2019 Legislative Session

Indiana University Office of Government Relations

 Statehouse Report 11 

Introduction 

Momentum increased this week as more bills were heard in committees and a few bills reached second and third readings in their respective chambers. The IU Government Relations team was busy monitoring our tracked bills that are moving through the second half of the legislative session.

On Monday, we joined other university representatives in hosting a lunch to discuss higher education policy and funding with freshman legislators. On Tuesday evening, we hosted a table at the Indiana Chamber Day Dinner, and we were joined by several members of the House Ways and Means Committee and staff from IU’s Budget Office. On Wednesday, we also went to the Indiana POWER Caucus Silent Auction, an event to raise scholarship funds for non-traditional female students. In addition to the legislative activity this week, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education held a meeting at IUPUI on Thursday, which we also attended.

Bills that Moved

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 passed 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 passed 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 last week, and 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. The bill passed in the House Committee on Public Health on Wednesday and was recommitted to the House Ways and Means Committee for further consideration of the bill’s fiscal impact.

Looking Ahead

Next week, the university representatives, including IU’s Government Relations team, will host a lunch with staff from the Indiana State Budget Agency and Indiana Commission for Higher Education. Committee activity will continue to progress, as will activity on the House and Senate floor as we get closer to April’s deadlines.