April 21, 2023

Statehouse Update

The 15^th week of session marked the third reading deadlines for Senate bills in the House and for House bills in the Senate. We are now seeing a flurry of activity as both chambers work to finalize language in remaining bills through the conference committee process. If all goes to plan, the legislative session could end as early as next Thursday. By statute, the session must be completed by 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, April 29^th.

House Bills

HB 1001: State budget  
Passed Senate 40-10, House dissented from Senate amendments and Conference Committee held on Thursday, April 20^th
 

• The Senate’s biennial budget includes operating funding recommendations for a 4% increase in FY24 and 6% increase in FY25 (equaling $134 million new higher education operating funding over the biennium).  

• In FY24, 1% of the funding is run through the legacy outcomes-based funding model, 1% of the funding is run through the new prospective outcomes-based funding model and the other 2% is a base support increase.
  
  
• In FY25, 4% of the funding is run through the new prospective outcomes-based funding model and the other 2% is a base support increase.

• Higher education line-item funding was held flat in the Senate budget and dual credit funding remained at $45 per credit hour (as in the previous biennium). 

• The Senate cash funded all state educational institutions’ top priority capital projects (rather than using debt service funding), which included $89.5 million for the Wells Quad renovation at IU Bloomington.
  
• The Senate budget fully funds the Repair and Rehabilitation Formula at 0.5%, resulting in a $10.3 million increase in each year of the biennium (which equals a $4.5 million increase each year for Indiana University), as well as providing an additional $9.7 million for deferred maintenance projects at the IU Regional campuses.
  
  

HB 1002: Career advising grant program
Passed Senate 41-9, the House dissented from Senate amendments and Conference Committee held on Thursday, April 20^th

The bill establishes the career advising grant program and fund to be administered by the Indiana Department of Education. It established the program to provide grants to career advising providers for the purpose of providing career advising for students in grades 9 through 12.

HB 1201: Rare disease advisory council 
Passed Senate 50-0 and returned to the House without amendments

The bill establishes the rare disease advisory council, to be administratively managed by the Indiana Department of Health, to address various issues concerning the needs of patients in Indiana with rare diseases and their caregivers and providers.

HB 1449: Twenty-first century scholars program enrollment  
House concurred in Senate amendments 89-1

The bill allows the Indiana Commission for Higher Education and the Indiana Department of Education to identify eligible students for automatic enrollment in the 21^st Century Scholars program with an opt-out provision.

HB 1511: Higher education scholarships, grants, and cost exemptions 
Conference Committee held on Thursday, April 20^th

The bill provides that an eligible applicant for the national guard tuition supplement program or an educational costs exemption may apply a scholarship or exemption to a state educational institution or an approved postsecondary educational institution under certain conditions.

HB 1528: Next generation Hoosier educators scholarship program  
House concurred in Senate amendments 93-0

The bill allows an individual enrolled in a transition to teaching program to apply for a one-time $10,000 scholarship under the Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship program. It requires an applicant to possess a baccalaureate degree, agree to obtain an initial practitioner license and teach at a qualifying school for five years.

HB 1558: Science of reading  
Passed Senate 50-0 and House filed a motion to concur in Senate amendments

The bill defines the "science of reading" and requires the Indiana State Board of Education, in collaboration with the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE), to prepare and submit a report regarding the alignment of science of reading concepts in IREAD. The bill requires the IDOE to develop guidelines for science of reading integration into teacher preparation programs.

HB 1637: Teacher education scholarship programs   
Passed Senate 50-0 and House concurred in Senate amendments 86-4

The bill increases the annual Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship amount, from $7,500 to $10,000 and the Earline S. Rogers Student Teaching Scholarship for Minority Students, from $4,000 to $5,000. It creates the Next Generation Hoosier Minority Educators Scholarship for black and Hispanic students with similar requirements to the Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship and a $10,000 annual award amount. Finally, it removes the 200 new applicant per year limit on the Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship. 

Senate Bills

SB 35: Financial literacy 
Senate dissented from House amendments and Conference Committee held on Wednesday, April 19^th

The bill provides that, beginning with the cohort of students who are expected to graduate from a public school, a charter school, or a state accredited nonpublic school in 2027, an individual must successfully complete a personal financial responsibility course before graduating high school. The bill also creates requirements for content that must be covered in the course and allows schools to offer instruction on the course either as a separate subject or as units incorporated into appropriate subjects.

SB 167: FAFSA   
Signed by the Governor

The bill requires all students in their senior year of high school to complete and submit the FAFSA unless certain conditions are met.

SB 384: Purple star designation  
Signed by the Governor

The bill requires the Indiana Commission for Higher Education and the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs to develop and implement the higher education purple star designation for the following purposes: (1) to recognize postsecondary educational institutions that are supportive and inclusive of veterans and military connected families; and (2) to provide veterans and military connected families with enhanced support for pursuing and finishing a degree or postsecondary credential.

SB 404: Access to transcripts   
Signed by the Governor

The bill provides that if a current or former student owes $1,000 or less to a state educational institution or private for-profit postsecondary educational institution operated in Indiana must provide a transcript if the student has paid to the institution in the past year at least $100 or the total debt owed by the student to the institution, whichever is less. If a current or former student owes more than $1,000, the institution must provide a transcript if the student has paid to the institution in the past year at least ten percent (10%) of the total amount of the debt owed to the institution or three hundred dollars ($300), whichever is less.

SB 486: Education matters 
Passed House 63-36 and Senate filed a motion to concur in House amendments

The bill (among other provisions) repeals teacher training requirements regarding: (1) criminal gang organizations awareness; (2) certain information concerning homeless students; and (3) recognizing the signs and symptoms of seizures and the appropriate steps to be taken to respond to the symptoms; and requires that information concerning these subjects be included within the curriculum of teacher preparation programs. The bill requires the Indiana Department of Education to establish or license for use an online platform to provide information and training concerning these and other subjects.