Senate Bill 54 (FAFSA Requirement), authored by Sen. Jean Leising (R-Oldenburg), was voted out of the Senate Education Committee 9-4. The legislation – a Chamber priority – requires Indiana high school seniors, with few exceptions, to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The Indiana Chamber continues to advocate strongly for this common sense policy that offers clear benefits to both students/families and Indiana’s workforce.
Though the bill cleared an important hurdle this week, the ultimate outcome remains far from certain with lawmakers seeming susceptible to largely unfounded arguments by education association lobbyists that the measure poses too much of an administrative burden for local schools. A senator who voted for the bill this week in committee noted that his support was driven by “putting the needs of students first.” We can only hope that is the prevailing sentiment driving lawmakers’ decision-making when the bill comes before the full Senate next week.
House Bill 1152 (Unemployment Insurance), authored by Rep. Dan Leonard (R-Huntington), clarifies provisions concerning the overpayment of unemployment benefits resulting from fraud or failure to disclose wages and the forfeiture of benefits or wage credits. What was thought might be a controversial discussion ended instead in a unanimous vote (93-0) in favor of the bill on the House floor. Representative Ryan Hatfield (D-Evansville) succeeded in passing his second reading amendment that changed the language from “any fact” to a “material fact.” A material fact is currently used in statute to determine the standard for fraud. His amendment was similar to the amendment that was defeated in committee. The bill moves to the Senate where the Chamber will lobby in full support of the policy.
Senate Bill 131 (Disclosures Related to Prescription Drugs), authored by Sen. Michael Bohacek (R-Michigan City), passed in revised form from the Senate Insurance and Financial Institutions Committee 5-3. As amended by the author, it requires health plans to provide the amount of negotiated rate for a prescription drug to the covered individual at the point of sale. It also sets out additional requirements for pharmacy benefit managers regarding rebates. The Chamber opposed the original bill as well as the new version. At this point, we don’t believe the bill is any better at lowering prescription drug costs and still may cause additional costs to fully insured plans. Because of the committee process, there has not been enough time to allow the Legislative Services Agency to conduct a fiscal impact on the bill. The bill is likely to pass the full Senate despite our opposition. We will work to kill it in the committee process in the House.
Resources: Jason Bearce at (317) 264-6880 or email: jbearce@indianachamber.com; Mike Ripley at (317) 264-6883 or email: mripley@indianachamber.com
