2018 Legislative Session

Indiana University Office of Government Relations

 Statehouse Report 3

Introduction

Things are moving quickly during this short session. Most bills for the 2018 legislative session have now been introduced, with the bill filing deadlines in both the House and the Senate passing last week. The Government Relations team was busy with committee hearings this week as many of the bills that IU is tracking were heard for the first time. Several bills also received floor votes, including bills that IU is tracking which are now headed to their second chamber for further review.

Introduced Bills

HB 1357 – College Remedial Education: This bill would require state education institutions to develop a plan for students requiring remedial education based on cutoffs established by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education (ICHE).

HB 1393 – Hazing: This bill would require state colleges and universities to increase their reporting of hazing and collect data on reports of hazing.

HB 1426 – Education Matters: This bill would establish a single Indiana high school diploma with different designations for general, Core 40, Core 40 with Academic Honors, and Core 40 with Technical Honors.

Bills that Moved

House Bills

HB 1003 – Streamlining Agency Reporting Requirements: This bill would, among other things, change the public notice requirements for public colleges and universities making changes to historic structures. The bill passed out of committee and moved through its second reading this week. It is now eligible for its final vote before the full House.

HB 1039 – Study of Tax Topics: This bill would establish a study of College Choice 529 Plans, including the impact of the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on the plans and whether the annual limit for contributions should be increased. The bill unanimously passed third reading vote and will advance to the Senate for consideration.

HB 1047 – Education Benefits for Veterans: This bill, which would exclude veterans’ benefits from the financial aid determination process and provide an automatic tuition refund to service members called to active duty, passed its third reading vote unanimously. It will now move to the Senate for further consideration.

HB 1074 – Various Higher Education Matters: This is the annual bill representing legislation being pursued by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education (ICHE). It would make changes to the renewal of 21^st Century Scholars scholarships, modify procedures for state universities to sell real estate, and address other student financial aid matters. The bill passed its third reading vote this week and will advance to the Senate for consideration.

Senate Bills

SB 143 – Study of Student Performance Grades: This bill would establish a committee to study the impact of different high school grading systems on higher education admissions considerations. The bill moved through second reading this week.

Looking Ahead

We expect another busy week of committee hearings and floor votes as we enter the fourth week of session. We are also looking forward to our first Regional Campus legislative lunch of the year, which will be hosted by IU South Bend this Monday.