Photo of Brian Buchanan
R Indiana Senate · District 7

Sen. Brian Buchanan

Compare
Total votes
2,053
all sessions
Attendance
100%
3 missed
Higher than 83% of chamber peers
With party
98%
of cast votes
Near the chamber average
Bipartisan score
2%
crosses aisle rarely
Near the chamber average
Sponsored
441
bills & resolutions
Lower than 76% of chamber peers
Committees
4
assignments
441 bills and resolutions

Sponsored bills

Total
441
Primary
182
Co-sponsor
259
This page
441
matching current filters
Co-sponsor HB 1091
Signed into law · Indiana House · Co-sponsor
Education benefits relating to military service.

Provides that a student meets the residency requirements for enrollment at a public school if a parent of the student: (1) is transferred to or is pending transfer to a military installation within Indiana while on active duty pursuant to an official military order; and (2) submits to the public school certain information, including official documentation, as determined by the state board of education, regarding the transfer or pending transfer. Provides that the student is considered to have legal settlement in the attendance area of the school corporation in which the parent: (1) has submitted the required application and documentation; and (2) intends to reside. Requires a parent who is transferred to or is pending transfer to a military installation within Indiana to provide proof of residence to the public school not later than 10 instructional days after the arrival date provided on the required documentation. Provides that if the parent of the student fails to provide the proof of residence, the public school may exclude the student from attendance pending an expulsion proceeding. Makes the following changes to provisions concerning resident tuition rate eligibility for active duty armed forces personnel and dependents of active duty armed forces personnel: (1) Defines "dependent". (2) Amends the definition of "qualified course". (3) Provides that spouses of active duty armed forces personnel are eligible for the resident tuition rate. (4) Provides that spouses and dependents of active duty armed forces personnel are eligible, from the date that the state educational institution accepts the spouse or dependent for enrollment, for the resident tuition rate if the spouse or dependent enrolls in the state educational institution within a certain amount of time. (5) Provides that a dependent or spouse of a person who serves on active duty in the armed forces is eligible for the resident tuition rate for the duration of the spouse's or dependent's continuous enrollment at a state educational institution regardless of whether the person serving on active duty continues, after the spouse or dependent is accepted for enrollment in the state educational institution, to satisfy certain resident rate tuition eligibility criteria.

Signed into law Mar 30, 2020 1 co-sponsor
Primary HB 1002
Signed into law · Indiana House · Lead sponsor
Teacher evaluations.

Removes the requirement that a school corporation's annual performance evaluation plan must be based, in part, on objective measures of student achievement. Authorizes the state board of education to adopt emergency rules. Makes conforming amendments. Makes technical corrections.

Signed into law Mar 30, 2020 0 co-sponsors
Primary HB 1066
Signed into law · Indiana House · Lead sponsor
Various education matters.

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.

Signed into law Mar 30, 2020 0 co-sponsors
Primary HB 1003
Signed into law · Indiana House · Lead sponsor
Education matters.

Provides that the state board of education (state board) shall determine the timing, frequency, and method of certain teacher training requirements, including whether the training should be required for purposes of obtaining or renewing a license or as part of the completion requirements for a teacher preparation program. Provides that the following apply to nonpublic schools accredited by a national or regional accrediting agency recognized by the state board: (1) Indiana secured school fund provisions. (2) Certain sale of school building provisions. (3) Certain textbook assistance provisions. Changes a provision concerning waivers from postsecondary readiness competency requirements that references "nonaccredited nonpublic school" to "nonaccredited nonpublic school that has less than one employee". Provides that the state board and the governing body of a school corporation or nonpublic school may not enter into, renew, or otherwise extend a contract to establish a freeway school after June 30, 2020. Provides that provisions relating to the establishment and administration of freeway schools expire July 1, 2025. Establishes new requirements to accredit a public or private school in Indiana. Provides that the state board may grant an application by a school or group of schools that requests to waive compliance with certain statutes or rules. Requires the state board to annually prepare a report that includes certain information regarding compliance waiver requests and provide the report to the general assembly. Provides that a school corporation may publish in a local newspaper a summary of the annual performance report with a description of how to find and view the full annual performance report on the Internet in lieu of publishing the whole annual performance report. Provides that a school corporation may publish in a local newspaper a summary of the annual financial report with a description of how to find and view the full annual financial report on the Internet in lieu of publishing the whole annual financial report. Repeals a provision that requires the state board to implement a system of recognizing certain education programs of nonpublic schools. Repeals: (1) a provision relating to performance based school accreditation; (2) a provision pertaining to school improvement plans; and (3) a provision pertaining to the recognition of educational programs of nonpublic schools. Makes conforming amendments and technical corrections.

Signed into law Mar 30, 2020 0 co-sponsors
Co-sponsor SB 319
Signed into law · Indiana Senate · Co-sponsor
Practitioner or accomplished practitioner license.

Provides that 15 of the professional growth experience points required to renew a practitioner license or accomplished practitioner license may be obtained through one or more of certain professional development experiences. (Current law provides that 15 of the professional growth experience points required to renew a practitioner license or an accomplished practitioner license must be obtained through one or more of certain professional development experiences.) Amends the list of professional development experiences.

Signed into law Mar 18, 2020 1 co-sponsor
Primary SB 427
Signed into law · Indiana Senate · Lead sponsor
Provisional occupational license.

Allows a person who: (1) is the spouse of an active duty member of the armed forces assigned to Indiana; (2) affirms certain information concerning the person's licensure in the other state; (3) submits verification that the person is licensed in a regulated occupation in at least one other state; (4) has passed a national criminal background check; and (5) submits an application and pays any application fee; to be issued a provisional license for the regulated occupation at the same practice level allowed by the license held by the person in the other state. Provides that provisional licensing does not apply to a license that is established or recognized through an interstate compact, a reciprocity agreement, or a comity agreement that is established by a board or by law. Establishes penalties for submission of false information for purposes of obtaining a provisional license.

Signed into law Mar 18, 2020 0 co-sponsors
Showing 341 to 350 of 441 bills
Previous 1 34 35 36 45 Next