A bill that puts the Board of Education “in the driver’s seat” Guidance on “human sexuality” On Tuesday, it faced fierce opposition from Democrats who feared it would limit education about LGBTQ identities.
The Senate bill, along with more than 20 other bills, passed the third reading deadline by a vote of 38-10. All will head to the House for further consideration later in the 2024 session.
The author, Sen. Gary Byrne, portrayed the proposal as a move to increase transparency by making sex education class materials available online and giving school boards final say over the curriculum.
“Indiana already has a law that allows parents to remove their children from sex ed classes if they do not want them to attend. It just helps them make a better decision about whether they want to opt out,” said Byrne, a Burnsville Republican. “…Families have different values and ideals about what is appropriate to say and when it is appropriate to say it.”
He noted that the definition of human sexuality is still up to local residents and not defined in state law, but the Indiana School Boards Association did not object.
Sen. J.D. Ford, the only openly gay member of the General Assembly, echoed the committee's comments about the “chilling effect” on LGBTQ topics, saying parents are already working on their children's education. I objected.
“In a 2023 Indiana Department of Education survey…8% of respondents said they did not know what was being taught in school. Only 8% of parents said they had concerns about the curriculum. Only 7% said yes,” said Ford, D-Indianapolis. “Parents and families know what's going on.”
Other Democrats called it an unfunded mandate or “another administrative headache,” while Byrne's fellow Republicans emphasized joint service on local school boards.
“This is a small step to make sure the school board is actually responsive and meeting its obligations. That's it,” said Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne. “We want to know what children are learning about sexuality. All we ask is that we have a public discussion about it.”
Other youth and education related bills
Sen. Linda Rogers' bill drew bipartisan consternation. Senate Bill 146, deals with youth employment. According to the proposal's language, Hoosier servers, as young as 18 years old, would be trained to make alcohol sales calls and serve alcoholic beverages in restaurant and hotel dining areas. . Several adjustments have also been made to loosen employment protections for minors.
Republican Sens. Vaneta Becker, Mike Bohacek and Jim Tomes joined nine Democrats in the chamber to vote against the bill, which passed 35-13.
Other education issues received more bipartisan support, including a bill that would restrict school corporations from using school counselors in non-counseling roles. Senator Gene Rising's bill; Senate Bill 141would prevent counselors from doing “a lot of administrative work that they shouldn't be doing.”
The smallest school districts do not have to follow it, but larger districts do. Have a counselor continue their work as a counselor The probability is 60%, increasing to 80% for the 2026-2027 school year.
Her bill passed unanimously.
Another decade-long effort to mandate Rising cursive was advanced in another step. Senate Bill 287. The underlying bill, authored by Sen. Jim Tomes, R-Wadesville, states that schools “may include” instruction on internet safety.
Sen. Andy Zai (R-Huntington) said he believes the state should have switched to the May rule for cursive writing and the Charles rule for internet safety. The bill passed with a vote of 46 to 3.
Measures other than education
Sen. Chris Garten's continued efforts to limit agency discretion when it comes to fines and regulations continued Tuesday. Senate Bill 297.
“Senate Bill 297 requires state agencies to conduct a regulatory analysis, a cost-benefit analysis, for all interim and interim rules. This is already being done and is not required under regular regulations. ” said the Charlestown Republican.
He said the bill would prohibit agencies from imposing rules with an estimated impact of $1 million or more, with some exceptions, without Congressional approval. The Office of Management and Budget already has a similar process in place, but this would codify it into law, he added.
“This is a logical next step in restoring Congress' proper role in deciding major policy issues,” Garten said.
Sen. Rodney Paul (D-Chesterton) questioned Garten's assertion that elected officials are best suited to handle these decisions when government agencies are more agile and responsive. It showed.
“I think the best thing to do is to be proactive and say, 'Anytime you want to make a rule, you have to come to the Legislature and get it approved with us.' … That's the solution that was originally proposed. It may look completely different and there may not even be an answer to that,'' Pol said. “I think that's problematic, and I think this is where I have to voice my opinion…about where the line is on the separation of powers.”
Sen. Ronnie Randolph, D-Chicago, broke away from his caucus to vote in favor of the bill, which passed 41-8.
Senators also gave the green light to the following bills with unanimous or near-unanimous support:
- Senate Bill 8: Higher education is important. The bill requires high schools to offer Indiana University core classes that transfer to college credit through dual credit courses or advanced placement courses. Universities will need to evaluate whether programs can be completed in three years and consider whether incomplete degrees can be turned into two-year associate degrees.
- Senate Bill 132: Professions and Professional Services.this Omnibus measures Addresses a variety of medical concerns, including dental billing and protecting senior Hoosiers transitioning to managed care.
- Senate Bill 139: Psilocybin treatment program. The bill would fund research into the use of psilocybin, also known as mushrooms, to treat mental health disorders.
- Senate Bill 180: Central Bank Digital Currency. Under the bill, state agencies would not be allowed to accept or request central bank digital currencies issued by the U.S. Federal Reserve or foreign governments. This does not include Bitcoin, Venmo, or other forms of online banking.
Get the morning headlines delivered to your inbox
