Rep. Bob Behning

Requires the budget agency to withhold local income tax revenue from an eligible county if the eligible county fails to raise certain revenues for a public transportation project. (Current law requires eligible counties to raise: (1) 10% of the annual operating expenses of the project from sources other than taxes and fares; and (2) 25% of the annual operating expenses of the project from fares and charges.) Specifies that the amount of local income taxes withheld from an eligible county may not diminish the amount of money distributed to the eligible county for deposit in the eligible county's public transportation fund below the amount required to pay its debt service obligations for bonds issued for purposes of a public transportation project. Prohibits Marion County from creating additional IndyGo bus rapid transit lines if the revenue requirements are not met.

Honoring the 2021 NBA Rising Star Award Recipients.

Recognizing January 11th as Human Trafficking Awareness Day.

Provides that the state board of education (state board) shall establish a number of categories, using an "A" through "F" grading scale, to designate each domain, indicator, or measure used to measure school performance. Provides that the state board shall establish an overall score based on the individual grades for the sole purpose of determining whether certain programs or requirements in IC 20 apply to the particular school. Provides that a school's or school corporation's category or designation of school or school corporation performance assigned by the state board for the 2020-2021 school year is the higher of the school's or school corporation's: (1) category or designation of school or school corporation performance assigned for the 2019-2020 school year; or (2) category or designation of school or school corporation performance for the 2020-2021 school year. (Includes adult high schools.) Provides that consequences for school improvement do not apply for the 2020-2021 school year. Repeals provisions that: (1) provide consequences for failing schools; (2) provide consequences for failing charter schools; and (3) authorize the establishment of turnaround academies. Makes conforming and technical amendments.

Provides that, after June 30, 2021, a school employer may not deduct from the school employee's pay any dues, or in any way facilitate the payment of dues, that a school employee of the school employer may elect to pay to: (1) a school employee organization that is an exclusive representative of any employees of the school employer; (2) an employee organization; or (3) an entity that is exempt from federal income taxation under Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. Repeals a provision that provides that a school employer is required to: (1) deduct from the pay of the employee any dues designated or certified by the appropriate officer of a school employee organization that is an exclusive representative of any employees of the school employer; and (2) remit the dues to the school employee organization.

Adds two members of the commission for higher education to the governor's workforce cabinet. Makes changes to the experience requirements for state board of education (state board) members appointed by the governor. Transfers, from the state board to the governor's workforce cabinet, duties carried out by the state board pertaining to: (1) school accountability; (2) Indiana college and career readiness educational standards; (3) modification of a high school's graduation rate; (4) the adoption of a college/technology high school curriculum model (Core 40); (5) secondary certificates of achievement; and (6) the establishment of graduation requirements. Requires the governor's workforce cabinet to approve unique commemorative diplomas designed by the state board to be issued to certain veterans. Provides that the governor's workforce cabinet is considered a state educational authority within the meaning of the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Requires the state board to provide recommendations to the governor's workforce cabinet pertaining to: (1) Indiana college and career readiness educational standards; (2) whether to grant a high school's request to modify the high school's graduation rate; (3) the adoption of a Core 40 model; (4) the adoption of academic standards; (5) school accountability requirements; and (6) secondary certificates of achievement. Provides that the legislative services agency may prepare legislation for introduction in the 2022 regular session of the general assembly to make appropriate changes in statutes that are required by this act. Makes conforming and technical amendments.

Makes changes to the membership of the governor's workforce cabinet. Requires the governor's workforce cabinet to work with stakeholders from early learning through the workforce to establish alignment and coordination between the early learning advisory committee, state board of education (state board), commission for higher education, and department of workforce development.

Provides that a school corporation shall accept a transferring student who does not have legal settlement in the school corporation if the school corporation has the capacity to accept the student and the student's parent is a current employee of the transferee school corporation with an annual salary of at least: (1) $8,000; or (2) $3,000 earned due to being included as an employee in the extracurricular portion of the transferee school corporation's current collective bargaining agreement. Provides that for purposes of accepting the transfer of a student who is a child of a school employee when the school corporation has a policy of not accepting transfer students, the school corporation may not enroll and may not report for purposes of state tuition support a student whose parent does not meet certain requirements. Provides that a school corporation, charter school, or nonpublic school with at least one employee may provide a presentation or instruction to students explaining aspects of autism, including behaviors that students with autism may exhibit as well as student interaction with students with autism. Provides that each public school and private school with at least one employee shall provide, upon request of another school in which the student currently attends, the requesting school a copy of a particular student's disciplinary records that are relevant to the safety of students who currently attend the requesting school. Provides that a school corporation may use a special purpose bus or certain other appropriate vehicles to transport students to and from a career or technical education program. Requires the department of education (department) to publish the following information from the previous school year or collective bargaining period on the department's Internet web site: (1) The total number of full-time teachers retained from the previous year. (2) Teacher workforce growth. (3) The number of emergency permits granted by each school corporation, categorized by content area. Requires the department to include in its annual report, and publish on the department's Internet web site, the number of vacant teaching positions in each school corporation by: (1) grade; (2) subject; and (3) required credential; with critical shortage areas, as determined by unfilled vacancies, highlighted for each school corporation. Makes changes to the determination of which pupils may be included in a school corporation's average daily membership (ADM). Provides that a student who: (1) qualifies for free or reduced price lunch under the national school lunch program; or (2) attended a turnaround academy under IC 20-31-9.5 or attends a school that is located in the same school building as the participating innovation network charter school, may receive preference for admission to a participating innovation network charter school if the preference is specifically provided for in the charter and is approved by the authorizer. Provides that staff performance evaluation plans for the Indianapolis Public Schools must be developed and implemented in accordance with statewide teacher evaluation plan requirements. Provides that a teacher who: (1) is employed in a school corporation; (2) loses his or her job in the school corporation because of a reorganization; and (3) has received a rating of effective or highly effective on his or her most recent performance evaluation; shall receive an employment preference over other candidates for the same vacant teaching position, for a period of not more than one year after the teacher loses his or her job. Provides that a teacher who: (1) is employed in a school corporation; (2) loses his or her job in a school corporation because of a reorganization; and (3) is subsequently employed by a community school corporation created by a reorganization; retains certain rights and privileges that the teacher held at the time the teacher lost his or her job in the original school corporation. Provides that, after June 30, 2021, a governing body may not enter into a contract with a superintendent on or after the date of the election for one or more members of the governing body until January 1 of the year immediately following the year of the election. Requires that the majority of the benchmark, formative, interim, or similar assessments approved by the state board of education (state board) must indicate the degree to which students are on track for grade level proficiency and college and career readiness. Requires that a principal or a principal's designee ensure that a suspended student receives credit, in the same manner as a student who is not suspended would receive, for any assignments or school work assigned during the period of the student's suspension that the student completes. Provides that charter schools that enroll certain students for the purposes of the students receiving services from accredited nonpublic alternative high schools are entitled to receive a certain amount of state tuition support for the students. Amends the definition of "governmental entity" under the criminal code to include a charter school and the organizer for purposes of the criminal provisions that apply to offenses against public administration. Requires the department to: (1) prepare a report that includes information from the 2019-2020 school year for each school corporation, charter school, and eligible school regarding the number of students counted in average daily membership (ADM) who were not reported through the student testing number application center as having completed a course; (2) submit, not later than December 1, 2020, the report to the legislative council; (3) post the report to the department's Internet web site; and (4) provide a link to the report to each school corporation, charter school, and eligible school. Provides that each school corporation and charter school may place a durable poster or framed picture representing: (1) the national motto of the United States, "In God We Trust"; (2) an accurate representation of the United States flag; and (3) an accurate representation of the Indiana state flag; in each school library and classroom within the school corporation or charter school. Provides that the representation of the United States flag and the Indiana state flag must comply with any applicable federal or state laws concerning the design, dimensions, or presentation of each respective flag. Provides that the provisions of SEA 2-2020 apply to an adult high school. Urges: (1) the state board to approve, for purposes of career and technical education graduation pathways, a career and technical education cluster that allows students to acquire knowledge and skills related to employment in the electric, natural gas, communications, water, and wastewater utility industries; (2) the governor's workforce cabinet (cabinet), in consultation with the state board, department of education, and department of workforce development: (A) to create course sequences for the career and technical education cluster; and (B) in creating the course sequences: (i) to consider the impact of course sequences on long term outcomes of students; and (ii) to prioritize course sequences that lead to high wage, high demand jobs; and (3) the cabinet to: (A) collect data regarding approved career clusters and course sequences to inform decision making around approving, creating, and amending current and future career clusters and course sequence requirements; and (B) report to the general assembly regarding the collected data.

Requires the state advisory council on the education of children with disabilities (council) to develop a plan to inform: (1) certain former students who received a certificate of completion or another nondiploma certificate of recognition; and (2) certain former students who had an individualized education program, plan developed under Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act, service plan, or choice scholarship education plan and who withdrew from school; of certain resources and opportunities. Requires the council to submit, not later than October 1, 2020, a copy of the plan to the general assembly.

Provides that the governor's workforce cabinet (cabinet) shall, on or before December 1, 2020, create a comprehensive strategic plan to ensure alignment of Indiana's primary, secondary, and postsecondary education systems with Indiana's workforce training programs and employer needs. Requires the cabinet to include early childhood education in the cabinet's: (1) systematic and comprehensive review to determine whether Indiana's educational system is aligned with employer needs; and (2) comprehensive strategic plan to ensure alignment of Indiana's educational system with employer needs.