Latest news with #SpencerDeery
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Marijuana isn't legal in Indiana. So should advertising be legal here? Lawmakers say no
Indiana lawmakers took action on marijuana policy during the 2025 legislative session, just not in the direction Hoosiers who favor legalizing weed in the state may hope. State lawmakers voted 81-9 on April 23 in the House and 31-19 in the Senate on April 24 to ban the advertising of marijuana products "by any medium" within Indiana. The ban language is tucked into House Bill 1390, which is generally a bill with directions for the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The ban applies to signs on the interstate and flyers sent to mailboxes, both types of advertising that had already been popping up in Indiana as companies in neighboring states try to entice Hoosiers to cross state lines. The approval of the advertising ban follows a renewed push from Republicans for marijuana legalization, especially as Indiana is surrounded on its borders by states that have legalized it in some form. There were some signs of movement in that direction. A new Republican-led lobbying group, Safe and Regulated Indiana, formed earlier this year. Gov. Mike Braun on the 2024 campaign trail also signaled support for medical marijuana. But, as they typically do at the Statehouse, the bipartisan bills filed about legalization died without movement in either chamber. The advertising ban language stuck. Similar proposals banning advertising appeared in three different bills at the start of the legislative session: Senate Bill 166, from Republican Sen. Spencer Deery, House Bill 1327, from Republican Rep. Timothy Wesco and House Bill 1026, from Rep. Joanna King. All three bills died earlier this year after not receiving hearings in legislative committees. Language banning marijuana advertising hopped from bill to bill at the end of the legislative session. The language was added to HB 1390 and then removed and placed in Senate Bill 73. It was later eliminated from SB 73 and then added back to HB 1390 before lawmakers signed off on the final version of that bill. HB 1390 now heads to Braun's desk, where he can either sign or veto the bill. Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at Follow her on Twitter/X @CarloniBrittany. Sign up for our free weekly politics newsletter, Checks & Balances, curated by IndyStar political and government reporters. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana lawmakers approve marijuana advertising ban
Indianapolis Star
24-04-2025
- Business
- Indianapolis Star
Marijuana isn't legal in Indiana. So should advertising be legal here? Lawmakers say no
Indiana lawmakers took action on marijuana policy during the 2025 legislative session, just not in the direction Hoosiers who favor legalizing weed in the state may hope. State lawmakers voted 81-9 on April 23 in the House and 31-19 in the Senate on April 24 to ban the advertising of marijuana products "by any medium" within Indiana. The ban language is tucked into House Bill 1390, which is generally a bill with directions for the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The ban applies to signs on the interstate and flyers sent to mailboxes, both types of advertising that had already been popping up in Indiana as companies in neighboring states try to entice Hoosiers to cross state lines. The approval of the advertising ban follows a renewed push from Republicans for marijuana legalization, especially as Indiana is surrounded on its borders by states that have legalized it in some form. There were some signs of movement in that direction. A new Republican-led lobbying group, Safe and Regulated Indiana, formed earlier this year. Gov. Mike Braun on the 2024 campaign trail also signaled support for medical marijuana. But, as they typically do at the Statehouse, the bipartisan bills filed about legalization died without movement in either chamber. The advertising ban language stuck. Similar proposals banning advertising appeared in three different bills at the start of the legislative session: Senate Bill 166, from Republican Sen. Spencer Deery, House Bill 1327, from Republican Rep. Timothy Wesco and House Bill 1026, from Rep. Joanna King. All three bills died earlier this year after not receiving hearings in legislative committees. Language banning marijuana advertising hopped from bill to bill at the end of the legislative session. The language was added to HB 1390 and then removed and placed in Senate Bill 73. It was later eliminated from SB 73 and then added back to HB 1390 before lawmakers signed off on the final version of that bill. HB 1390 now heads to Braun's desk, where he can either sign or veto the bill.
Axios
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Indiana Statehouse: Letter grades and partisan school boards on agenda
There are six weeks left in the legislative session and just three weeks to get bills passed out of committee. Why it matters: It's getting close to crunch time, when lawmakers start compromising on, cutting or killing each other's bills. Yes, and: The budget, property tax relief and health care costs — all priority issues heading into session — are hitting snags that likely won't get worked out this week. Here's what we're watching instead: 🟢 Partisan school boards nearing finish line Should it pass the House, which could vote as early as Monday, Senate Bill 287 will have passed both chambers — a first for a bill to make Indiana's school board elections partisan. Yes, but: The version passed by the Senate is substantially different from what the House is considering, so there's no guarantee lawmakers will come to an agreement. The Senate would have school board candidates follow the same nomination process as any other political candidate, while the House version skips primaries and still provides a nonpartisan option. What's next: If the House passes SB 287, the Senate could accept the new version or go to a conference committee and work out a compromise. 🟢 A-F grades coming back Schools could soon get graded again if House Bill 1498 passes the Senate. It's up for floor amendments as early as today, which means it could get a final vote in that chamber later this week. How it works: The bill would have the State Board of Education remake Indiana's school accountability system for what feels like the umpteenth time. It would go back to an A-to-F system, but taking into account more than just test scores. The state currently uses an "accountability dashboard" that displays various performance metrics. The bill instructs the board to include "other factors" it considers relevant, which would likely include chronic absenteeism rates and third-grade reading proficiency. ⏳ Rethinking religious education time Senate Bill 255 would allow high school students to miss more classroom time to attend religious instruction during the school day. Flashback: Last year, lawmakers passed legislation requiring schools to permit students to leave school for two hours each week for religious instruction. Sen. Spencer Deery, R-West Lafayette, said that equates to kids missing class 2.5 days a week. "That's not good for the schools, the students, that's not good for anybody," he said. The latest: SB 255 would give high school students more time, essentially letting them replace one elective course with religious instruction provided outside their school — rather than missing half a class each week. Yes, but: Rep. Bob Behning, chair of the House Education Committee, did not hold a vote on the bill last week saying the committee needed more time to understand it. An agenda for this week's education committee hasn't been released yet. 🚬 Cigarette tax on the table House Bill 1001 is still sitting with the Senate Appropriations Committee, which took public testimony on the state's two-year spending plan last week. Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, told reporters his caucus is more open this year to raising the cigarette tax than it has been in the past. What he's saying:"Perhaps that's partly because there's some challenges that we have," Bray said. "It's going to be a challenging budget year in the best of circumstances, even assuming that the April forecast doesn't get worse and that's not guaranteed because it looks like it could be problematic."
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers debate if students should miss some — or all — of a class for religious instruction
A bill pending in the House Education Committee would permit Indiana high school students to leave school daily for outside religious instruction. (Getty Images) An Indiana bill intending to curtail missed class time might actually do the opposite by widening the door for high school students to leave school for religious instruction. The Senate proposal was heard for the first time Wednesday in the House Education Committee, stirring debate — and some confusion — among lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Hoosier students are already permitted to miss up to 120 minutes of class each week for optional religious instruction hosted off school grounds. 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. Rather, his proposal would 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. 'My argument would be that it's better for schools and teachers and students to not take a class — or find another way to be able to take that class — than to sign up for a class and miss instruction time,' Deery said. 'I'm trying to avoid having students miss instruction time for a class period that they're signed up for, and the current law doesn't allow them to do that.' But House Democrats questioned how an increased exemption for religious instruction would benefit students, emphasizing 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. 'What you're trying to prevent is exactly what you're creating,' said Rep. Tonya Pfaff, D-Terre Haute. 'You're giving up a whole course. I understand you don't want them to leave half of the time. Of course, I get that. But your (bill) changes this and permits a kid to leave my school corporation every single day for a 50-minute class time.' Committee chairman Rep. Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis, withheld a vote on Wednesday, conceding that lawmakers need more time 'to make sure that we all thoroughly understand exactly what is happening' within the bill. An option has long existed for Hoosier students to receive voluntary religious instruction during regular school hours. Multiple organizations around the state — mainly Christian-centered — actively offer out-of-school curriculum for religious teaching. A 1952 U.S. Supreme Court ruling affirmed that 'released time' programs are constitutional nationwide. As such, Hoosier parents can request religious instruction time for their child, but until last year, school administrators did not have to give approval. CONTACT US State lawmakers took away that 'veto power' over parents during the 2024 session. Now, school principals are required to allow a student to attend religious instruction offered by 'a church, an association of churches, or an association that is organized for religious instruction and incorporated under Indiana law, as an excused absence.' The instruction can't exceed two hours per week and must take place off school property, with private transportation provided. The entity offering religious instruction must additionally collaborate with the school principal to ensure the time when the student attends outside instruction is 'least disruptive' to the student's academic instructional time. Specific language in Deery's measure stipulates that 'the period or periods' during which a high school student receives religious instruction can't exceed 'the amount of time that is equivalent to attending one elective course' during the week. The senator maintained the exiting two-hour-per-week cap for high school students 'means, in effect, that you're likely missing class about two-and-a-half days of the week.' 'That's not good for the schools. That's not good for the student. It's not good for anybody,' Deery continued. 'What this does is raise that cap to the equivalent of one elective course so that you could say, take summer school, and then substitute a woodworking class — or just some other elective — that you want for that 'release time' instruction, in order to keep kids in class for the entire time.' Our concern remains that we're allowing students to miss out on vitally important instruction, during the school day, that would be necessary for graduation. – Joel Hand with the Indiana Coalition for Public Education and the American Federation of Teachers of Indiana Pfaff, along with Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary, asked why religious instruction couldn't instead take place before or after regular school hours, or during lunchtimes. Joel Hand with the Indiana Coalition for Public Education and the American Federation of Teachers of Indiana noted that typical class periods last 60 minutes and meet five days per week. Replacing a course with instruction would mean students miss '300 minutes of instructional time.' 'Our concern remains that we're allowing students to miss out on vitally important instruction, during the school day, that would be necessary for graduation,' Hand said. Across the hall in the Senate education committee, a slew of education bills advanced to the full chamber, including one to bring back a statewide letter grade system for Indiana's K-12 schools. Behning's House Bill 1498, which unanimously passed out of the Senate committee, would strip back much of the previous accountability framework and task Indiana's State Board of Education (SBOE) with building a new A-F rule — that looks beyond just academic performance and graduation rates — by the end of 2025. A-F grades set to return for Indiana schools as lawmakers consider new accountability system If approved, that means a new round of grades would be assigned to Hoosier schools around the start of the 2026-27 academic year. School grades have been effectively suspended since 2018, when Indiana shifted from ISTEP to a new state standardized test and later grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic. Behning said his bill seeks to put the state education board's recently unveiled accountability draft — or something like it — into action. The Senate panel also approved House Bill 1499, a follow-up to last year's literacy overhaul law that requires reading-deficient third graders to be held back a year in school. Current statute requires that — if after three attempts — a third grade student is unable to pass the IREAD assessment, they must be held back a year in school. This year's bill looks to give students two more chances to retake the exam over the summer to avoid retention. In 2024, roughly 10,500 Hoosier third graders were still unable to pass the IREAD after retaking the exam once over the summer, according to a legislative fiscal analysis. It also allows schools whose student population is comprised of at least 50% English language learners to register those students with the Indiana Department of Education for an exemption from the retention requirement until Fiscal Year 2028 if they are unable to pass the IREAD. The exemption would apply to an estimated 550 third grade English language learner students annually across 25 Indiana public schools. No vote was taken on another proposal, House Bill 1041, which would require all sports teams at Indiana's public and private higher educational institutions to be either male, female or coeducational. Athletes assigned male at birth would be barred from participating in a 'female, women's, or girls' team or sport.' Colleges and universities would have to establish grievance procedures, and students who are 'deprived of an athletic opportunity' or are injured as a result of violations would be able to file civil lawsuits. Lawmakers approved a separate bill in 2022 to ban transgender girls from participating in K-12 sports. More than an hour of testimony on the bill echoed what was provided in the House, with Republican lawmakers and other proponents calling it 'equal opportunity' legislation that 'ensures fairness' in collegiate sports and 'protects opportunities for female athletes.' Democratic senators — and more than a dozen others who spoke in opposition — called it a 'devastating,' 'dangerous' and 'damaging' measure that 'unfairly targets' transgender athletes. The bill is expected to come up for a committee vote next week; if successful, it heads to the Senate floor. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Indiana Senate approves education measures, narrowly OKs carbon storage measure
Bills on supplemental teacher pay, sexual education materials and chaplain-counselors moved largely along party lines. (Getty Images) Indiana's Senate on Tuesday approved a trio of education measures – on supplemental teacher pay, sexual education materials and chaplain-counselors – largely along party lines. Then, the chamber nearly split on bulked-up carbon storage regulations. Republicans united behind 'market force' teacher pay legislation with implications for unions, passing it on a 39-10 vote. Sen. Spencer Deery, R-Lafayette, told of how a school in his district struggled to retain special education teachers — but was paying them like other educators. 'At the same time in that school district, the highest-paid teacher was a gym teacher,' Deery said. '… I became kind of obsessed with this fact that our schools are not adequately using market forces to differentiate pay to attract and retain teachers in the highest-need areas, or the highest-value teachers that are most essential for the school.' His Senate Bill 249 would let schools divert revenue available for collective bargaining toward supplemental pay. It would also require that 'employment in a high need area' account for at least 10% of the calculations used to determine supplemental increases and increments. Sen. Andrea Hunley, D-Indianapolis, said she 'couldn't agree more that we need to find creative ways to pay teachers more, but Senate Bill 249 is not the way to do it.' She argued there are other ways to differentiate pay that don't affect the pot of money open to collective bargaining. Deery said such mechanisms exist 'in theory' but schools only use 0.2% of their state money on supplemental pay. His legislation next heads to the House for consideration. Educational materials for 'human sexuality' instruction were back up for debate. Senate Bill 442 requires school boards to approve materials, then publish basic information about them in a 'conspicuous' place on the school's website. The school's parental consent form — which lets parents remove their children from sexual education classes — would need a link to that information. Author Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville, acknowledged that parents can already request access to the materials, but that his work would make it easier for them to know what's being taught – and would 'help parents better decide whether or not they want to opt out.' 'Most of what is being asked is already in (Indiana) Code,' said Sen. J.D. Ford, D-Indianapolis. He said the legislation was 'not necessary.' He also asked what would happen if materials or even the class' teacher changes during the academic year, since the postings are due in July. Byrne replied that school boards could 'figure that out' — using the phrase repeatedly throughout their discussion. Senate Minority Leader Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington, went further. She argued that Senate Bill 442 would let community members influence what gets taught at a cost to parents' own rights. The Senate approved the legislation on a 39-9 vote, also along party lines. Byrne's previous attempt passed his chamber with similar margins last session but failed to get a House hearing. And another repeat proposal — this one legalizing chaplain-counselors in public schools — moved on after a 32-16 vote. Senate Bill 523 would let public schools bring in paid or volunteer chaplains and use them for both secular and religious counseling – the latter with parental permission. Author Sen. Stacey Donato, R-Logansport, said it wasn't intended to replace traditional counselors. She added, 'I pray you give every student the opportunity to become a stellar adult, and Senate Bill 523 is just that: another opportunity.' Ford was the only other lawmaker to speak on the bill. He argued there's no clear definition of 'chaplain' and no mental health or cardiopulmonary resuscitation training requirements for them. He also asserted the changes could violate students' rights to religious freedom and the separation of church and state. 'If we're exempting chaplains from the same professional standards as other folks in the school, that just tells me that we're actually not serving students — that we're, rather, subjecting them to unconstitutional, government-sponsored religious advice,' Ford said. Donato authored similar legislation last session, but it died in the House without getting an education committee hearing – as did the House's own version. A measure dealing with carbon dioxide storage and transmission pipelines splintered both caucuses. Senate Bill 457 exempts such pipeline companies from needing to get certificates of authority in certain cases, tweaks fee amounts and directs fee proceeds away from topic-specific funds toward the state's General Fund. It also creates a permit for certain carbon dioxide wells, adds inspection provisions and includes new fines for violations. Author Sen. Sue Glick, R-LaGrange, dubbed it a 'clean-up bill.' Lawmakers authorized a pilot project, led by Wabash Valley Resources, in 2019 and revisited it in 2023. In between, in 2022, they established regulations for carbon sequestration projects and exempted the pilot from those requirements. Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, asked why the proposal ditches the trust funds. Glick replied that Sen. Ryan Mishler – the powerful Senate Appropriation Committee's leader – had made those changes, adding, 'You would have to ask' him. Sen. Randy Niemeyer, R-Lowell, objected to carbon storage's recent prevalence. Three years ago, he said, 'nobody knew that this pipeline stuff was going to go into … counties in the rural area.' But when he and others discovered companies were 'doing seismic testing … in those areas without any authorization, it kind of hit home.' Niemeyer said there's not enough local control in Senate Bill 457. He added, 'I just can't support any legislation dealing with this garbage situation. It's not that I'm against it. I don't think it'll work. But the way we implemented it out of here was not good, in my opinion.' Sen. Andy Zay, R-Huntington, said he supported the ongoing pilot but 'would like to see (it) through.' He feared 'standardiz(ing' the process before the pilot's implementation. Glick's bill passed on a narrow, 27-21 vote. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
