HB 1500 Indiana House · 2025 Regular Session

Teacher appreciation grants.

Summary

Establishes a new teacher appreciation grant program. Removes and repeals certain requirements concerning staff performance evaluations. Repeals the current teacher appreciation grant provisions. Makes conforming changes.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Feb 2025

House Passage

Feb 2025

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 21, 2025 Last action Mar 3, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced House Bill (H) → House Bill (S) · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill fundamentally restructures Indiana's teacher appreciation grant program by expanding eligibility definitions, establishing a new grant framework, and repealing previous evaluation-based requirements. The changes broaden who qualifies as a 'teacher' for program purposes and shift the grant distribution mechanism from a fixed per-student calculation to a stipend-based system tied to approved distribution plans.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of the teacher appreciation grant program to include additional educational roles such as librarians, school counselors, school psychologists, and charter school teachers, while removing certain evaluation requirements that previously applied to staff performance reviews.

DEFINITION

Expanded the definition of 'teacher' to include librarians, school counselors, school psychologists, and adjunct teachers in addition to traditional classroom teachers.

REQUIREMENT

Removed evaluation rating requirements that previously determined teacher eligibility for appreciation grants, replacing them with a new stipend-based distribution system.

FISCAL

Established a new teacher appreciation grant program with different funding calculations based on approved distribution plans rather than fixed per-student amounts.

TIMELINE

Changed the effective date from June 29, 2025 to July 1, 2025.

SCOPE

Repealed previous teacher appreciation grant provisions that established fixed grant amounts based on student enrollment and teacher ratings.

Floor votes · House Feb 18, 2025

How they voted

66–28

Passed · 6 other

Total votes 100

Feb 18, 2025

D Democratic29

27 Nay 2

93% Nay

I Independent1

1 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican70

65 Yea 1 Nay 4

92% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Feb 18, 2025

Lower · Passed

Third reading: passed; Roll Call 199: yeas 66, nays 28

lower

Feb 17, 2025

Amended

Amendment #1 (Pfaff) failed; Roll Call 181: yeas 30, nays 63

lower

Feb 13, 2025

Lower · Passed

Committee report: amend do pass, adopted

lower

3 primary · 3 co-sponsors