Rep. Julie McGuire

Provides that an applicant who has previously received a baccalaureate degree or an associate degree may be eligible for a high value workforce ready credit-bearing grant if the applicant: (1) received a diploma of graduation, a high school equivalency certificate, or a state of Indiana general educational development diploma five or more years before the applicant applies for a grant; and (2) is not working in the subject matter field in which the applicant received the baccalaureate degree or associate degree. (Current law provides that an applicant for a high value workforce ready credit-bearing grant may not have previously received a baccalaureate degree, an associate degree, or an eligible certificate.)

Provides that: (1) a referendum authorizing a school corporation to impose property taxes to pay debt service on bonds or lease rentals on a lease for a specified controlled project; (2) a school corporation operating referendum tax levy; or (3) a school corporation school safety referendum tax levy; may be placed on the ballot only at a general election.

Maddy summaryHB 1286 requires the Department of Environmental Management to create and publish a public registry listing businesses or organizations that discharge PFAS chemicals into the state's waters. This directly affects facilities or entities releasing these chemicals, such as industrial sites or wastewater treatment plants. The key mechanism is the mandatory public listing of dischargers, increasing transparency about PFAS pollution sources. The bill aims to provide clear information for the public and regulators about PFAS contamination pathways.

Provides that a biological mother and biological father have joint legal custody unless otherwise provided by law. Requires a court to award joint legal custody unless it is in the child's best interests that sole legal custody be awarded. Provides that an award of joint legal custody creates a rebuttable presumption in favor of equal division of parenting time, and to rebut the presumption, a parent must prove that equal parenting time would be detrimental to the child.

Requires an insurer, an administrator, and a pharmacy benefit manager to apply the annual limitation on cost sharing set forth in the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act under 42 U.S.C. 18022(c)(1). Provides that an insurer, an administrator, and a pharmacy benefit manager may not directly or indirectly set, alter, implement, or condition the terms of health insurance coverage based in part or entirely on information about the availability or amount of financial or product assistance available for a prescription drug. Requires, before December 31 of each year, each insurer and administrator to certify to the insurance commissioner that the insurer or administrator has fully and completely complied with the cost sharing requirements during the previous calendar year.

Sets forth work requirements for certain individuals in order to be eligible for Medicaid. Provides exceptions. Requires the office of the secretary of family and social services to apply for any state plan amendment or Medicaid waiver necessary and to continue to apply for the plan amendment or waiver if the plan amendment or waiver is denied by the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

Defines "antisemitism", specifies that the public policy of the state is to provide educational opportunities free of religious discrimination, and provides that antisemitism is discrimination on the basis of race, creed, religion, or national origin.

Requires the secretary of education to prepare and submit to the general assembly the following: (1) A plan to establish a pilot program concerning the use, operation, and management of school facilities to promote student learning and outcomes. (2) A plan to establish a pilot program concerning student transportation. Provides that the commission on seclusion and restraint in schools (commission) must include eliminating or minimizing the need for use of time-out in its model restraint and seclusion plan. Requires the commission to meet biannually (instead of annually, under current law), and requires the commission to submit a biannual report to the state advisory council on the education of children with disabilities. Makes various changes to innovation network school and participating innovation network charter school provisions regarding the following: (1) The terms that must be included in an agreement entered into between: (A) an innovation network team and the governing body of a school corporation; and (B) an organizer and the governing body of a school corporation. (2) Restrictions on altering an agreement. (3) Restrictions on a school corporation charging a participating innovation network charter school for goods and services. (4) Required distribution of state tuition support to participating innovation network charter schools. (5) Restrictions regarding altering the use of a facility occupied by an innovation network school or participating innovation network charter school. Provides that a school corporation may use the school corporation's operations fund for transportation of school children to certain: (1) apprenticeship programs; (2) career and technical education programs; (3) modern youth apprenticeships; and (4) work based learning courses. Makes changes to the student learning recovery grant program concerning the following: (1) The establishment of the program is subject to available funding. (2) The purpose for which the program was established with regard to disruption in education caused by the coronavirus disease pandemic and insufficient alternatives. (3) The limitation of the program to only certain state fiscal years. (4) Allowing the department of education (department) to require matching grant amounts. Provides that a student's Indiana enrichment scholarship account terminates under conditions established by the department (instead of October 1, 2024). Provides that the governing body of a school corporation, the organizer of a charter school, or the chief administrative officer of a nonpublic school system shall authorize the absence and excuse of each secondary school student who is not a habitual truant and is ordered to active duty with the armed forces of the United States, including their reserve components or the Indiana National Guard for at least 15 days in a school year. Provides that the office of administrative law proceedings (office) has jurisdiction over hearing officers authorized to conduct hearings required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Requires the office to: (1) determine the cost of conducting hearings; and (2) after July 1, 2025, assess a fee, based on the weighted ADM count, for each school corporation and charter school that is sufficient to cover the costs. Amends the date by which a student has to be a certain age to be eligible to participate in a school scholarship program and the Indiana education scholarship account program. Removes a condition with regard to requiring certain school corporations to accept transferring students who do not have legal settlement in the school corporation. Provides that a transferee corporation may not require a parent or student requesting transfer to the school corporation to pay transfer tuition or any other fee associated with the transfer of the student. Removes a provision that requires use of certain federal funds under the Indiana student enrichment grant program. Makes certain changes to the referendum time line. Repeals the following provisions regarding the student learning recovery grant program: (1) The appropriation in the 2021 fiscal year. (2) The expiration of the program. Repeals provisions regarding the expiration of the Indiana student enrichment grant program. Provides that a state educational institution (institution) must implement a policy to publish information concerning any act of hazing committed by a member of a group or organization that is adjudicated by the institution. Requires an institution to publish a public report concerning certain information about an investigation that results in a finding that hazing was committed. Specifies what an institution is required to publish on a website in connection with the public report concerning hazing. Allows an individual who is at least 16 years of age to enroll in and attend a training program for certification as a Firefighter I, Firefighter II, or emergency medical technician.

Requires health care entities to provide notice of certain mergers or acquisitions to office of the attorney general. Specifies notice requirements. Requires the office of the attorney general to review the information submitted with the notice. Allows the office of the attorney general to: (1) analyze in writing any antitrust concerns with the merger or acquisition; and (2) issue a civil investigative demand for additional information. Specifies that the information is confidential.

Makes various changes to the education law concerning the following: (1) Indiana diploma requirements and designations and satisfying certain course requirements by obtaining a diploma. (2) The criteria to receive a waiver from postsecondary readiness competency requirements. (3) The minimum number of alternate diplomas that may be counted in determining a school's or school corporation's graduation rate. (4) Use of the terms "statewide assessment program" and "statewide summative assessment". (5) The responsibilities of the state advisory council on the education of children with disabilities. (6) The criteria an individual must meet to participate in the Indiana high school equivalency diploma program. Establishes notice and posting requirements regarding school corporations that fail to meet: (1) certain expenditure requirements regarding full-time teacher salaries; or (2) the percentage of state tuition support that must be expended on teacher compensation. Provides that the amount a school corporation expends on teacher compensation shall also include amounts the school corporation expends on certain dropout recovery education services. Provides that state tuition support for certain virtual students is not included in determining the amount a school corporation expends on teacher compensation. Requires the following: (1) Each public high school to offer, after June 30, 2028, at least once each school year at least one computer science course as a separate subject in the public high school's curriculum. (2) The department of education (department), in revising and updating academic standards, to consider integrating: (A) computer science; and (B) data literacy and data science; standards into a subject area being revised. (3) Beginning with the cohort of students who are expected to graduate from a public school or a state accredited nonpublic school in 2029, a student to successfully complete instruction on computer science as a separate subject before the student may graduate. (4) Each public school to participate in an annual statewide survey concerning school fees charged to students or parents to be eligible to receive a distribution from the curricular materials fund. (5) The department to develop proposals to align diploma waiver statutes with new diploma requirements. (6) Charter schools to post certain information. Provides that the state board of education (state board) may allow a computer science course to satisfy one or more diploma course requirements. Removes provisions regarding the application and waiver of requirements concerning: (1) certain expenditure requirements regarding full-time teacher salaries; and (2) the percentage of state tuition support that must be used for teacher compensation. Removes provisions that have expired concerning high school graduation requirements and graduation waivers. Removes language concerning the disqualification of certain students for state scholarships, grants, or assistance administered by the commission for higher education and provides that a student may not receive or use any state scholarships, grants, or assistance administered by the commission for certain noncredit-bearing, nondegree seeking courses. Amends the expiration date for the high school equivalency pilot program to June 30, 2026. (The current expiration date is June 30, 2024.) Allows school corporations to provide certain notices regarding expulsion meetings by electronic mail. Provides each school corporation, charter school, and state accredited nonpublic school shall include in its curriculum for students enrolled in grade 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 (instead of all high school students) instruction concerning personal financial responsibility. Provides that a literacy achievement grant is not subject to collective bargaining. Provides that a school corporation may include instruction regarding Internet safety in the school corporation's curriculum. Requires the department to approve previously developed age appropriate curricula concerning Internet safety not later than July 1, 2025. Requires the office of management and budget to establish a kindergarten through grade 12 data governance team. Establishes the duties of the data governance team, including the submission of a report to the legislative council. Requires, not later than July 1, 2024, the department to: (1) establish an online, self-paced professional development module with regard to mathematics; (2) develop math descriptions correlated to proficiency level descriptors to track proficiency at the student level; (3) create and identify dedicated math resources to assist with intervention and enrichment opportunities and instructional strategies; and (4) post the resources on the department's website. Requires, not later than December 1, 2024, the department to submit a plan to the legislative council that includes: (1) strategies for the early identification of students who are at risk of not meeting grade level proficiency in mathematics; and (2) recommendations for high quality intervention policies for mathematics. Defines "literacy coach" and requires literacy coaches to prioritize certain duties. Provides for the availability of certain grants for literacy coaches. Establishes certain restrictions and requirements regarding visiting teacher licenses. Requires the department and the commission for higher education, in conjunction with the state board, to partner with teacher preparation programs to receive an outside evaluation of teacher preparation reading instruction programs. Requires the department to develop guidelines regarding the use of curriculum or content that prepares elementary school teacher candidates in math instruction. Provides that a student's latest statewide assessment program test results are included on the student's transcript upon request of the student. Provides that successful completion of an International Baccalaureate diploma program course (course) shall count for high school credit. Provides that any rule adopted by the state board or the department concerning certain diplomas must provide that successful completion of a course is credited toward fulfilling the requirements of certain diplomas. Provides that high school students who have taken a course examination and received a score of four or higher on the examination are entitled to postsecondary academic credit at state educational institutions under certain conditions. Amends the requirements to receive a literacy endorsement. Requires the governing body of each school corporation to have a policy regarding the participation of habitually truant students in extracurricular and co-curricular activities.