HB 1002, HB 1634, SB 365 and SB 448 / Chamber Supports
Last week, several Chamber-supported measures moved across the finish line. This included House Bill 1634 on math instruction, authored by Rep. Jake Teshka (R-North Liberty); Senate Bill 365 on career coaching programs, authored by Sen. Jeff Raatz (R-Richmond); and Senate Bill 448 on postsecondary education realignment and market driven stackable credentials, authored by Sen. Greg Goode (R-Terre Haute). All achieved final passage and have moved on to the Governor for action.
While House Bill 1002 – authored by Rep. Bob Behning (R-Indianapolis) and often dubbed a “deregulation bill” for K-12 schools – passed the Senate last week, it did so after a heated floor debate and with nine “No” votes among Senate Republicans. The House has dissented on the Senate-passed version, and this goes to conference committee to see if a compromise can be hammered out. This bill remains a top priority for both the House majority and the Indiana Chamber.
House Bill 1002 is far from the “massive deregulation” critics have claimed. It’s more of a cleanup effort that removes outdated and unnecessary provisions in statutes and relieves burdens of compliance. It marks the first of an envisioned three-year deregulation effort of Title 20 statutes governing Indiana’s public schools.
Some Senate amendments, such as proposals to eliminate social-emotional learning instruction and trauma-informed care practice, sparked significant pushback and confusion during floor debate.
As lawmakers head into the final week of the legislative session, several other high-profile K-12 bills await resolution in conference committee. Among them: Senate Bill 287 on partisan school board elections and Senate Bill 373 on centralized school facilities, student transportation and mastery-based education pilot programs, as well as the new Indianapolis local education alliance effort.
