Latest news with #SenateBill442
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Consent added into sex education bill, anti-DEI bill pass in final days of Indiana legislative session
In the final two days of the session, the Indiana legislature approved last-minute changes to a sex education bill and passed an anti-DEI bill. Senate Bill 442, which addresses instruction on human sexuality, and Senate Bill 289, which addresses unlawful discrimination, were both authored by Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville. After the session ended Thursday, Byrne issued a brief statement that he championed legislation that aimed to 'promote educational curriculum transparency' and 'prevent unlawful discrimination.' 'I look forward to spending time this interim hearing from local constituents on how to continue to make Indiana a better place to raise a family,' Byrne said. In Senate Bill 442, a school board would have to approve any materials used to teach human sexuality for grades 4-12, and for the material titles to be posted online. The bill also requires elementary school students, if they participate in the lesson, to watch a three-minute ultrasound video of fetal development. In the final week of the session, Byrne said he would remove language in the bill that required teaching 'the importance of consent on sexual activity.' But, after receiving pushback, Byrne added the language about consent back into the bill. 'The primary goal of Senate Bill 442 is to promote transparency in sexual education curriculum by requiring that curriculum to be approved by school boards and posted publicly online. The new conference committee report, which I approved yesterday morning, will also retain language added by the House of Representatives, which would require schools to teach about the importance of consent to sexual activity in an age-appropriate way and teach about fetal development during pregnancy,' Byrne said in a statement last Tuesday. Sen. J.D. Ford, D-Indianapolis, said he was glad that consent was added back into the bill. But, Ford opposed the bill because he didn't understand the specificity of watching a three-minute ultrasound video. Sen. Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington, said consent should be taught beyond just 'sexual activity between two individuals.' 'I don't know why there has to be some qualifier,' Yoder said. 'I think what's important here is we're teaching young people to be able to have agency and sense of self and be able to make those determinations no matter what.' The bill passed the Senate last Wednesday 35-12, with Sen. Vaneta Becker, R-Evansville, and Sen. Greg Walker, R-Columbus, and all Democrats voting against the bill. It passed the House 72-20 the same day. Senate Bill 289 prohibits 'discrimination' in state education, public employment and a licensing setting that 'is based on a personal characteristic of the person.' The final version of the bill exempts 'employment actions concerning participation in a public contract by a minority business enterprise, women's business enterprise, or veteran business enterprise, if the employment action is authorized by law.' Under the bill, schools can also make decisions around grants, scholarships or fee remissions based on 'personal characteristics' as long as those awards do not include any 'state funds or resources.' State offices and universities can't require employees to complete training or licensing 'asserting that, or endorsing the theory that,' a person with a certain personal characteristic is inherently superior or inferior to a person with a different personal characteristic; should be blamed for actions committed in the past; or has a moral character that is determined by a personal characteristic of the person. 'You can't fix discrimination with discrimination,' Byrne said. 'This bill is good for Indiana, and everybody should be judged by how hard you work.' In the bill, Earline S. Rogers, who was a former Lake County legislator, strikes the word 'minority' from the scholarship requirement and lists that those eligible for the scholarship 'reside in an underserved county in Indiana.' The bill defines five underserved counties: Lake, Allen, Marion, St. Joseph and Vanderburgh. Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, raised concerns about limiting the scholarship to five counties while aiming to 'fight discrimination.' 'It just doesn't make sense that the supermajority would pass a bill that discriminates against most of the counties in the state,' Randolph said. Yoder said Senate Bill 289 is a 'culture war bill,' The legislature should defend scholarships for minority students 'full stop,' she said, and said the bill discriminates against who can receive scholarships. 'I strongly continue to be opposed with this direct attack on truth and progress all in the name of unlawful discrimination. You can't put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig,' Yoder said. Sen. La Keisha Jackson, D-Indianapolis, said diversity, equity and inclusion benefits white women, people with disabilities and veterans before it benefits Black and brown people. As a Black woman, Jackson said tearfully it was difficult to have to complicate an anti-DEI bill as she listed the history of Black people, from the three-fifths compromise to Martin Luther King Jr. leading the civil rights movement. 'By eliminating DEI, we are limiting perspectives and ignoring the richness of our diverse state. Life is not black and white – there is nuance, and we must embrace the complexity that makes Indiana what it is,' Jackson said. Byrne said everyone in the Senate 'is 100% whole,' and he said he taught his three sons as they were growing up Martin Luther King Jr.'s message of judging a person based on the content of their character. 'I love every person for their personal characteristics,' Byrne said. 'I do love every person, even on the other side. I don't care what color skin you are, it has nothing to do with it.' The bill passed the Senate last Thursday, the final day of session, 34-16. It passed the House 64-26 the same day. akukulka@
Chicago Tribune
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Consent added into sex education bill, anti-DEI bill pass in final days of Indiana legislative session
In the final two days of the session, the Indiana legislature approved last-minute changes to a sex education bill and passed an anti-DEI bill. Senate Bill 442, which addresses instruction on human sexuality, and Senate Bill 289, which addresses unlawful discrimination, were both authored by Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville. After the session ended Thursday, Byrne issued a brief statement that he championed legislation that aimed to 'promote educational curriculum transparency' and 'prevent unlawful discrimination.' 'I look forward to spending time this interim hearing from local constituents on how to continue to make Indiana a better place to raise a family,' Byrne said. Sex education bill In Senate Bill 442, a school board would have to approve any materials used to teach human sexuality for grades 4-12, and for the material titles to be posted online. The bill also requires elementary school students, if they participate in the lesson, to watch a three-minute ultrasound video of fetal development. In the final week of the session, Byrne said he would remove language in the bill that required teaching 'the importance of consent on sexual activity.' But, after receiving pushback, Byrne added the language about consent back into the bill. 'The primary goal of Senate Bill 442 is to promote transparency in sexual education curriculum by requiring that curriculum to be approved by school boards and posted publicly online. The new conference committee report, which I approved yesterday morning, will also retain language added by the House of Representatives, which would require schools to teach about the importance of consent to sexual activity in an age-appropriate way and teach about fetal development during pregnancy,' Byrne said in a statement last Tuesday. Sen. J.D. Ford, D-Indianapolis, said he was glad that consent was added back into the bill. But, Ford opposed the bill because he didn't understand the specificity of watching a three-minute ultrasound video. Sen. Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington, said consent should be taught beyond just 'sexual activity between two individuals.' 'I don't know why there has to be some qualifier,' Yoder said. 'I think what's important here is we're teaching young people to be able to have agency and sense of self and be able to make those determinations no matter what.' The bill passed the Senate last Wednesday 35-12, with Sen. Vaneta Becker, R-Evansville, and Sen. Greg Walker, R-Columbus, and all Democrats voting against the bill. It passed the House 72-20 the same day. Anti-DEI bill Senate Bill 289 prohibits 'discrimination' in state education, public employment and a licensing setting that 'is based on a personal characteristic of the person.' The final version of the bill exempts 'employment actions concerning participation in a public contract by a minority business enterprise, women's business enterprise, or veteran business enterprise, if the employment action is authorized by law.' Under the bill, schools can also make decisions around grants, scholarships or fee remissions based on 'personal characteristics' as long as those awards do not include any 'state funds or resources.' State offices and universities can't require employees to complete training or licensing 'asserting that, or endorsing the theory that,' a person with a certain personal characteristic is inherently superior or inferior to a person with a different personal characteristic; should be blamed for actions committed in the past; or has a moral character that is determined by a personal characteristic of the person. 'You can't fix discrimination with discrimination,' Byrne said. 'This bill is good for Indiana, and everybody should be judged by how hard you work.' In the bill, Earline S. Rogers, who was a former Lake County legislator, strikes the word 'minority' from the scholarship requirement and lists that those eligible for the scholarship 'reside in an underserved county in Indiana.' The bill defines five underserved counties: Lake, Allen, Marion, St. Joseph and Vanderburgh. Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, raised concerns about limiting the scholarship to five counties while aiming to 'fight discrimination.' 'It just doesn't make sense that the supermajority would pass a bill that discriminates against most of the counties in the state,' Randolph said. Yoder said Senate Bill 289 is a 'culture war bill,' The legislature should defend scholarships for minority students 'full stop,' she said, and said the bill discriminates against who can receive scholarships. 'I strongly continue to be opposed with this direct attack on truth and progress all in the name of unlawful discrimination. You can't put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig,' Yoder said. Sen. La Keisha Jackson, D-Indianapolis, said diversity, equity and inclusion benefits white women, people with disabilities and veterans before it benefits Black and brown people. As a Black woman, Jackson said tearfully it was difficult to have to complicate an anti-DEI bill as she listed the history of Black people, from the three-fifths compromise to Martin Luther King Jr. leading the civil rights movement. 'By eliminating DEI, we are limiting perspectives and ignoring the richness of our diverse state. Life is not black and white – there is nuance, and we must embrace the complexity that makes Indiana what it is,' Jackson said. Byrne said everyone in the Senate 'is 100% whole,' and he said he taught his three sons as they were growing up Martin Luther King Jr.'s message of judging a person based on the content of their character. 'I love every person for their personal characteristics,' Byrne said. 'I do love every person, even on the other side. I don't care what color skin you are, it has nothing to do with it.' The bill passed the Senate last Thursday, the final day of session, 34-16. It passed the House 64-26 the same day.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
After pushback, requirement for Indiana schools to teach consent in sex education returned to bill
(Getty Images) Two days after plans were announced to delete a proposed requirement for K-12 schools to teach about consent during sex education instruction, a Republican senator has since reversed. Last-minute edits to Senate Bill 442, a 'human sexuality instruction' measure, were detailed Monday during a brief conference committee meeting. The underlying legislation requires any materials used to teach 'human sexuality' for grades 4-12 be approved by a school board and posted online. Additional language would mandate that elementary school students watch a three-minute ultrasound video of fetal development if they participate in human sexuality coursework. In contention, however, was a provision to require any sex education curriculum to include instruction on 'the importance of consent to sexual activity.' Last-minute change removes requirement for Indiana schools to teach consent in sex education Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville, said earlier in the week that he intended to get rid of the language in the final version of his bill. He pointed to 'different thoughts in different communities' and preferred to let school boards decide if local curricula include topics on consent. The removal drew sharp pushback from Democrats on the conference committee, and Byrne backtracked the decision in a Wednesday morning statement. 'The primary goal of Senate Bill 442 is to promote transparency in sexual education curriculum by requiring that curriculum to be approved by school boards and posted publicly online,' he said. 'The new conference committee report, which I approved yesterday morning, will also retain language added by the House of Representatives, which would require schools to teach about the importance of consent to sexual activity in an age-appropriate way and teach about fetal development during pregnancy. I look forward to shepherding this bill through the rest of the legislative process.' The conference committee proposal had not been signed and officially approved as of Wednesday morning, however, meaning the bill's provisions were not finalized and could still change. The introduction of sex education usually starts in the fourth grade, according to state guidelines. But Indiana does not require the course in schools. Instead, it only mandates that schools teach lessons on HIV and AIDS. Schools that do teach sex education are expected to focus on abstinence. Critics of the bill have argued that school boards already have the authority to review and approve curricular materials. State law further requires school corporations to make instructional materials available to parents so that they can consent to instruction on human sexuality. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Axios
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Consent requirement stripped from sex ed bill
Indiana schools don't have to teach kids about consent in sex ed. Why it matters: More than half of Hoosier kids are sexually active by the time they leave high school, according to a 2023 school-based survey of students. Nearly a quarter of female students and 1 in 10 male students are physically forced to have sex when they don't want to by the time they're seniors, according to the same survey. Driving the news: Language that would have required schools to teach the concept of consent to sexual activity was removed during a conference committee meeting this week for Senate Bill 442, a bill that would require schools that teach sex ed to have their curricular materials approved first by their school board. Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville, said he'd rather leave the decision to local school boards. "This is a sensitive subject for many," Byrne said in a brief conference committee hearing Monday. "I believe there may be different thoughts in different communities. It leaves … local control on making those decisions." Yes, but: The bill would not let locals decide whether they wanted to show a "high-definition ultrasound video — at least three minutes in duration — showing the development of the brain, heart, sex organs and other vital organs in early fetal development." It would make that a required part of sex ed, if schools chose to teach it. It also would mandate that schools show students a rendering or animation of the process of fertilization and each stage of fetal development. What they're saying: "We are talking about teenagers that sometimes don't learn that they can say, 'no,'" said Rep. Tonya Pfaff, D-Terre Haute. "We're protecting our youth." Pfaff, a high school math teacher, amended the consent language into the bill while it was in the House. The bill's House sponsor, Rep. Michelle Davis, R-Whiteland, supported the amendment. Several other Democrats raised concerns about removing the consent language from the bill, and Rep. Becky Cash, R-Zionsville, suggested Byrne add language about age-appropriate teaching of consent as a compromise. The other side: Byrne said he "understands the concerns" but would be leaving the decisions to local school boards and repeatedly said there wasn't time for more discussion. The meeting lasted less than 15 minutes. What's next: The conference committee report could change before it's signed or voted on, but Republicans maintain a supermajority in both chambers and don't need Democrats to sign off on legislative changes at this point in the process.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Committee advances bill adding pregnancy ultrasound video to Indiana sex ed requirements
(Getty Images) Hoosier elementary school students could be required to watch a pregnancy ultrasound video as part of their curricula if a bill moving through the House keeps its momentum. Language mandating Indiana's sex education instruction to include a presentation on 'human growth and development during pregnancy' was officially baked into Senate Bill 442 on Wednesday. The add-in was approved along party lines by the House Education Committee, as was the underlying bill, which now heads to the chamber floor. Terre Haute Democrat Rep. Tonya Pfaff emphasized that the bill 'is not needed at all.' 'We already have a class on child development, which goes into a lot of detail on how a baby is grown during the nine months of pregnancy,' Pfaff said. 'I just don't like this idea of mandating that kids have to watch this. I would prefer that — if they're interested in this — watch it with their parents.' Pfaff further questioned how the ultrasound video would be selected. Republican Rep. Julie McGuire, who proposed the language, said decisions would be left to local boards. 'I found 16 videos in about 10 minutes on YouTube,' said McGuire, of Indianapolis. 'There's so much material out there. It doesn't have to be that prescriptive.' At its core, Senate Bill 442 seeks to require any instruction and learning materials used to teach 'human sexuality' for grades 4-12 be approved by a school board. Basic information about the curriculum would have to be published in a 'conspicuous' place on the school's website. That includes a list of classes, by grade level, 'in which any instruction concerning human sexuality will be taught,' and whether that instruction 'will be provided by a male or female instructor.' The school's parental consent form — which lets parents remove their children from sexual education classes — would also need a link to that information. A grievance procedure would additionally need to be in place for parents to call out non-compliant schools. Critics of the bill have repeatedly noted, however, that Indiana parents already have the right to remove their child from sex education classes. And some schools don't provide such classes at all. The House Education Committee also adopted a proposal that intends to increase transportation and facility sharing between Indianapolis Public Schools and area charters. Despite discussion earlier in the session to approve a statewide plan to boost resource sharing between traditional publics and charter schools, lawmakers kept language in Senate Bill 373 limited to just Indianapolis. The latest draft of the legislation moved to the chamber floor on Wednesday in a 9-3 vote. The introduction of sex education usually starts in the fourth grade, according to state guidelines. But Indiana does not require the course in schools. Instead, it only mandates that schools teach lessons on HIV and AIDS. Schools that do teach sex education are expected to focus on abstinence. Currently, school boards have the authority to review and approve curricular materials. State law further requires school corporations to make instructional materials available to parents so that they can consent to instruction on human sexuality. But bill author Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville, questioned if school boards 'are actually having conversations' about that curriculum. He previously said the proposal stemmed from concerns brought to him by teachers and parents, and that his intention is to 'help parents better decide whether they want to opt their child out' of sex ed courses. Byrne introduced a similar bill in 2024 that advanced from the Senate but died in the House without a committee hearing. The ultrasound provision would require students to view a 'high-definition ultrasound video,' at least three minutes long, 'showing the development of the brain, heart, sex organs and other vital organs in early fetal development;' as well as a 'high-quality computer-generated rendering or animation' showing 'the process of fertilization and each stage of fetal development inside the uterus, noting significant markers in cell growth and organ development for every week of pregnancy from fertilization to birth.' Like Pfaff, Rep. Ed DeLaney, D-Indianapolis, maintained that 'I don't think we should be doing this.' 'I thought we were having legislation on human sexuality and the training of human sexuality — not lessons on maternity or chordate anatomy, which seems to be what this is,' he said. 'I think this opens this bill up to a serious discussion on the (House) floor about education and videos about STDs and everything else that in any way is related to sex.' In a separate move, House lawmakers abandoned contentious language that could have increased permissions for high school students to leave school for religious instruction. Sen. Spencer Deery, R-West Lafayette, framed his Senate Bill 255 as a means to tighten up existing law by preventing public high school students from missing large amounts of time from one class for out-of-school faith-based lessons. Hoosier students are already permitted to miss up to 120 minutes of class each week for optional religious instruction hosted off school grounds. Lawmakers debate if students should miss some — or all — of a class for religious instruction Deery's bill suggested a tweak, however, to allow older students to effectively replace an elective course with religious instruction. The existing two-hour limit for elementary and middle school students would remain the same. The proposal was criticized by House Democrats, who questioned how an increased exemption for religious instruction would benefit students. They emphasized, too, that Deery's proposed changes could permit daily absences and more than double the amount of time that can be spent away from traditional classes. Although the bill advanced to the House floor last month, committee chairman Rep. Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis, said the religious instruction language was found to be nongermane — too irrelevant — to the underlying bill, which mainly deals with teacher transition programs. The committee sent the bill back to the chamber on Wednesday with the provision on religious instruction gone entirely. Tensions also rose over a bill that would require Indiana's Commission for Higher Education (CHE) to have a heavier hand in higher education programming and decision-making. Under Senate Bill 448, which advanced to the House floor along party lines, CHE would have to review all public college and university degree programs — currently there are more than 3,000 — at least once every 10 years. When doing so, the commission would have to consider factors like labor markets, job placement, stackable credentials and work-based learning to determine if a degree should continue to be offered. Among the bill's other provisions is another requirement for university boards of trustees to 'assess and review the staffing needs' of the school during tenure reviews, which would then have to be shared with CHE. 'What I want to make sure is that we're being smart as we're educating and developing the workforce, and to make sure that we put Indiana first — while at the same time — continue to be a magnet for individuals from outside of Indiana,' said bill author Sen. Greg Goode, R-Terre Haute. Indiana Higher Education Commissioner Chris Lowery was on board, but Democrats were not. They worried, for example, that CHE would have 'too much power' to approve or disapprove university programs and faculty. Concerns were also raised over academic freedom implications that could come from potentially limiting programs that aren't directly tied to workforce needs. DeLaney repeatedly argued that the bill transforms CHE's relationship with universities, from a collaborative partner to a mandate-driven authority. 'For those who want to be really nervous, you pass this, and the gentleman down the hall — the lieutenant governor — becomes the governor, and who does he put in charge the Commission on Higher Education? And how much power do we want that person to have?' DeLaney said. 'That's what the stakes are here. This is about taking a cooperative system, that's evolved over decades and has succeeded, and making it a mandate-from-above system.' 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