Statehouse Update

The seventh week of session moved quickly as the time for bills from the opposite chambers to be heard in committee remains short. The House has two more business days to hear Senate bills in committee and the Senate has four more business days to hear House bills. 

House Bills 

HB 1001: Education and Higher Education Matters 
Passed Senate Education and Career Development 7-4 and recommitted to Senate Appropriations

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 1002: Enforcement of Equal Educational Opportunity
Passed Senate Education and Career Development 12-0

The bill defines "antisemitism", specifies that the state's public policy is to provide educational opportunities in K-12 and higher education free of religious discrimination, and that antisemitism is discrimination based on religion.

HB 1042: Transition to Teaching 
Passed Senate Appropriations 13-0

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 requires only those with a household income of less than $100,000 are eligible for the scholarship and removes a provision concerning the reduction of scholarships if certain limits are exceeded.

HB 1179: State Educational Institutions
Passed Senate Education and Career Development 13-0 

The bill requires the board of trustees of a state educational institution to adopt a policy on (1) prohibiting the transfer, licensing, or sublicensing of intellectual property developed using the state educational institution's resources to a business entity organized under the laws of a foreign adversary; and (2) prohibiting an employee of the state educational institution from making a public statement in the employee's official capacity unless the statement (a) relates to the operation of the state educational institution, or to a state educational institution sponsored event; or (b) has been approved by the board of trustees. The bill prohibits a state educational institution from using state funds or resources to: (1) engage or contract with an individual associated with a foreign terrorist organization or a state sponsor of terror; or (2) support the activities of a foreign terrorist organization or a state sponsor of terror.

HB 1259: Professions and Occupations
Passed Senate 49-0 and returned to House with amendments

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.

HB 1304: Education Matters
Passed Senate Education and Career Development 10-2

The bill establishes the committee on school data reporting to review regulations by state agencies and defines "literacy coach" and sets forth the requirements for a literacy coach. It requires the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) and the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, in conjunction with the Indiana State Board of Education (SBOE), to partner with the National Council on Teacher Quality to evaluate teacher preparation reading instruction programs. The bill provides that, beginning July 1, 2027, the IDOE may not renew a practitioner license or a comparable license to certain individuals unless the individual receives a literacy endorsement. The bill also requires the IDOE to develop an online, self-paced professional development module to support educators in mathematics instruction.

Senate Bills 

SB 1: Reading Skills  
Passed House Ways and Means 12-9

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 8: Higher Education Matters
Passed House Education 9-0. This is the Indiana Commission for Higher Education (CHE)’s agency bill with priorities added from the Governor’s Office.

This bill requires Indiana high schools to provide the Indiana College Core or create an implementation plan by the 2025-2026 school year. Colleges are required to offer a 3-year degree program and require 4-year campuses to submit a study on advisability and feasibility of offering an associate degree to students who do not wish to continue their education. The bill requires CHE, in coordination with the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) and institutions, to maintain and post a list and syllabus of each eligible college core course. As amended, the bill (1) requires the IDOE to partner with one or more institutions to provide online access to all college core courses through the course access program; (2) requires an institution to disclose certain foreign gifts and contracts received or entered into after December 31, 2013 and requires the CHE to establish and maintain a website for accessing the information; and (3) requires CHE to (a) review each course, including the syllabus for each course, that is provided by a postsecondary educational institution to a high school student and for which the student receives high school credit, and (b) not later than November 1, 2025, and not later than November 1 each year thereafter, prepare and submit a report that summarizes the information.

SB 48: State Educational Institution 
Passed House Education 12-0. Indiana University testified on behalf of itself, and the other state educational institutions, affirming support for the bill and highlighting existing tools helpful to students and families when making decisions regarding costs and potential outcomes of the education and training at our institutions.
 
The bill requires a state educational institution to prominently display on the home page and individual degree pages a hyperlink to the state educational institution's profile on the United States Department of Education's College Scorecard.

SB 150: Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity 
Passed House Government and Regulatory Reform 10-0 
 
This bill creates an artificial intelligence task force to assess and study the use of artificial intelligence technology by state agencies. The bill also states that state educational institutions may adopt policies to address technology resources and cybersecurity policies.

SB 202: State Educational Institution Matters 
Passed House Education 8-4. The bill was amended in committee removing all changes to each institution’s Board of Trustees, clarifying the role of CHE in reviewing violations, and making technical changes regarding the diversity committees and reporting requirements. The tenure portions of the bill remain. The bill will be eligible for 2^nd Reading amendments on Monday, Feb. 26.
 
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 CHE to review a final decision by an institution concerning a violation of these provisions under certain circumstances. The bill establishes various reporting requirements by institutions with the submission of their legislative budget request.

SB 273: Biomarker Testing Coverage
Passed House Ways and Means 19-0

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.