Senate Bill 223 (Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA), authored by Sen. Jean Leising (R-Oldenburg) died this week after not receiving a hearing by the House Education Committee. The bill was the casualty of consternation between the House and Senate sponsors on language amended into another bill, but the relevant language remains in play headed into the Legislature’s upcoming conference committee negotiations. Championed by the Chamber as a legislative priority this session, the measure would require Indiana high school seniors to file for student financial aid with an opt-out option that allows the requirement to be waived by the student’s parent or principal. Based on a policy that has proved effective in other states, this aims to increase student awareness and access to grants and scholarships that can help Hoosiers earn industry-recognized credentials and degrees with reduced or no debt. Given that Indiana’s workforce is increasingly dependent on individuals earning postsecondary degrees and industry-recognized credentials, the Chamber believes this bill represents a commonsense approach to ensuring students don’t inadvertently leave opportunity on the table. A similar bill, though with less explicit opt-out language, passed the House last year before stalling in the Senate, so we remain cautiously optimistic that the measure will become law in 2020.

House Bill 1419 (Governor’s Workforce Cabinet), authored by Rep. Bob Behning (R-Indianapolis), was amended and passed by the Senate Commerce and Technology Committee on a 9-0 vote this week. The measure adds members to the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet, including additional representatives from K-12 and higher education. The original version of the bill also would have added representatives from the Indiana Chamber and the Indiana Manufacturers Association, but unfortunately the amended version passed by the Senate removed that language. The Chamber remains supportive of the bill’s intent to better align Indiana’s education and workforce systems by giving more key stakeholders a voice on these critical workforce issues. However, as amended, the bill dilutes the voice of the state’s business community and the Chamber will continue to advocate for a seat at the table moving forward. In its current form, the Chamber’s position on the bill is support in part.

House Bill 1002 (Teacher Evaluations), authored by Rep. Anthony Cook (R-Cicero), was passed by the Senate Education Committee unanimously on an 8-0 vote this week. The Chamber testified in opposition to the bill last week alongside other education reform advocates, including the Institute for Quality Education and the Foundation for Excellence in Education. The measure removes a current state requirement that local school districts’ educator evaluation systems be based, in part, on “objective measures of student achievement,” including Indiana’s ILEARN assessments. This change would preclude schools from using student assessment results – both overall performance and learning growth – in gauging the effectiveness of their classroom teachers. The Chamber believes jettisoning objective data-driven measures altogether in favor of subjective measures like classroom observations by school principals sends the message that “results don’t matter” and sets a troubling precedent for future progress in Indiana education. It’s worth noting that about 98% of Indiana teachers are rated “effective” or “highly effective” by their administrators and other policy advocates, including the National Council on Teacher Quality, have joined the Chamber in opposing the proposed change to teacher evaluations.

Senate Bill 319 (Practitioner or Accomplished Practitioner License), authored by Sen. Linda Rogers (R-Granger), cleared the House Education Committee by a vote of 12-1. The bill reverses a legislative mandate from last year recommended by the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet – making it optional, not required, that Indiana teachers earn a portion (15 hours) of their professional growth points for license renewal through a range of activities aimed at increasing career awareness. The Chamber opposed this provision of the bill, as well as similar language in House Bill 1003, given the pervasive lack of understanding (and common misconceptions) among students, parents and educators regarding Indiana’s changing labor market and the emerging career opportunities across industry sectors. The Chamber believes that equipping teachers to help bridge this knowledge gap through intentional professional development is both reasonable and relevant to student success in a 21st century economy. The Chamber would support providing teachers with greater flexibility and additional options to help but making it optional altogether all but ensures that it will be underutilized. Thus, our current position on the measure is opposed.

House Bill 1009 (Various Welfare Matters), authored by Rep. Chuck Goodrich (R-Noblesville), passed the full Senate on third reading this week 47-0. Supported by the Chamber, the measure provides that money earned by a student participating in a paid internship or related work-based learning experience does not impact the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits received by the student’s family. The Chamber believes work-based learning is a key strategy in strengthening Indiana’s talent pipeline and supports removing barriers that could prevent students from engaging in these meaningful experiences.

House Bill 1082 (Various Higher Education Matters), authored by Rep. Robert Heaton (R-Terre Haute), cleared the full Senate this week on a 46-0 vote. Supported by the Chamber, the measure makes a number of technical changes to state financial aid programs, including increased flexibility that enables students eligible for the EARN Indiana work-study program to participate in full-time internship opportunities during the summer term.

Resource: Jason Bearce at (317) 264-6880 or email: jbearce@indianachamber.com