The Indiana General Assembly reconvened for the second half of session this week. After their one-week break, the 334 bills that made it through their originating chamber have switched sides and will now go through the same process in the opposite chamber. This Statehouse Update provides a summary of bills the team is tracking and that moved during the ninth week of session.
House Bills
HB 1002: Various education matters
Heard in Senate Education and Career Development and held for committee amendments and vote.
The bill removes and repeals various education provisions and expired education provisions in Indiana Title 20: Education. This will be a multi-year process to “reduce regulations on K-12 schools to increase flexibility and give local communities more control over education decisions.”
HB 1111: Indiana National Guard
Passed Senate Veterans Affairs and The Military 7-0 and recommitted to Senate Appropriations.
The bill, among other provisions, provides that a scholarship applicant of the National Guard tuition supplement program may use the scholarship for a credential-certifying program, licensing program, trade certification program, or apprenticeship program for an in-demand occupation as identified by the adjutant general and the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD), in consultation with the Indiana Commission for Higher Education (CHE). The bill allows if a scholarship applicant of the National Guard tuition supplement program receives a 21st Century Scholars program scholarship, the applicant may use a National Guard tuition supplement program scholarship awarded to pay for qualified program and educational expenses approved by CHE for higher education and room and board for two years.
Senate Bills
Heard in House Education and held for committee amendments and vote.
The bill requires the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE), in collaboration with CHE and DWD, to create a combined return on investment report for specified programs, including the 21st Century Scholars program. It also moves the career navigation coaching system developed by CHE to the IDOE to administer and implement and eliminates state educational institutions as an eligible entity to apply for grants to provide career coaching under the system.