Sen. Greg Goode

Repeals certain provisions regarding statewide assessment scores and the establishment of categories or designations of school performance. Requires the state board of education to establish a new methodology for designating school performance. Extends the expiration of certain provisions regarding the posting of school information. Provides that the proposals to align diploma waiver statutes with new diploma requirements may include a proposal to eliminate diploma waivers.

Requires the department of education (department), in collaboration with certain other state entities, to collect and maintain certain data and to publish on the department's website timely and relevant information about secondary education programs. Provides that the department shall administer and implement the comprehensive career navigation and coaching system developed by the commission for higher education and administer the career coaching grant fund (fund). Provides certain requirements for an eligible entity to receive a grant from the fund. Requires the department to prepare a report concerning career coaching and submit the report to the governor and general assembly. Requires the department of workforce development to update wage threshold data used to categorize career and technical education programs for use in the subsequent school year. Makes conforming changes.

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.

Establishes additional duties for the governor's workforce cabinet and requires the cabinet to perform certain duties jointly with other state agencies. Requires the Indiana management performance hub, in collaboration with the department of education (department) and commission for higher education (commission), to: (1) collect and compile certain student income data; and (2) compile into a data product on the department's and commission's websites certain data. Requires the secretary of education to establish a plan to develop a market driven stackable credentials and qualifications framework and submit the plan to the general assembly. Provides that the commission shall (instead of may) approve or disapprove certain branches, campuses, centers, new colleges, new schools, degrees, or programs. Provides that before the commission approves or disapproves a degree or program, a state educational institution shall provide, and the commission shall consider, certain information regarding the degree or program. Requires the commission to: (1) review each degree or program for approval or disapproval at least one time every 10 years; (2) outline a process for degree and program monitoring, improvement, suspension, and closure; (3) publish certain information; and (4) take official action regarding the approval or disapproval of certain requests within 90 days. Requires a state educational institution to approve for admission Indiana residents who meet certain requirements. Requires the board of trustees of a state educational institution to do the following: (1) When reviewing tenured faculty members, assess and review the staffing needs of the institution based on the branches, campuses, extension centers, colleges, schools, and degree and programs of the institution. (2) Submit to the commission any review of, renewal of, or amendment to the process or criteria regarding the tenured faculty member review. Requires the commission to promptly review the process and criteria and provide feedback to a board of trustees. Requires the commission to prepare and submit an annual report to the legislative council regarding certain student enrollment data. Adds duties for the department of workforce development.

Amends the state sales and use tax exemption for data centers to include projects for investments in a quantum computing research, advanced computing, and defense infrastructure network that result in a minimum qualified investment within five years of at least $50,000,000.

Requires a broker company to deposit funds belonging to others into a trust account that the broker company maintains. Requires that residential real estate sales disclosure forms include disclosures by an owner that a property is located within a locally designated historic district. Requires that residential real estate sales disclosure forms include disclosures by an owner of any conservation easement. Requires the Indiana professional licensing agency in consultation with the Indiana real estate commission to perform annual and random audits for compliance of more than one percent (1%) but less than ten percent (10%) of the practitioners who hold a broker's license required to take continuing education courses. Provides that to become a managing broker, an individual, among other things, must: (1) hold an active broker's license for at least three years; and (2) pass a written examination. Amends provisions relating to real estate agreements. Makes a technical correction.

Provides that a program may be established to provide grants to cancer centers in Indiana to increase breast cancer research projects or breast cancer clinical trials. Provides that a pediatric cancer research and treatment grant program may be established. Establishes the breast cancer research fund and the pediatric cancer research and treatment fund. Prioritizes use of the funds to be on innovative research and treatments with the potential of resulting in novel therapies for pediatric cancer. Requires the state department to submit an annual report to the governor and legislative council concerning the grant program and publish the report on the state department's website.

Allows the office of the secretary of family and social services (office of the secretary) to study and prepare a report containing recommendations for realigning and consolidating the local area agency on aging (area agency) planning and service areas. Amends the definition of "community and home care services" for purposes of community and home options to institutional care for the elderly and disabled program (CHOICE). Prohibits the division of aging from requiring a CHOICE provider to be certified under the Medicaid program or a Medicaid waiver program. Creates an exception for a provider of certain services. Requires an area agency to prioritize CHOICE funding to identify specified individuals and provide community and home care services to these individuals. Requires the office of the secretary, in negotiating reimbursement rates for CHOICE services, to consider the location and availability of service providers. Authorizes the office of the secretary to establish a Medicaid diversion pilot program to evaluate the effectiveness of home modification and telehealth enhanced chronic care services provided by specified area agencies in reducing Medicaid expenditures. Allows the office of the secretary, a managed care organization that has contracted with the office of Medicaid policy and planning, and a person who has contracted with a certain managed care organization or the office of the secretary to contract with an area agency to provide and receive reimbursement for a level of care assessment for the: (1) health and wellness Medicaid waiver; (2) traumatic brain injury Medicaid waiver; and (3) risk based managed care program for the covered population.

Increases, from $8,800 to $20,000, the amount that shall be paid by the state if a member of the Indiana National Guard dies in the active service of the state. Provides that a spouse or dependent of a member of the Indiana National Guard is eligible for a state employee death benefit if the member dies while serving on state active duty. Provides that the adjutant general may procure a medical insurance plan for members of the Indiana National Guard who are ordered to state active duty. Adds awards and decorations that may be awarded by the Indiana National Guard. Provides that members of the Indiana National Guard, while serving on state active duty, shall be considered state employees for purposes of receiving worker's compensation. Provides that a scholarship applicant of the National Guard tuition supplement program may use the scholarship for a credential-certifying program, licensing program, trade certification program, or apprenticeship program for an in-demand occupation as identified by the adjutant general and the department of workforce development, in consultation with the commission for higher education. Provides that if a scholarship applicant of the National Guard tuition supplement program receives a twenty-first century scholars program scholarship, the scholarship applicant may use a National Guard tuition supplement program scholarship awarded to pay for qualified program and educational expenses approved by the commission for higher education and room and board for two years. Makes technical corrections.

Provides that a governmental entity may not substantially burden certain parental rights unless the burden, as applied to the parent and the child, is required to advance a compelling governmental interest and is the least restrictive means of advancing the governmental interest. Prohibits a governmental entity from: (1) advising, directing, or coercing a child to withhold certain information from the child's parent; or (2) denying a child's parent access to certain information. Allows a parent to bring an action against a governmental entity for certain violations and provides for certain relief. Specifies that the parent of a child does not have a right to access certain medical care on behalf of the child if the child does not have an affirmative right of access to the medical care.