SJR 13 Prohibition of Property Taxes for School Operating Costs
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Hume, Senator Bray
Amends the Constitution of the State of Indiana to prohibit the taxation of property for the support of the common schools, except for costs related to transportation and capital projects. This proposed amendment has not been previously agreed to by a general assembly .

1/09/06 Authored by Senator Hume
1/09/06 Co-authored by Senator Bray
1/09/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Tax and Fiscal Policy

SB 002 Obscenity
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Drozda
Makes it a Class D felony to rent matter that is harmful to a minor within 500 feet of a school or church.

1/09/06 Authored by Senator Drozda
1/09/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Corrections, Criminal, and Civil Matters 1/19/06 Committee report: amend do pass, adopted
1/23/06 Senator Delph added as coauthor
1/23/06 Senator Miller added as coauthor
1/23/06 Second reading: ordered engrossed
1/24/06 Third reading: passed; Roll Call 35: Yeas 45, Nays 2
1/24/06 Referred to the House
1/24/06 House sponsor: Representative J. Smith
1/24/06 Cosponsors: Representative Foley and Representative Ulmer
2/02/06 First reading: referred to Committee on Courts and Criminal Code

SB 045 Fetal Development Curriculum
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Drozda
Requires each school corporation to include instruction regarding human fetal development in the school corporation's high school health education curriculum.

1/09/06 Authored by Senator Drozda
1/09/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Rules and Legislative Procedures

SB 046 Air Guns on School Property
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Waltz
Makes it a Class B misdemeanor for a person to possess an air gun: (1) in or on school property; (2) in or on property that is being used by a school for a school function; or (3) on a school bus; unless the person is authorized by the school to possess the air gun.

1/09/06 Authored by Senator Waltz
1/09/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Corrections, Criminal, and Civil Matters

SB 060 Public School Transfer Program
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Kenley
Establishes a public school transfer program, allowing the parent of a student to request a transfer for the student to enroll in: (1) a different public school in the student's base school corporation; or (2) a public school in a different school corporation. Provides an allocation of public funds for transfer students between the base school corporation and the receiving school corporation, and provides that the parent is responsible for transportation and any additional costs. Requires transportation and certain costs for a student who has an individualized education program to be paid by the school corporation that enrolls the student in accordance with federal law. Allows school corporations to enter into an interlocal agreement under which students whose legal settlement is in one school corporation may attend school in the other school corporation. Allows a student who has legal settlement in one school corporation and whose parent owns property for which the parent pays property tax in another school corporation to attend school in the latter school corporation without transfer tuition being charged. Requires a school corporation to provide notice to parents concerning the publication of the school corporation's annual performance report and concerning the right of students to transfer out of schools that fail to perform adequately.

1/09/06 Authored by Senator Kenley
1/09/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Education and Career Development
1/19/06 Committee report: amend do pass, adopted
1/23/06 Second reading: ordered engrossed
1/24/06 Third reading: passed; Roll Call 49: Yeas 30, Nays 17
1/24/06 Referred to the House
1/24/06 House sponsor: Representative Behning
1/24/06 Cosponsor: Representative Ruppel
2/02/06 First reading: referred to Committee on Education
3/01/06 Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed
3/01/06 Amendment 4 (Thompson), prevailed; Voice Vote
3/01/06 Amendment 2 (V. Smith), withdrawn

SB 065 ISTEP Scores
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Lubbers
Requires ISTEP reading and language arts scores to be reported separately on a school corporation's annual performance report.

1/09/06 Authored by Senator Lubbers
1/09/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Education and Career Development

SB 080 School Year
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Meeks, Senator Hume
Allows student instructional days for public schools and nonpublic schools that have voluntarily become accredited (excluding year-round schools) to begin after September 1 and end before June 1 of the following year

1/09/06 Authored by Senator Meeks
1/09/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Education and Career Development
1/10/06 Senator Hume added as coauthor

SB 082 Teacher Evaluations
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Lubbers
Allows the use of ISTEP test scores and scores on nationally recognized assessments to be used as one, but not the only, criterion in evaluating the performance of teachers and administrators.

1/09/06 Authored by Senator Lubbers
1/09/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Education and Career Development

SB 119 School Board Elections at General Election Time
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Lubbers
Requires that school board members selected by election must be elected at general elections.

1/09/06 Authored by Senator Lubbers
1/09/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Elections and Civic Affairs

SB 125 Student Health Measurements
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Dillon
Requires each school corporation to report certain student health data to the state Department of Health beginning in 2007. Requires the state department to publish an annual report summarizing the data. (The introduced version of this bill was prepared by the health finance commission.)

1/09/06 Authored by Senator Dillon
1/09/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Health and Provider Services

SB 138 School Board Elections
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Waterman
Requires that the members of the governing body of a school corporation be elected. Repeals a superseded statute providing for the option of appointment of members of a governing body.

1/09/06 Authored by Senator Waterman
1/09/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Elections and Civic Affairs

SB 142 Collective Bargaining for Public Employees
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Lanane
Permits certain governmental employees and noncertificated employees of school corporations to form and join unions. Establishes a five member public employees relations board. Establishes a procedure for the selection and decertification of an exclusive bargaining representative. Establishes employer and employee rights. Specifies prohibited practices. Requires the employer to bargain collectively when an exclusive representative has been certified. Establishes negotiation, mediation, factfinding, and binding arbitration procedures. Establishes mandatory subjects of negotiation. Provides that all decisions, opinions, or awards made by an arbitrator are subject to public inspection and copying. Provides that a proposed bargaining agreement subject to ratification by the parties is confidential. Requires a grievance procedure to be included in each collective bargaining agreement. Makes strikes by certain public employees unlawful, and establishes penalties for strikes.

1/09/06 Authored by Senator Lanane
1/09/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Pensions and Labor

SB 150 Sales Tax Holiday
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Riegsecker
Provides a sales tax exemption for school supplies, school art supplies, school computer supplies, computers, articles of clothing, and certain household items that are purchased during the four day period beginning on the first Thursday in August.

1/09/06 Authored by Senator Riegsecker
1/09/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Tax and Fiscal Policy

SB 194 Teacher Professional Development Days
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Hume, Senator R. Meeks, Senator Skinner, Senator Rogers, Senator Craycraft
Provides that a maximum of three full school days or six half days when students are dismissed for staff professional development activities count as student instructional days for purposes of the required 180 day school year. Allows a school corporation to use no more than two half days of the six half days, or one half day of the three full days, for parent-teacher conferences. Provides that the decision whether to use three full days or six half days is solely the decision of the governing body, and not subject to collective bargaining. Voids provisions in the Indiana Administrative Code that allow partial school days used for parent-teacher conferences to count as partial student instructional days and that do not allow students to be dismissed for full days for parent-teacher conferences and staff professional development activities.

1/09/06 Authored by Senator Hume
1/09/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Education and Career Development
1/12/06 Senator R. Meeks added as second author
1/24/06 Committee report: amend do pass, adopted
1/30/06 Amendment 1 (Kenley), prevailed; Division of the Senate: Yeas 33, Nays 17
1/30/06 Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed
2/01/06 Third reading: passed; Roll Call 116: Yeas 31, Nays 19
2/01/06 Referred to the House
2/01/06 House sponsors: Representative Thompson
2/01/06 Cosponsor: Representative Oxley
2/01/06 Senator Skinner and Senator Rogers added as coauthors
2/01/06 Senator Craycraft added as coauthor
2/07/06 First reading: referred to Committee on Education

SB 195 Charter School Budget Review
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Mrvan
Requires a charter school to submit its budget to the governing body of the school corporation in which the charter school is located for review and approval. Provides that a charter school may not receive funding if the school corporation governing body does not approve the charter school's budget.

1/09/06 Authored by Senator Mrvan
1/09/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Education and Career Development

SB 230 Student Loans
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Lubbers
Permits the Indiana Secondary Market for Education Loans, Inc. to become a direct lender of postsecondary loans. Allows the board of directors of the corporation to meet in executive session to protect proprietary business information. Repeals the secondary market sale fund.

1/09/06 Authored by Senator Lubbers
1/09/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Education and Career Development
1/19/06 Committee report: do pass, adopted
1/19/06 Reassigned to the Committee on Appropriations
1/26/06 Committee report: do pass, adopted
1/30/06 Second reading: ordered engrossed
2/01/06 Third reading: passed; Roll Call 120: Yeas 47, Nays 3
2/01/06 Referred to the House
2/01/06 House sponsors: Representative Behning
2/01/06 Cosponsor: Representative Micon
2/07/06 First reading: referred to Committee on Financial Institutions
2/16/06 Representative Welch added as cosponsor

SB 233 Technology Textbooks
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Gard
Requires the governing body of a school corporation to purchase classroom sets of technology textbooks for students to use in school instead of requiring students to rent or purchase the textbooks. Allows the governing body to: (1) charge a reasonable user fee to a student for use of the classroom set of textbooks; and (2) adopt and purchase new technology textbooks every three years.

1/09/06 Authored by Senator Gard
1/09/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Education and Career Development

SB 248 Length of School Year
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Ford
Extends the number of student instructional days from 180 days to 200 days by the 2009-2010 school year.

1/09/06 Authored by Senator Ford
1/09/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Education and Career Development

SB 257 Energy and Fuel Assistance Grants to Schools
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Alting, Senator Zakas, Senator Breaux, Senator Craycraft, Senator Jackman
Appropriates $15,000,000 to make energy assistance grants and $15,000,000 to make transportation assistance grants to school corporations and charter schools.

1/09/06 Authored by Senator Alting
1/09/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Appropriations
1/12/06 Senator Kenley added as second author
1/12/06 Senator Zakas, Senator Breaux, and Senator Craycraft added as Coauthors
1/12/06 Senator Jackman added as coauthor

SB 262 Determination of High School Graduation Rates
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Sipes
Provides that a student who has received a general educational development (GED) diploma by the end of the semester in which the student's class graduates is not included as a dropout for purposes of determining a school's graduation rate.

1/09/06 Authored by Senator Sipes
1/09/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Education and Career Development

SB 276 Voter Education
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Rogers
Requires public and accredited nonpublic high schools to: (1) provide a three- hour session to grade 12 students concerning voting; and (2) provide voter registration forms to graduating students and students who leave school without graduating who are at least 18 years of age.

1/09/06 Authored by Senator Rogers
1/09/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Rules and Legislative Procedure

SB 298 Sex Offender Residency
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Long, Senator Bray
Makes it a Class D felony for a sexually violent predator or person who has been convicted of certain sex offenses to reside within 1,000 feet of a school, youth program center, or park. Requires the sex offender web site to identify sex offenders who are sexually violent predators or who are required to register for life.

1/09/06 Authored by Senator Long
1/09/06 Co-authored by Senator Bray
1/09/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Corrections, Criminal, and Civil Matters

SB 306 State Mandate Notes
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Sipes
Requires the general assembly to attach a state mandate note to bills on final passage that: (1) require the expenditure of funds; or (2) affect revenues; of a school corporation or charter school. Sets forth the required elements of a state mandate note. Requires the legislative council to establish procedures for making a determination that a bill requires a state mandate note and the preparation of state mandate notes.

1/09/06 Authored by Senator Sipes
1/09/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Appropriations

SB 309 Early Childhood Education
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Simpson, Senator Rogers, Senator Skinner, Senator Breaux
Specifies areas included in an educational services center's purchasing authority. Establishes the early education trust fund (fund), administered by the department of education (department), to provide funding and grants for educational programs for children from birth through seven years of age. Requires school corporations that receive Title I funding to offer full-day kindergarten beginning with the 2007-2008 school year, and all school corporations to offer full-day kindergarten beginning with the 2009-2010 school year. Appropriates $1,500,000 to the fund to be used for matching grants to school corporations to participate in the Imagination Library to provide books for children from birth through five years of age. Requires the department to enter into an agreement with a qualified entity to conduct a study and to prepare a report on the amount of money attributable to each factor within the complexity index and to develop a fixed cost index for each school corporation in Indiana.

1/09/06 Authored by Senator Simpson
1/09/06 Coauthored by Senator Rogers, Senator Skinner, Senator Breaux
1/09/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Education and Career Development

SB 320 Standards for Tutoring
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Skinner
Establishes minimum requirements for providers of tutoring services to students under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

1/10/06 Authored by Senator Skinner
1/10/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Education and Career Development

SB 323 Allocation of School Resources
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Lubbers, Senator Hershman
Requires the state board of education annually to: (1) analyze state statutes, rules, policies, and relationships to determine those that restrict school corporations and public schools from allocating resources to, and focusing efforts on, student instruction and learning; and (2) report the results of the analysis to the state superintendent of public instruction, the general assembly, and the governor. Allows school corporations to undertake certain actions to save money in nonacademic areas and reallocate the saved money to student instruction and learning. Requires the department of education and the state board of education to develop a plan to upgrade the financial management, analysis, and reporting system for school corporations and schools.

1/10/06 Authored by Senator Lubbers
1/10/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Education and Career Development
1/19/06 Committee report: amend do pass, adopted
1/24/06 Amendment 3 (Lubbers), prevailed; Voice Vote
1/24/06 Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed
1/26/06 Senator Hershman added as coauthor
1/26/06 Third reading: passed; Roll Call 69: Yeas 31, Nays 17
1/26/06 Referred to the House
1/26/06 House sponsor: Representative Noe
2/02/06 First reading: referred to Committee on Education
2/21/06 Representative Noe removed as sponsor
2/21/06 Representative Behning added as sponsor
2/21/06 Representative Noe added as cosponsor

SB 324 Various Education Matters
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Drozda
Allows the use of school-owned buses for nonprofit organizations under certain conditions. Allows school corporations to independently contract for school nurses and other certified or licensed personnel to provide student services and health services. Requires the state board of education annually to: (1) analyze state statutes, rules, policies, and relationships to determine those that restrict school corporations and public schools from allocating resources to, and focusing efforts on, student instruction and learning; and (2) report the results of the analysis to the state superintendent of public instruction, the general assembly, and the governor. Makes statutes governing nonrenewal of contracts applicable to assistant superintendents, principals, assistant principals, and directors of special education consistent with statutes governing the nonrenewal of a superintendent's contract. Increases the cost of public works projects subject to the bidding process. Allows school corporations to declare themselves deregulated and waive certain statutes and rules. Allows up to one year or the school corporation's next budget year for school corporations to abate school building inspection violations. Removes the requirement for state and local attendance officers. Extends eligibility for the twenty-first century scholars program to students in grade 7. Authorizes a municipal school corporation to purchase certain materials for a public works project under the public purchasing law. Requires prior written informed consent before administering an assessment, an evaluation, a screening, or an examination concerning a child's social, emotional, or behavioral health. Provides for the development of a social, emotional and behavioral health plan for a child to be submitted to the state board for approval and to the general assembly before implementation. Requires a public school, including a charter school, to deposit the funds on hand not later than the business day following the day that the funds exceed two hundred dollars ($200). Requires the Indiana state board of education to adopt rules to allow a school corporation to enter into an independent contract with an individual who holds at least: (1) an associate degree in nursing; and (2) a registered nurse license issued under state law. Provides that a nonpermanent teacher must be notified by May 20 that the school corporation's governing body will consider the nonrenewal of the teacher's contract. (The notification deadline under current law is May 1.) Provides that an initial school superintendent contract must be for a term of at least 36 months. Allows subsequent contracts to be of any duration. Makes technical corrections. Repeals superseded compulsory school attendance provisions.

1/10/06 Authored by Senator Alting
1/10/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Education and Career Development
1/12/06 Senator Alting removed as first author
1/12/06 Senator Drozda added as first author
1/24/06 Committee report: amend do pass, adopted
1/30/06 Second reading: ordered engrossed
2/02/06 Third reading: passed; Roll Call 147:Yeas 30, Nays 19
2/02/06 Referred to the House
2/02/06 House sponsor: Representative Noe
2/02/06 Cosponsor: Representative Behning
2/07/06 First reading: referred to Committee on Education
2/16/06 Representative Noe removed as sponsor
2/16/06 Representative Behning removed as cosponsor
2/16/06 Representative Behning added as sponsor
2/16/06 Representative Noe added as cosponsor
2/23/06 Committee report: amend do pass, adopted
2/28/06 Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed
2/28/06 Amendment 10 (Behning), prevailed; Voice Vote
2/28/06 Amendment 3 (Aguilera), ruled out of order
2/28/06 Amendment 6 (Thompson), prevailed; Roll Call 298: Yeas 70, Nays 25
2/28/06 Amendment 4 (Thompson), prevailed; Voice Vote
2/28/06 Amendment 9 (Porter), failed; Roll Call 299, Yeas 49, Nays 49

SB 336 Care and Management of Student Diabetes at School
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Landske, Senator Breaux, Senator Sipes, Senator Skinner, Senator Miller, Senator Riegsecker
Requires the department of education and the state department of health to develop and implement a pilot student diabetes management program before July 1, 2007, and a statewide program before July 1, 2009. Establishes a training program for school employees who are not health care professionals to assist students with diabetes in managing and treating the diabetes. Sets forth requirements for individualized health plans for students who will be managing and treating diabetes while at school or school activities.

1/10/06 Authored by Senator Landske
1/10/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Health and Provider Services
1/24/06 Senator Breaux and Senator Sipes added as coauthors
1/25/06 Committee report: amend do pass, adopted
1/31/06 Amendment 1 (Landske), prevailed; Voice Vote
1/31/06 Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed
2/01/06 Third reading: passed; Roll Call 133: Yeas 49, Nays 0
2/01/06 Referred to the House
2/01/06 House sponsor: Representative Ayres
2/01/06 Cosponsors: Representative Welch and Representative Budak
2/01/06 Senator Skinner added as coauthor
2/01/06 Senator Miller and Senator Riegsecker added as coauthors
2/07/06 First reading: referred to Committee on Public Health

SB 350 Student Assessment
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Dillon
Requires the department of education to develop a ten year plan for student diagnostic and summative achievement assessment before January 1, 2007, with the first of the new assessments to be administered in September 2007.

1/10/06 Authored by Senator Dillon
1/10/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Education and Career Development

SB 358 Vending Machine Beverages Sold in Schools
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Meeks
Establishes minimum requirements for the beverages that are offered in vending machines in public schools.

1/10/06 Authored by Senator Waterman
1/10/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Education and Career Development

SB 364 Academic Progress Test
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Waterman
Replaces the ISTEP test program with the Measures of Academic Progress assessment system. Repeals a definition concerning the ISTEP test program. Makes conforming changes.

1/10/06 Authored by Senator Waterman
1/10/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Education and Career Development

SB 376 Teacher and Administrator Contracts
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Dillon, Senator Kenley
Requires a school corporation to take action not later than June 1: (1) to cancel an indefinite contract with a permanent or semipermanent teacher; or (2) to refuse to renew a contract with a nonpermanent teacher, a superintendent, an assistant superintendent, a principal, or an assistant principal. Limits the number of teachers that the exclusive representative may appoint to serve on statutory or locally created committees of a school corporation. Limits language in the teachers' collective bargaining law that prohibits a school employer from unilaterally changing the terms and conditions of employment (if no agreement on those terms and conditions has been reached 14 days before the school employer submits a budget) to items that must be bargained collectively.

1/10/06 Authored by Senator Dillon
1/10/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Education and Career Development
1/10/06 Senator Kenley added as second author

SB 389 Adult Education Tax Credits
Author/Co-Authors: Senator Smith
Establishes an adult education tax credit. Allows employers to receive a tax credit of up to $300 per employee and up to $5,000 per year for payment of an employee's expenses related to an adult education program.

1/10/06 Authored by Senator Lewis
1/10/06 First reading: referred to the Committee on Tax and Fiscal Policy
1/17/06 Senator Lewis removed as first author
1/17/06 Senator Smith added as first author