1042: Transition to Teaching 
Passed Senate Education and Career Development 10-0 and recommitted to Senate Appropriations 

This bill would allow the Commission to use any remaining funds of the Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship fund to award additional Transition to Teaching Scholarships. The bill removes a provision concerning the reduction of scholarships if certain limits are exceeded. 

HB 1259: Professions and Occupations 
Passed Senate Health and Provider Services 9-0 

Allows the Indiana state board of nursing (board) to issue, by examination, a registered nurse license to graduates of a foreign nursing school. Allows the board to issue, by examination, a licensed practical nurse license to graduates of a foreign nursing school. The bill allows the majority of nursing program faculty to be part-time employees of an approved postsecondary educational institution or a hospital that conducts the nursing program. 

Senate Bills 

SB 1: Reading Skills  
Passed House Education 9-4 and recommitted to House Ways and Means 

This bill requires certain schools to offer additional school courses to students who are not at reading proficiency levels or at risk of becoming not proficient in reading as indicated by the Indiana State Board of Education. The Indiana Department of Education will be required to procure a universal screening assessment for all students to take. 

SB 139: Psilocybin Treatment Program 
Passed House Public Health 12-1 and recommitted to House Ways and Means 

This bill establishes a research fund, administered by the Indiana Department of Health, to provide funding for Indiana institutions to study the use of Psilocybin to treat mental health and other conditions.

SB 202: State Educational Institution Matters. 
Heard in House Education and held for amendments and committee vote. Indiana University testified against the bill. Dr. Richard DiMarchi (Chemistry, College of Arts + Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington), Dr. Priscilla Barnes (Applied Health Science, School of Public Health, Indiana University Bloomington), Dr. Mary Dankoski (Family Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine), and Dr. Daniel Smith (Marketing, Kelley School of Business, Indiana University Bloomington) were authorized by the OVPUR to testify on behalf of IU against the tenure provisions of the bill. 
 
The bill amends the duties of state educational institutions' diversity committees and provides that certain offices or individuals established or employed by a state educational institution regarding diversity programming must include within the mission of the office or position programming that substantially promotes both cultural and intellectual diversity. It establishes various requirements and restrictions for institutions regarding free inquiry, free expression, and intellectual diversity that does the following: (1) Requires the establishment of certain policies regarding (a) disciplinary actions for certain persons that materially and substantially disrupt protected expressive activity; (B) limiting or restricting the granting of tenure or a promotion if certain conditions related to free inquiry, free expression, and intellectual diversity are not met; and (C) disciplinary actions that will be taken if, after a review, a determination has been made that a tenured faculty member has failed to meet certain criteria related to free inquiry, free expression, and intellectual diversity. (2) Requires the review and consideration, at least every five years, of certain criteria related to free inquiry, free expression, and intellectual diversity. (3) Requires the establishment of a procedure that allows students and employees to submit complaints that a faculty member or contractor is not meeting certain criteria related to free inquiry, free expression, and intellectual diversity and establishes requirements regarding the procedure and submitted complaints. The bill provides that certain individuals may request the Indiana Commission for Higher Education to review a final decision by an institution concerning a violation of these provisions. The bill adds one member appointment by the House Speaker and one member appointment by the Senate Pro Tempore to each institution’s board of trustees and establishes various reporting requirements by institutions with the submission of their legislative budget request.

SB 273: Biomarker Testing Coverage 
Passed House Insurance 11-0 and recommitted to House Ways and Means 
 
This bill requires a health plan to provide coverage for biomarker testing for the purposes of diagnosis, treatment, appropriate management, or ongoing monitoring of an enrollee's disease or condition when biomarker testing is supported by medical and scientific evidence.