HEA 1457(ss) Summary

• Corrects and reconciles multiple Indiana Code sections that were amended by different bills during the 2018 legislative session, addressing conflicts and inconsistencies between simultaneous enactments.

• Modifies broadband grant priorities to prioritize areas with no internet or speeds below 10 megabits per second, then areas with 10-25 megabits per second, and requires 30-day public comment periods on all grant applications.

• Updates education reporting requirements for schools to include additional metrics on student demographics, including chronic absenteeism, habitual truancy, dropout rates, suspensions, and expulsions disaggregated by race, grade, gender, and special education status.

• Clarifies teacher compensation plan requirements allowing supplemental payments for advanced placement, Cambridge International courses, and teachers in special education or STEM fields, with evaluation results determining salary increases.

• Makes technical corrections to various statutes covering industrial development projects, healthcare facility reporting, charter school admissions, clinical social worker licensing, notarial acts, and asset forfeiture provisions.