Rep. Becky Cash

Establishes a presumption that the continuation of life is in a minor's best interests. Requires a health care provider to obtain the consent of each parent or each legal guardian before issuing a do not resuscitate order or otherwise withholding or withdrawing treatment to allow the natural death of a minor. Prohibits a health care provider from interfering with the transfer of a minor patient at the request of a parent or guardian or otherwise preventing life saving measures before or during the transfer. States that a court does not have jurisdiction to withdraw life sustaining treatment for a minor.

Prohibits a public utility from: (1) selling, assigning, transferring, leasing, or encumbering its franchise, business, or property; or (2) selling, assigning, or transferring any shares of its stock; to a prohibited person. Provides that the Indiana utility regulatory commission may not approve such a transaction, and that any contract for such a transaction is void. Provides that for purposes of this prohibition, a "prohibited person" means either of the following: (1) A private equity firm or an affiliate of a private equity firm. (2) A citizen of, or a company owned or controlled by or headquartered in, China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, or a country designated as a threat to critical infrastructure by the governor.

Prohibits the department of child services from recommending and a court from ordering certain family reunification programs. Requires the office of judicial administration (office) to establish a judicial training program for an individual who presides over family law or juvenile law matters. Requires the judicial training program established by the office to include certain information regarding domestic violence. Beginning January 1, 2027, requires an individual who presides over family law or juvenile law matters to attend the judicial training established by the office at least one time each year.

Requires the department of education (department) to: (1) evaluate, approve, and publish a list of high quality curricular materials for use in English/language arts; and (2) collaborate with teachers in evaluating and approving the English/language arts curricular materials. Provides that the evaluation process for certain curricular materials must include the age appropriateness of the content. Specifies that the curriculum used by a school in which fewer than 70% of students achieved a valid passing score on the determinant evaluation of reading skills must be age appropriate. Requires, subject to available funding, certain schools to participate in the Indiana literacy cadre. Amends the definition of "eligible school" for purposes of the choice scholarship program. Provides that a parent who: (1) is an education scholarship account (ESA) participating entity; and (2) teaches a course or program only to an eligible student who is the parent's child and does not teach a course or program to any other eligible student; may not submit a claim for reimbursement of an ESA qualified expense of tuition and fees to teach the parent's child. Establishes penalties for certain violations by an ESA participating entity.

Provides that a physician and a hospital, a parent company of a hospital, an affiliated manager of a hospital, or a hospital system may not enter into a noncompete agreement on or after July 1, 2025.

Requires the department of education (department) to submit a report to the general assembly before November 1, 2025, that provides an analysis of the feasibility and cost of increasing school corporation employee health plan options. Creates the Indiana teacher recruitment program. Beginning June 30, 2025: (1) increases the minimum salary for a teacher employed by a school corporation to $45,000 (current law requires $40,000); and (2) requires a school corporation to expend an amount for teacher compensation that is not less than 65% of state tuition support (current law requires 62%). Amends the requirements for a school corporation and the department if the school corporation determines that the school corporation cannot meet minimum teacher salary requirements. Removes a provision that provides that the matrix rating system may not rank or compare teacher preparation programs.

Provides that an individual's duty to report suspected child abuse or neglect may only be delegated to another person if certain conditions are met. Requires that if a report of suspected child abuse or neglect alleges that a staff member, youth coach, or volunteer of an institution, school, facility, organization, or agency is the abuser, law enforcement shall investigate to determine whether the institution, school, facility, organization, or agency knew that the alleged abuse was happening and failed to report the alleged abuse. Allows law enforcement to consider certain facts when determining whether the institution, school, facility, organization, or agency knew about the alleged abuse. Provides that a child is not a child in need of services due to a parent, guardian, or custodian referring to and raising a child consistent with the child's biological sex. Makes conforming changes.

Prohibits a school corporation from doing the following: (1) Removing a student's property without providing the student's parent with the opportunity to collect the student's property if the student has died, transferred, dropped out, or otherwise withdrawn from enrollment in the school corporation for any reason. (2) Adopting a policy or otherwise preventing a parent of a student from recording a meeting concerning the student's individualized education program. Requires each school corporation to ensure at least one employee in each school building that is used for classroom instruction: (1) has obtained nonviolent crisis intervention training; and (2) is present in the school building during the school year while school is in session. Establishes requirements regarding the employee. Requires the department of education to review nonviolent crisis intervention training programs and make recommendations to school corporations regarding the training of employees.

Prohibits an employer from taking an adverse employment action against an employee as a result of the employee's absence from work to attend an attendance conference or a case conference committee meeting with respect to the employee's child, except under certain circumstances. Provides that an employer is not required to pay an employee for travel or attendance time with respect to a conference or meeting. Requires certain persons to provide documentation related to a conference or meeting under certain circumstances.

Replaces the term "child pornography" with the term "child sex abuse material" throughout the Indiana Code. Provides that it is a defense to prosecution of child exploitation and possession of child sex abuse material if a school employee, department of child services employee, or attorney acting in the attorney's capacity as legal counsel: (1) promptly and in good faith notified law enforcement about the image or matter depicting the sexual conduct; and (2) did not duplicate, upload, download, or otherwise transfer the image or matter. Provides that a governmental entity may not organize or host an obscene performance or fund an obscene performance using public funds, and authorizes a person to seek injunctive relief as a remedy for a violation. Specifies the intent of the general assembly concerning P.L.115-2023.