2019 Legislative Session

Indiana University Office of Government Relations

 Statehouse Report 10 

Introduction 

This week kicked off the second half of the legislative session. All bills that survived the first half of session have now switched houses, and several committees held hearings on bills coming over from the other chamber. The pace of legislative activity will now continually increase as we progress towards the end of session in late-April.

The Government Relations team hosted two events this week. First, we joined the government relations representatives from the other public universities to host the Senate Appropriations committee for lunch on Monday. This was an opportunity for universities to discuss their budget requests with committee members. Then, on Monday evening, we joined with the IU McKinney School of Law to host a reception for Indiana Supreme Court Justices, Indiana Appellate Judges, Marion County judges, Indiana legislators, and other IU McKinney alumni serving in state and local government.

Work on the state’s biennial budget also continues in the Senate Appropriations committee. On Tuesday, the Committee held higher education budget hearings for state universities and the Commission for Higher Education. President McRobbie presented IU’s budget request, emphasizing IU’s important role as a public institution and discussing operating and capital requests for the upcoming biennium. The Senate will present its version of the budget by mid-April after hearing budget requests from state agencies and other state-funded entities.

Bills that Moved

The bills below received committee hearings this week, but will not be eligible for a committee vote until at least next week.

HB 1009 – Teacher Residency Grant Pilot Program: This bill establishes a teacher residency grant pilot program and fund. Under the program, the Commission for Higher Education may award grants to school corporations and charter schools to partner with postsecondary education institutions to establish a teacher residency program that provides stipends to program participants and teachers who serve as mentors. The grant award may also be used to pay the approved postsecondary educational institution the school corporation or charter school has partnered with for administrative costs incurred in developing and implementing the program. Funding for this bill was included in the House version of the budget. The bill was heard in the Senate Committee on Education and Career Development on Wednesday.

HB 1245 – Various Higher Education Matters: This bill contains a number of provisions related to higher education, including changes in status or name for various universities. It also requires the Commission for Higher Education to provide each high school in Indiana with names of students who have filed for financial aid, and requires high schools to enter into an agreement with the Commission to allow for this information to be shared. The bill was heard in the Senate Committee on Education and Career Development on Wednesday.

SB 188 – Nursing Faculty Loan Repayment Program: This bill establishes the nursing faculty loan repayment grant program with the intent of increasing the number of nursing faculty in Indiana. This bill was heard in the House Committee on Education on Wednesday. Dean Hendricks from the IUK School of Nursing testified in support of this bill in her role as the President of the Council of Indiana Nursing Deans and Directors.

Looking Ahead

The second half of session will continue to ramp up next week with more committee hearings and bills moving to second and third reading. The IU Government Relations team has a number of events that we are looking forward to next week, beginning with a lunch for new legislators on Monday that we will host with the other university representatives. On Tuesday evening, the IU Government Relations team will host legislators at the annual Indiana Chamber Day Dinner, and we will also attend the Indiana POWER Caucus Silent Auction on Wednesday night.