I-CAN Update for February 19
Sunday,February, 21 ,2010 Filed in: I-CAN
The final full week of committee hearings is now concluded; only a couple of bills will be heard on Monday next week. All committee reports must pass the floor on Monday afternoon with third reading deadline for all bills on Thursday. The session is likely to end a week early; most expect it to conclude by March 5. Hence, many committees met this week passing only those bills that either had strong consensus agreement or were seen as necessary for political or state policy concerns. These major issues include school funding, lobbyist and legislative ethics, and township government reforms noted below. In addition, gaming expansion, unemployment taxes, and property reassessment are the other major issues facing the General Assembly.
Major bills/issues
The Senate Rules Committee stripped out the delay of the scholarship tax credit in HB 1367, Education matters. The bill now includes the Senate's version of flexibility for school corporations, SB 309. The intent of the bill is to allow access capital and other school funds to cover the state reduction in support for the general fund, which provides for most instruction costs. The Senate also added SB 258, Reading deficiencies and student retention, which did not get a hearing in the House. SB 258 requires the state superintendent of public instruction in conjunction with the state board of education to develop a plan to improve reading skills of students. The pl ... [Show Full Digest]an must include reading skill standards for grade 3, an emphasis on a method for making determinant evaluations by grade 3 that might require remedial action for the student, including retention, if reading skills are below the standard. HB 1367 will go to conference committee.
After a committee battle over funding flexibility and avoidance of teacher layoffs, bipartisan support was nearly achieved in SB 309 in the House Education Committee meeting on Wednesday. A compromise was reached regarding use of different funds to cover shortfall from the reduced funding from the state. However, at the end of the meeting, Chairman Greg Porter (D - Indianapolis) moved an amendment to reinsert HB 1367, including postponement of Scholarship Tax Credit, into SB 309. At the beginning of the hearing, even the Indiana State Teachers Association had urged the committee not to include divisive issues that could jeopardize the effort to resolve the funding concern. Following the meeting, it was pointed out that the Chairman violated committee rules by not notifying committee members of his amendment. As a result, Speaker Bauer ordered the bill to be reconsidered in committee on Monday at 11 AM.
HB 1001, Lobbyist, campaign contributions, was amended in Senate Rules Committee to reflect the consensus of both the House and Senate regarding lobbying and legislative ethics. The bill primarily includes the Senate version, SB 114 passed last week, but will not move. HB 1001 will be the bill that becomes law. The Senate will pass HB 1001 next week. It will be up to the House to concur or to work out any differences in a conference committee.
The issue of township government is still moving. HB 1181, Referendum on retaining township trustee and board, was amended in the Senate Local Government Committee. The House language was stripped out and the Senate's version, SB 240, was inserted. The bill and issue will have to be worked out in conference committee after it passes the Senate again next week. SB 240 did not get a hearing in the House. HB 1030, Local government reorganization, also deals with local government reform; it is moving in the Senate. The bill allows for county reorganization of the executive and council functions.
Consensus bills include
SB 224, Electronic dissemination of indecent materials, was heard in the House Judiciary Committee. As expected, the bill will likely be changed to a study committee to prepare a more comprehensive approach to the sexting by teens and young adults for consideration next session. Prosecutors and many others had concerns that the original bill would result in many unintended consequences. They asked that the bill be changed. In addition to the study committee, the proposed amendment calls for school corporations to include the problem and consequences of sexting in health or other appropriate curriculum. And the amendment provides for procedures to clarify which sex offenders should remain or be taken off the sex offenders list. The committee will meet Monday to consider the amendments.
HB 1021, Bankruptcy exemptions; earned income tax credit passed second reading without amendment; the bill is on third reading next week. It is expected to pass the Senate next week. The bill passed the House 95 - 0.
Representative Matt Pierce, (D - Bloomington) Chair of the House Committee on Courts and Criminal Code, added SB 71, Unlawful termination of a pregnancy, to the committee schedule on Wednesday. The bill passed in a bipartisan vote 7 - 0. The bill is eligible for passage in the House next week.
Bills not moving
SB 213, Unauthorized aliens, died in committee this week. The bill did not receive a hearing in the Committee on Interstate and International Cooperation. The bill is still eligible to be included in another bill in a conference committee report; however, this is unlikely.
Another bill, likely dead for the session is SJR 13, Definition of Marriage. The bill did not get a hearing in the House Committee on Courts and Criminal Code and is unlikely to be included in a conference committee report.
SB 150, School year; calendar flexibility, was not given a hearing in House Education Committee; the bill is dead, however, it may be attached to a House bill moving in the Senate. HB 1367 is the likely target. This will put it in a committee for action during conference committee negotiations. SB 150 provides that the school year cannot begin until after Labor Day, except for year round schools. Similar moves with other bills are underway. Another example is the legislative redistricting criteria, SB 80, which passed the Senate; it may be added to HB 1030, Local government reorganization. Adding bills to other moving bills on a similar or related topic keeps the subject matter under discussion during conference committee phase of the session.
In addition to the Update, one can obtain more detailed information regarding the bills and detailed information about the legislative process through the Legislative Action Center under policy tools; click issues and legislation to access the state or federal bills. Also, you can access the archived updates, ICC positions and other background information at the ICC web site, www.indianacc.org .
The Senate Rules Committee stripped out the delay of the scholarship tax credit in HB 1367, Education matters. The bill now includes the Senate's version of flexibility for school corporations, SB 309. The intent of the bill is to allow access capital and other school funds to cover the state reduction in support for the general fund, which provides for most instruction costs. The Senate also added SB 258, Reading deficiencies and student retention, which did not get a hearing in the House. SB 258 requires the state superintendent of public instruction in conjunction with the state board of education to develop a plan to improve reading skills of students. The pl ... [Show Full Digest]an must include reading skill standards for grade 3, an emphasis on a method for making determinant evaluations by grade 3 that might require remedial action for the student, including retention, if reading skills are below the standard. HB 1367 will go to conference committee.
After a committee battle over funding flexibility and avoidance of teacher layoffs, bipartisan support was nearly achieved in SB 309 in the House Education Committee meeting on Wednesday. A compromise was reached regarding use of different funds to cover shortfall from the reduced funding from the state. However, at the end of the meeting, Chairman Greg Porter (D - Indianapolis) moved an amendment to reinsert HB 1367, including postponement of Scholarship Tax Credit, into SB 309. At the beginning of the hearing, even the Indiana State Teachers Association had urged the committee not to include divisive issues that could jeopardize the effort to resolve the funding concern. Following the meeting, it was pointed out that the Chairman violated committee rules by not notifying committee members of his amendment. As a result, Speaker Bauer ordered the bill to be reconsidered in committee on Monday at 11 AM.
HB 1001, Lobbyist, campaign contributions, was amended in Senate Rules Committee to reflect the consensus of both the House and Senate regarding lobbying and legislative ethics. The bill primarily includes the Senate version, SB 114 passed last week, but will not move. HB 1001 will be the bill that becomes law. The Senate will pass HB 1001 next week. It will be up to the House to concur or to work out any differences in a conference committee.
The issue of township government is still moving. HB 1181, Referendum on retaining township trustee and board, was amended in the Senate Local Government Committee. The House language was stripped out and the Senate's version, SB 240, was inserted. The bill and issue will have to be worked out in conference committee after it passes the Senate again next week. SB 240 did not get a hearing in the House. HB 1030, Local government reorganization, also deals with local government reform; it is moving in the Senate. The bill allows for county reorganization of the executive and council functions.
Consensus bills include
SB 224, Electronic dissemination of indecent materials, was heard in the House Judiciary Committee. As expected, the bill will likely be changed to a study committee to prepare a more comprehensive approach to the sexting by teens and young adults for consideration next session. Prosecutors and many others had concerns that the original bill would result in many unintended consequences. They asked that the bill be changed. In addition to the study committee, the proposed amendment calls for school corporations to include the problem and consequences of sexting in health or other appropriate curriculum. And the amendment provides for procedures to clarify which sex offenders should remain or be taken off the sex offenders list. The committee will meet Monday to consider the amendments.
HB 1021, Bankruptcy exemptions; earned income tax credit passed second reading without amendment; the bill is on third reading next week. It is expected to pass the Senate next week. The bill passed the House 95 - 0.
Representative Matt Pierce, (D - Bloomington) Chair of the House Committee on Courts and Criminal Code, added SB 71, Unlawful termination of a pregnancy, to the committee schedule on Wednesday. The bill passed in a bipartisan vote 7 - 0. The bill is eligible for passage in the House next week.
Bills not moving
SB 213, Unauthorized aliens, died in committee this week. The bill did not receive a hearing in the Committee on Interstate and International Cooperation. The bill is still eligible to be included in another bill in a conference committee report; however, this is unlikely.
Another bill, likely dead for the session is SJR 13, Definition of Marriage. The bill did not get a hearing in the House Committee on Courts and Criminal Code and is unlikely to be included in a conference committee report.
SB 150, School year; calendar flexibility, was not given a hearing in House Education Committee; the bill is dead, however, it may be attached to a House bill moving in the Senate. HB 1367 is the likely target. This will put it in a committee for action during conference committee negotiations. SB 150 provides that the school year cannot begin until after Labor Day, except for year round schools. Similar moves with other bills are underway. Another example is the legislative redistricting criteria, SB 80, which passed the Senate; it may be added to HB 1030, Local government reorganization. Adding bills to other moving bills on a similar or related topic keeps the subject matter under discussion during conference committee phase of the session.
In addition to the Update, one can obtain more detailed information regarding the bills and detailed information about the legislative process through the Legislative Action Center under policy tools; click issues and legislation to access the state or federal bills. Also, you can access the archived updates, ICC positions and other background information at the ICC web site, www.indianacc.org .