The IU State Relations team has reviewed every bill that has been introduced at the Statehouse and determined if and how the bill could impact the university. This State Update provides a summary of bills the team is tracking that have had activity during the fourth week of session.
House Bills
HB 1004: Various education matters
Heard in House Education and held for committee amendments and vote
The bill removes and repeals various education provisions and expired education provisions in Indiana Title 20: Education. This is the second deregulation bill in a multi-year process to “cut red tape in education by eliminating unnecessary rules and regulations, freeing up resources and giving K-12 schools more flexibility to focus on educating our kids.”
HB 1268: Indiana defense task force funding
Recommitted to House Ways and Means
The bill provides that certain amounts appropriated for state fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27 must be used exclusively to support priorities identified by the Indiana Defense Task Force (task force) established by IC 4-3-21.5. Provides that the Indiana Economic Development Corporation shall consult with, and receive approval from, the task force prior to obligating or expending the funds. The bill requires the task force to make a report detailing the use of the funds and their correspondence to task force priorities to the State Budget Committee and the Legislative Council.
House Concurrent Resolution 4
Passed House 86-0 and referred to Senate Homeland Security and Transportation
This concurrent resolution urges the Indiana Department of Transportation to rename the stretch of State Road 45 that is between College Avenue and Fee Lane in Bloomington the “Bob Knight Memorial Way.”
Senate Bills
SB 161: Education matters
Passed Senate Education and Career Development 10-3 and recommitted to Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy
The bill, among other provisions, requires the Indiana Commission for Higher education to adopt rules that prohibit certain funding from being allocated or expended, directly or indirectly, to low earning outcome degree programs. It provides that the Indiana Department of Workforce Development must maintain alignment with federal rules governing workforce Pell grants.
SB 199: Various education matters
Passed Senate Education and Career Development 9-2
The bill, among other provisions, requires the Indiana Commission for Higher Education (CHE), not later than December 1, 2026, to evaluate accrediting agencies of state educational institutions and to report the CHE’s findings and recommendations to the General Assembly.
SB 204: Various education matters
Passed Senate Education and Career Development 9-4 and recommitted to Senate Appropriations
This bill, among other provisions, repeals reporting requirements related to duplicative or outdated reports in Title 21: Higher Education and changes certain amounts concerning construction, land purchases, and repair and rehabilitation by an institution to $3,000,000, adjusted for inflation. It provides that a state educational institution that has been denied approval to continue a degree program may: (1) permit students to enroll in the degree program until June 1 of the year following the denial; and (2) provide students enrolled in the degree program with the opportunity to finish their degree prior to the degree program's closure.