Provides that a state educational institution may not: (1) designate an outdoor area on campus as an area where protected expressive activities are prohibited; (2) deny any benefit or privilege to, or discriminate against, a religious, political, or ideological student organization for its protected expressive activity; and (3) deny a benefit to or discriminate against a religious, political, or ideological student organization based on the protected expressive activity or a requirement of the student organization. Allows a state educational institution to enforce reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions that comply with certain requirements. Requires a state educational institution to create and publish protected expressive activity policies. Provides that a student or student organization may bring a cause of action for a violation of free speech rights. Allows a court to award injunctive relief, compensatory damages, reasonable court costs, and attorney's fees to an aggrieved student or student organization if the court finds that a violation occurred. Allows a court to award compensatory damages up to $50,000. Provides that a state educational institution is not immune from certain liability. Requires the commission for higher education to create a form for a state educational institution to submit information on an alleged violation of this chapter. Makes conforming changes.
Sponsored bills
Modifies the newborn safety device requirements that apply to a fire department. Modifies the immunity provisions applicable to certain individuals and entities that take custody of a child or operate a newborn safety device. Makes conforming changes.
Requires a governing body of a school corporation (school board) to allow each member of the public attending a meeting (attendee) the opportunity to provide oral public comment. Allows a school board to permit oral public comment at a public meeting that is conducted electronically during a state or local disaster emergency. Restricts the circumstances in which the governing body of a state or local public agency may hold a virtual meeting during a declared disaster emergency without any of the governing body members physically present.
Requires that a pregnant woman seeking an abortion must be informed that a coerced abortion is illegal. Provides that certain medical personnel must inquire with a pregnant woman seeking an abortion whether the abortion is coerced. Requires certain medical personnel who believe that an abortion is coerced to offer the pregnant woman information on certain services, the use of a telephone, and an alternative exit from the health care facility. Makes it a Level 6 felony if a person knowingly or intentionally coerces a pregnant woman into having an abortion. Mandates reports of a coerced abortion to law enforcement. Provides that a law enforcement agency must immediately respond and initiate an investigation upon receipt of a complaint of coercion or attempted coercion. Makes it a Class C infraction if a reproductive health facility knowingly employs a mandatory reporter who violates the mandatory reporting statute.
Requires the commission on improving the status of children in Indiana (commission) to create a statewide juvenile justice oversight body (oversight body) to do the following: (1) Develop a plan to collect and report statewide juvenile justice data. (2) Establish procedures and policies related to the use of certain screening tools and assessments. (3) Develop a statewide plan to address the provision of broader behavioral health services to children in the juvenile justice system. (4) Develop a plan for the provision of transitional services for a child who is a ward of the department of correction. (5) Develop a plan for the juvenile diversion and community alternatives grant programs. Provides that the oversight body shall, not later than July 1, 2023, submit to the commission and the legislative council: (1) the plan for the juvenile diversion and community alternatives grant programs; and (2) the juvenile justice data collection plan and the plan for the use of screening tools, assessments, and services. Requires the judicial conference of Indiana to develop statewide juvenile probation standards that are aligned with research based practices, and requires the board of directors of the judicial conference of Indiana to approve the standards by July 1, 2023. Requires the use of a risk and needs assessment tool, a risk screening tool, and a diagnostic assessment when evaluating a child at specific points in the juvenile justice system to identify the child's risk for reoffense. Requires an intake officer and the juvenile court to use the results of a detention tool to inform the use of secure detention and document the reason for the use of detention if the tool is overridden. Requires a court to: (1) after use of a detention tool, include in a court order the reason for a juvenile detention override; and (2) submit details of the juvenile detention override to the office of judicial administration (office). Requires the office to provide an annual report to the governor, chief justice, and legislative council before December 1 of each year that includes information about a court's use of a detention tool and reasons for overriding the results of the detention tool. Provides that a child less than 12 years of age cannot be detained unless detention is essential to protect the community and no reasonable alternatives exist to reduce the risk. Establishes a procedure for juvenile diversion. Requires the office to provide an annual report to the governor, chief justice, and legislative council before December 1 of each year that includes data on any child diverted through the juvenile diversion program. Repeals provisions requiring a child who participates in a program of informal adjustment to pay an informal adjustment program fee. Provides that a child who is a ward of the department of correction may receive at least three months of transitional services to support reintegration of the child back into the community and to reduce recidivism. Requires the department of correction to provide an annual report to the governor, chief justice, and legislative council before December 1 of each year that includes collected data that will help assess the impact of reintegration improvements for juveniles, including tracking recidivism beyond incarceration and into the adult system. Provides that a juvenile court may recommend telehealth services as an alternative to a child receiving a diagnostic assessment. Establishes: (1) the juvenile diversion and community alternatives grant programs and grant programs fund; and (2) the juvenile behavioral health competitive grant pilot program and grant pilot program fund; as of July 1, 2023. Requires the Indiana criminal justice institute (institute) to administer each program and fund. Requires the local or regional justice reinvestment advisory council or another local collaborative body to oversee certain juvenile community alternatives grants awarded to a county. Requires the institute to prepare an annual report to the governor, chief justice, and legislative council before December 1 of each year that details certain performance measures that counties receiving grants must collect and report. Requires the office of judicial administration to administer the statewide juvenile justice data aggregation plan. Makes conforming changes. Makes a technical correction.
Allows a child care program that: (1) is operated by a public or private school; and (2) provides day care on the school premises for children of students or employees of schools in the school corporation in which the public or private school is located; to be exempted from licensure as a child care facility. Provides that: (1) a preschool program that is operated by a public or private school; and (2) either or both: (A) a child care program that is located in the public or private secondary school and provides child care for children of employees or students of the public or private secondary school; and (B) a latch key program; are exempt from licensure as child care facilities if located in the same public or private school building. Provides that for purposes of determining the child to staff ratio and group size requirements for a child care program that: (1) enrolls children at least two and one-half years of age, but not more than six years of age; and (2) is validated as a Montessori program by the United Montessori Schools of Indiana; the division of family resources of the family and social services administration shall use the average age of the children in the group as of January 1 of the school year.
Changes the population point that distinguishes a second class city from a third class city from 35,000 to 34,000. Authorizes a town with a population of more than 34,000 to create the office of town controller, appointed by the town legislative body.
Increases the maximum amount of the annual credit against adjusted gross income to which a taxpayer is entitled for a contribution to a college choice 529 education savings plan.
Allows a teacher preparation program to report the program's admission practices, in accordance with the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) standards, for teacher preparation programs accredited by the AAQEP. Requires the department of education (department) to approve at least two accreditors that: (1) accredit teacher preparation programs; and (2) are recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation; to accredit teacher preparation programs for use in Indiana. Requires the department to annually report to the legislative council the percentage of teachers who complete a particular teacher preparation program who are teaching in Indiana: (1) five years; and (2) ten years; after completion of the particular teacher preparation program. Removes a requirement that each charter school and school corporation annually provide to the department: (1) the name of the teacher preparation program that recommended the initial license for each teacher employed by the school; and (2) the annual retention rate for teachers employed by the school.
A SENATE RESOLUTION honoring Carl Erskine for his contributions to Indiana and the nation.