logo
Indiana lawmakers are still considering education bills on charter schools, DEI and more

Indiana lawmakers are still considering education bills on charter schools, DEI and more

Yahoo17-02-2025

Today marks the deadline for bills to make it out of their Indiana House or Senate committees, but some bills that would change Indiana's education policies are already making their way through the legislative process.
Other bills that received a large outcry at the beginning of the session — like HB 1136 and HB 1501 — and threatened to drastically change the Indianapolis Public Schools district appear to be dead this session. However, lawmakers can always add language to bills still moving through the process.
Here is a look at some of the prominent bills dealing with education topics still moving through the legislature.
Lead author: Sen. Linda Rogers, R-Granger
What it does: The bill would require all traditional public school districts, including Indianapolis Public Schools, to share property tax revenue with charter schools in their attendance boundaries, if 100 or more kids leave the traditional district for charter schools.
Status: The bill passed out of the Senate tax and fiscal policy committee by a 10-4 vote on Feb. 11. It now heads to the full Senate.
More on SB 518: 'Gutting our community': Lawmakers advance bill that could close 20 schools, IPS says
Lead author: Sen. Stacey Donato, R-Logansport
What it does: The bill would allow public schools to hire or bring in on a volunteer basis religious chaplains, with an eye toward alleviating the burden on school counselors.
Status: Passed the Senate on Feb. 11 by a 32-16 vote.
More on SB 523: Indiana lawmakers revive bill to allow public schools to hire chaplains as councilors
Lead author: Rep. Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis
What it does: The bill aims to loosen restrictions for Indiana schools and education systems, including by nixing the education credential requirement for the Indiana secretary of education, changing the timing of when teachers are paid and removing certain training and professional development requirements.
Status: Passed the House by a 75-16 vote on Feb. 3. It now heads to the Senate.
Lead author: Rep. Michelle Davis, R-Whiteland
What it does: This is virtually the same bill lawmakers passed in 2022, which banned transgender girls from participating in girls' K-12 sports. This year's bill extends that ban to collegiate athletics.
Status: The bill passed the House education committee 12-1 on Feb. 12 and has been sent to the full House.
More on HB 1401: Indiana House committee OKs transgender college sports ban - with some Democrat support
Lead authors: Sen. Tyler Johnson, R-Leo, Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville
What it does: This bill bans all state spending on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives — from trainings to diverse hiring initiatives — at state agencies, educational institutions and health profession licensing boards.
Status: The contents of this bill were amended into a different bill, Senate Bill 289, on the Senate floor on Feb. 4. That bill then passed the Senate on Feb. 6 by a 34-13 vote.
More on DEI efforts: This anti-DEI bill is not law yet. State-funded colleges are ending programs already anyway
Lead author: Rep. Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis
What it does: The bill prohibits a public school from expelling or suspending a student because they are chronically absent or habitually truant and expands the number of days for a school to hold an attendance conference about a student's absences from five days to 10. It also requires the Department of Education to establish best practices for student discipline on chronic absenteeism.
Status: Passed the House unanimously on Jan 30. A bill that similarly addresses absenteeism, Senate Bill 482, passed the Senate unanimously on Feb. 4.
Lead Author: Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne
What it does: The bill restricts government entities, including school districts and the Indiana Department of Child Services, from intruding on parental rights or keeping information from parents, unless there is a compelling governmental interest.
Status: Passed the Senate by a 44-5 vote on Jan. 27. It now heads to the House.
Lead Author: Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville
What it does: The bill would require candidates running in school board elections to start including party identifications next to their names on the ballots.
Status: It passed the Senate elections committee on Feb. 10 on a 6-3 vote. It's now waiting on a third reading in the Senate. A similar bill in the House, HB 1230, was passed out of the House committee and is waiting on a second reading.
More on SB 287: HSE, Carmel school board races were already political. This bill would add party affiliation
Contact IndyStar K-12 education reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or CBeck@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter (X): @CarolineB_Indy.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: These bills on Indiana's public education system are still moving

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

The post-Trump tax cliff
The post-Trump tax cliff

The Hill

time17 minutes ago

  • The Hill

The post-Trump tax cliff

The Big Story While Republicans push to make expiring provisions in President Trump's 2017 tax law permanent, additional measures geared toward working-class Americans are being slated for expiration at the end of 2028. © The Associated Press 'It means that's going to be an issue in the next presidential race,' House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-Md.) said. The major expiring tax breaks in the House-passed version of Trump's 'big beautiful bill' are boosts in the standard deduction, the deduction for seniors, and the child tax credit, along with the cancellation of taxes on tips, overtime pay, and car loan interest. Budget hawks are saying this sets up a tax cliff in the legislation similar to the one Republicans are now trying to surmount, since most of the 2017 Trump tax cuts expire at the end of this year. 'There's a total tax cliff in there. There's about $1.5 trillion worth of taxes that expire in four years, five years, which means what? In five years, they'll just keep them going. This is why we end up with the same problem,' Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) said last week. 'It is 100 percent a gimmick to have tax cuts that you're putting in place for four or five years,' he added. The legislation is likely to undergo substantial changes in the Senate, including a change in the accounting baseline that will allow trillions of dollars worth of deficit additions coming from the extension of previous tax cuts to be ignored. But senators are sounding open to maintaining the split between making the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) permanent and allowing the additional cuts for workers, families, retirees and consumers to expire. The Hill's Tobias Burns and Aris Folley have more here. Welcome to The Hill's Business & Economy newsletter, I'm Aris Folley — covering the intersection of Wall Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads Key business and economic news with implications this week and beyond: Top earners to receive lion's share of income boost from GOP bill: CBO The top one-tenth of the U.S. income spectrum is set to receive the biggest annual boost to its wealth as a result of the House-passed Republican tax cut and spending bill, according to a new analysis from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), while the bottom three deciles are set to lose wealth and the fourth lowest decile will break even. House GOP approves first batch of DOGE cuts House Republicans voted on Thursday to claw back billions of dollars in federal funding for public broadcasting and foreign aid, locking in the first set of slashes made by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Senate votes to end debate on stablecoin bill, teeing up final vote The Senate voted Thursday to wrap up debate on a stablecoin bill, teeing up a final vote on the legislation that would establish regulatory rules of the road for the dollar-backed cryptocurrencies. Walmart heiress funds anti-Trump ad A billionaire Walmart heiress has again taken aim at President Trump — this time encouraging people to participate in protests against his second presidency while Trump holds a military parade in Washington on Saturday. The Ticker Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: In Other News Branch out with more stories from the day: Wall Street ticks closer to its record after Oracle rallies NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes ticked higher on Thursday following another encouraging update … Good to Know Business and economic news we've flagged from other outlets: What Others are Reading Top stories on The Hill right now: Padilla forcibly removed from Noem press conference, handcuffed Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) was forcibly removed and then handcuffed after he interrupted a press conference Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem held in Los Angeles. Read more Republicans lay groundwork for 'total tax cliff' at end of Trump's term Congressional Republicans are laying the groundwork for a tax cliff at the end of President Trump's term in office. Read more What People Think Opinions related to business and economic issues submitted to The Hill: You're all caught up. See you tomorrow! Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here

Lawmakers approve budget and teacher pay push as session wraps up
Lawmakers approve budget and teacher pay push as session wraps up

American Press

time17 minutes ago

  • American Press

Lawmakers approve budget and teacher pay push as session wraps up

Lawmakers approve budget and teacher pay push as session wraps up Published 5:12 pm Thursday, June 12, 2025 By Anna Puleo | LSU Manship School News Service BATON ROUGE — The Louisiana House voted 98-1 Thursday to give final legislative approval to $53.5 billion budget package for the upcoming fiscal year without objecting to any of the major changes that the Senate had made earlier this week. With three hours to go in the session, lawmakers also agreed to ask voters to approve a constitutional amendment in a new attempt to fund permanent salary raises for K-12 public school teachers and support staff. Email newsletter signup Voters had rejected a long and complicated amendment in March that could have provided funding for permanent raises. Under the latest plan, voter approval could lead to salary increases of $2,250 for teachers and $1,225 for staff members. The proposed constitutional amendment would dissolve three state education trust funds and used $2 billion to pay down debt on teacher retirement plans. That would save parishes enough money to provide the raises. While waiting to see if voters approve the amendment, the state will pay stipends of $2,000 to teachers and $1,000 to support staff at K-12 schools for a third year in a row. The state budget and the new teacher pay plan both passed on the final day of a legislative session that also saw significant changes in car insurance regulation designed to lower some of the highest annual premiums in the nation. Other high-profile legislation stalled during the session. A bill to reinforce President Donald Trump's ban on diversity, equity and inclusion programs at public agencies and colleges failed after the Senate declined to take it up, even as similar bans gained traction in other Republican- led states. The bill had narrowly passed the House after a lengthy debate during which Black lawmakers called it 'racially oppressive.' Gov. Jeff Landry's push to more than double funding for his LA GATOR private school voucher program also failed. The House had approved the $93.5 million that Landry sought to sharply increase the number of families that could use public funds to send their children to private schools. During the session, the Senate limited funding on the vouchers to $43.5 million, and the House acquiesced. That funding will allow students already enrolled in private schools under the similar program to stay there, but there will not be any money for new families to join, as Landry had envisioned. Lawmakers approved another national conservative priority — the 'Make America Healthy Again' efforts led by Trump and health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The bill bans ultra-processed ingredients, such as artificial dyes and synthetic additives, in meals served in schools that receive state funding, starting in the 2027-28 school year. All bills that passed now go to Landry for his approval or veto. The budget bill would take effect on July 1. The governor has the power to veto individual items in it. As part of the budget, lawmakers agreed to spend $1.2 billion in one-time money from the state's Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund–which collects corporate and severance taxes — on transportation projects, economic development, water system upgrades, college maintenance and criminal justice infrastructure. They also approved using $1.1 billion in extra cash for short-term needs like infrastructure projects, debt payments and deposits into state savings accounts. That total includes last year's surplus, additional general fund dollars recognized by the state's revenue forecasting panel, and unspent agency money, either because fewer people used certain programs or agencies found other ways to cover costs. The stipends for the K-12 teachers and support workers will cost $199 million. The Senate also restored $30 million for high-dose tutoring programs that had been cut in the House's version. Legislative leaders were reluctant to expand spending in other areas, like for Landry's signature voucher plan to pay for more students to go to private schools. Some lawmakers are concerned that potential cuts in federal Medicaid spending and federal disaster-relief could force the state to absorb hundreds of millions in additional costs. The House approved a resolution on Thursday by Appropriations Chair Jack McFarland, R-Jonesboro, urging Congress not to cut Medicaid funding in a way that would hurt the state. Legislators from rural areas also expressed concern that expanding private school vouchers could eventually cut into support for public school district. Some lawmakers noted that the final level of spending on the LA GATOR program was not a cut but rather keeping funding flat. 'We always use the word cut,' Rep. Eric Tarver, R- Lake Charles, said. 'When really we mean it just isn't an increase.' The Legislature also passed a supplemental spending bill for the current fiscal year with about $130 million, mostly in lawmakers' earmarks for projects in their districts. Taking steps to try to bring down auto insurance rates was another major focus during the session. Landry signed a package aimed at lowering premiums by limiting certain lawsuits and increasing oversight of insurers. However, on Wednesday, he vetoed Senate Bill 111, which would have restricted when policyholders can sue insurers for bad faith. Landry said the bill risked making it easier for companies to deny claims, leaving policyholders with fewer options to challenge delays, especially after major disasters. Landry had said at the start of the session that he was seeking a balanced approach in trying to cut rates. He also persuaded lawmakers to give the insurance commissioner more power to block companies from charging auto insurance rates that appeared excessive. Featured Local Savings

Michigan lawmakers: Extortionists using AI to create deepfake pornography must be stopped
Michigan lawmakers: Extortionists using AI to create deepfake pornography must be stopped

Yahoo

time26 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Michigan lawmakers: Extortionists using AI to create deepfake pornography must be stopped

Rep. Penelope Tsernoglou (D-East Lansing) speaks in support of legislation to ban nonconsensual 'deepfake' pornography before a vote in the Michigan state House on April 24, 2025. | Photo: Anna Liz Nichols Legislation to ban non-consensual hyper-realistic 'deepfake' pornography stalled out in the Michigan Legislature last year, but that hasn't slowed the production of those materials and lawmakers say that needs to change. Bills to outlaw those materials were back again before the Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary and Public Safety Committee on Thursday. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Testifying before the committee was bill sponsor and state Rep. Penelope Tsernoglou (D-East Lansing). Tsernoglou said that each time she gets the opportunity to tell her fellow lawmakers there's a need for more regulation in artificial intelligence, the issue becomes worse because In Michigan, and across other states, there are bad actors who use artificial intelligence to create non-consensual fake pornographic media. 'As the percentage of the population that uses artificial intelligence technology, either knowingly or unknowingly, continues to grow exponentially, we must stay hyper-vigilant in our efforts to regulate the technology and to ensure that our most vulnerable community members are not exploited or harmed,' Tsernoglou told the committee on Thursday. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Department of Homeland Security both are reaching out to the American public about the rising issue of sexual exploitation taking place online, cautioning that children particularly are often being targeted. Both agencies cited a study from Sensity AI, a research company tracking deepfake media, which found that between 90% and 95% of deepfake videos online since 2018 are nonconsensual pornography and about 90% of those nonconsensual videos are of nonconsensual porn are of women. As the Michigan Senate considers House Bills 4047 and 4048, introduced by Tsernoglou and Rep. Matt Bierlein (R-Vassar) to ban nonconsensual deepfake pornography and place criminal penalties on their production, lawmakers in the committee meeting Thursday shared how the issue has impacted people they know. State Sen. Paul Wojno (D-Warren) said he appreciates that the bills address the nefarious nature of the materials, especially when it comes to extortion. He shared that a friend of his daughter had been extorted by someone using a fake image. '[A] deep fake was created and they sent it to her and threatened that if she didn't pay a certain amount of money, it would be posted on social media,' Wojno said. These extortionists don't even necessarily know their victims, said Zoey Brewer, policy and grassroots coordinator with the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. But by using technology that is becoming more realistic and more accessible to the public, Brewer said criminals are extorting money from victims or creating such intense anxiety in their victims that they can't attend school or work and, in some cases, they resort to suicide. The bills have bipartisan support, and cleared the state House with a nearly unanimous vote in April, just as they did last session. But the bills failed to clear the state Senate last year during a turbulent lame duck session. State Sen. Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit), the committee's chair, said the Senate had 'every intention' of taking up the bills, but she's glad lawmakers are pressing the issue again this session. Deepfakes don't just impact celebrities and they aren't harmless jokes, Bierlein said. Michigan's laws have left families and law enforcement without proper recourse to go after extortionists making fake sexual materials, he added. Among the groups who submitted support for the bills was the Michigan Sheriff's Association. The legislation being considered by the committee would send a strong message that Michigan will not tolerate digital abuse and would not only criminalize nonconsensual deepfake pornography, but also allow victims to sue the individuals who create it, Bierlein said. 'They're deeply invasive, traumatic violations that can ruin lives,' Bierlein said of deepfake pornographic media. 'Reputations, careers and mental health have all been damaged or destroyed by the weaponization of someone's likeness, often targeting women, minors and vulnerable individuals. This is not a hypothetical issue, in my own district I have heard from families and young people who have been directly affected by these people.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store