Statehouse Update
The 2024 short session of the Indiana General Assembly adjourned “sine die” six calendar days before their statutory Thursday, March 14th deadline. Of the 443 House bills filed, 21% passed. Of the 296 Senate bills, 26% passed. Adjournment also marked the end of nine retiring legislators’ legislative careers. Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed all but one bill (HB 1002). It is his eighth and final veto of his tenure as governor.
This will be the last regular Statehouse Update until the beginning of the 2025 session. An archive of previous Statehouse Updates can be found here.
Bills That Passed on the Final Day
HB 1001: Education and Higher Education Matters
Signed by Governor
This bill includes language to improve the Career Scholarship Account (CSA). This bill requires public colleges to report information to the Commission for their analysis of information.
HB 1002: Enforcement of Equal Educational Opportunity
Vetoed by Governor
The bill defines "antisemitism", specifies that the public policy of the state is to provide educational opportunities free of religious discrimination, and provides that antisemitism is discrimination on the basis of race, creed, religion, or national origin.
HB 1243: Various Education Matters
Signed by Governor
The bill makes various changes to the education law concerning the following: (1) Indiana diploma requirements and designations and satisfying certain course requirements by obtaining a diploma; (2) The criteria to receive a waiver from postsecondary readiness competency requirements; (3) The minimum number of alternate diplomas that may be counted in determining a school's or school corporation's graduation rate; (4) Use of the terms "statewide assessment program" and "statewide summative assessment"; (5) The responsibilities of the state advisory council on the education of children with disabilities; and (6) The criteria an individual must meet to participate in the Indiana high school equivalency diploma program. The bill requires the Indiana Office of Management and Budget to establish a kindergarten through grade 12 data governance team and establishes duties of the team. The bill defines "literacy coach" and requires literacy coaches to prioritize certain duties. 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 teacher preparation programs to receive an outside evaluation of teacher preparation reading instruction programs. The bill also requires the IDOE to develop an online, self-paced professional development module to support educators in mathematics instruction.
HB 1259: Professions and Occupation
Signed by Governor
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. The bill also establishes the therapeutic psilocybin research fund, administered by the division of mental health and addiction, to provide financial assistance to research institutions in Indiana to study the use of psilocybin to treat mental health and other medical conditions.
Bills that Passed in the Final Week
SB 1: Reading Skills
Signed by Governor
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
Signed by Governor
This bill requires each high school to (1) beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, offer the Indiana college core (college core); or (2) not later than October 1, 2024, submit a plan or report that meets certain requirements to the CHE. 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. By July 1, 2025, the bill requires the IDOE to partner with one or more institutions to provide online access to college core courses through the course access program.
SB 48: State Educational Institutions
Signed by Governor
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
Signed by Governor
This bill creates the artificial intelligence task force to study and assess use of artificial intelligence technology by state agencies. The bill also states that state educational institutions may adopt a (1) technology resources policy; and (2) cybersecurity policy; subject to specified guidelines.
SB 202: State Educational Institution Matters
Signed by Governor
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
Signed by Governor
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.
HB 1042: Transition to Teaching
Signed by Governor
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 provides that an applicant for a transition to teaching scholarship after June 30, 2024, must be a member of a household with an annual income of $100,000 or less and removes a provision concerning the reduction of scholarships if certain limits are exceeded.
HB 1179: State Educational Institutions
Signed by Governor
The bill requires a state educational institution (institution) to disclose certain foreign gifts and contracts received or entered into after December 31, 2020. Requires the commission to establish and maintain a website for accessing information about disclosed gifts and contracts. It authorizes the Indiana Commission for Higher Education to provide for an audit of an institution's use of a disclosed gift, or the proceeds of a disclosed contract, received or entered into after June 30, 2021, and before July 1, 2024. It authorizes the attorney general to bring a cause of action to enforce the disclosure statute. It 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.