Sen. Tyler Johnson

Makes various changes to education provisions concerning the following: (1) Creating a teaching and learning framework for the implementation of mathematics academic standards. (2) Development of a data science math pathway. (3) Submission of a report to the general assembly concerning recommendations on strategies to support academically and fiscally underperforming schools, and interventions as necessary. (4) Evaluating, approving, and publishing high quality curricular materials time lines. (5) Local board membership for a local centralized school facilities board and local student transportation board. (6) Salary differentiation regarding teachers who possess a literacy endorsement. (7) Amounts expended in participating in an interlocal agreement included in determining amounts school corporations expend on full-time teacher salaries for purposes of teacher salary minimum funding requirements. (8) Summer school program and reimbursement administration. (9) Criteria required for eligibility of a waiver for conducting four day school weeks. (10) Oversight of career and technical education program designation. (11) Uses of teacher appreciation grants. (12) The calculation of operating referendum distributions and school safety referendum distributions to charter schools with regard to virtual instruction. (13) Petitions regarding reconsidering payments of choice scholarships. (14) Membership of the board for proprietary education. (15) The effective date regarding the changes to the definition of "eligible choice scholarship student". (16) Career specialist permit eligibility. Provides that an emergency permit may be renewed up to two times to an individual enrolled in an alternative teacher certification program if the program provides documentation verifying the individual's good standing in the program to the department of education. Creates a new qualification option for a transition to teaching program participant who seeks to obtain a license to teach in grades 5 through 12. Removes a provision that provides that the department may not release less than 10 items per subject matter level per grade level regarding the statewide summative assessment. Removes a requirement that for a parent or student to use a career scholarship account (CSA) annual grant amount for costs related to transportation a CSA participating entity must pay a matching amount for the transportation costs. Requires each state educational institution that offers a two year graduate degree program in mental or behavioral health to evaluate the graduate degree program to determine the feasibility of providing the program in a specifically structured manner to allow full-time students to complete the program within: (1) one year; or (2) five years if the program is combined with a baccalaureate degree program. Requires the Indiana department of education to elect to participate as a covered state in the federal tax credit scholarship program for elementary and secondary education under Section 25F of the Internal Revenue Code (enacted in Public Law 119-21, commonly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025). Makes conforming changes to the school scholarship tax credit in current law. Requires the governor and the department of workforce development, in consultation with the commission for higher education, to: (1) establish a process to identify eligible workforce training programs; (2) establish a process for institutions and programs to apply for recognition as an eligible workforce training program; (3) coordinate certain workforce training matters; and (4) require eligible workforce training programs to provide certain datasets to the department. Provides that the department of workforce development must maintain alignment with federal rules governing workforce Pell grants. Repeals certain provisions concerning postsecondary career and technical education.

Allows the executive board of the Indiana department of health to adopt rules concerning time temperature control for food safety, but provides that the rules may not be applied to a homestead vendor or small farm vendor. Provides that homestead vendors and small farm vendors are exempt from specified health regulations applicable to food establishments. Provides that the Indiana department of health, a local unit of government, the health and hospital corporation of Marion County, or a local health department may not impose any rules, regulations, certifications, or licensing requirements on a homestead vendor or small farm vendor that are not required under federal law, but may investigate complaints against a homestead vendor or small farm vendor regarding a foodborne illness derived from the homestead vendor's or small farm vendor's food products. Permits homestead vendors and small farm vendors to sell specified meat products and other foods from: (1) the property of the homestead vendor or small farm vendor; or (2) a farmers market. Requires a homestead vendor or small farm vendor to provide consumers with specified information regarding the homestead vendor's or small farm vendor's food products through signage or labeling. Provides for conditions under which a homestead vendor or small farm vendor may ship or deliver a food product directly to a consumer. Imposes handling, refrigeration, transportation, and storage requirements for homestead vendor and small farm vendor food products. Provides that public buildings used by homestead vendors and small farm vendors are exempt from certain public building and safety regulations. Provides that buildings, structures, or stands used for sale of homestead vendor or small farm vendor food products are subject to specified fire safety, building, and equipment laws.

Requires the local office of the department of child services to provide notice of an adoption petition to the court in which a CHINS proceeding is open or pending. Provides that the consent to adoption may be executed or acknowledged at any time after the birth of the child in the presence of an attorney, in person, or by video conferencing. Provides that a court may grant postadoption contact privileges if the child is at least 12 months of age. (Current law requires the child to be at least two years of age.) Provides certain exceptions to confidentiality requirements. Requires the department of child services (department) to consider certain factors when evaluating an out-of-home placement for a child in a child in need of services (CHINS) case. Provides that a placement with whom a child has resided with for at least 12 months, consecutively or nonconsecutively, is presumed to be an individual who has a significant relationship with the child. Requires a court to write a formal order in certain circumstances and include specific information in the order. Provides that the objectives of the dispositional decree are not considered met solely because a court is prohibited from changing a child's placement under IC 31-34-23-6(g) and prohibits the court from considering certain information when deciding whether the objectives of the dispositional decree are met. Requires any party seeking a change in placement for certain children to file a motion with the court, provide notice to all persons affected, and inform all persons affected of the right to file a written objection within 15 days. (Current law only allows the department to file the motion for a change of placement.) Allows a court to rule on a party's motion for the change in placement without delay if exigent circumstances are alleged in the party's motion. Provides that, with certain exceptions, if a child is the subject of an adoption petition, the adoption petitioner is the child's current placement, and the adoption petitioner has been the child's placement for at least 12 months, the court shall not change the child's placement until the adoption petition has been ruled on. Provides that if the party seeking a change of placement is a parent, guardian ad litem, or a court appointed special advocate, the party must provide notice to the department of child services, and the department shall then provide notice of the motion to the child's out-of-home placement.

Provides that the maintenance, repair, renovation, modernization, or expansion of buildings, structures, or facilities used in connection with a shooting range, including improvements to safety, security accessibility, or environmental controls, is a continuation of a permitted use and may not be treated by a local unit of government as: (1) an expansion of a nonconforming use; or (2) a basis to deny, delay, or condition approval of any permit that is otherwise required under applicable building codes or safety regulations. Provides that if an area is zoned for commercial use, a retail sporting goods store is a permitted use on each lot or parcel. Provides that if a property is zoned for commercial, industrial, or agricultural use, an indoor shooting range is permitted on any lot or parcel if certain conditions are satisfied.

Requires an initiating party that submits a request for independent dispute resolution to provide written notice to the facility not later than three business days after submitting the request. Allows a health carrier to provide notice to an out of network provider and a facility if, during any 90 day period, an initiating party submits requests for independent dispute resolutions that, in the aggregate, include 25 or more qualified disputes. Provides that if a health carrier provides the notice, the health carrier, the out of network provider, and the facility shall engage in good faith efforts to negotiate a resolution. Prohibits a health carrier from assessing a facility or a provider an administrative fee or penalty related to the provision of care to an individual that involves an out of network provider. Provides that if a health carrier assesses a facility or a provider an administrative fee or penalty related to the provision of care to an individual that involves an out of network provider, the health carrier commits an unfair and deceptive act or practice in the business of insurance.

Provides that if a law enforcement officer, governmental body, or postsecondary educational institution is made a party to a civil suit and the attorney general determines that the suit has arisen out of certain immigration matters, the attorney general may defend the law enforcement officer, the governmental body, or the postsecondary educational institution if representation is requested and the actions subject to the suit do not violate federal or state law. Provides that the prohibition on governmental bodies or postsecondary educational institutions limiting or restricting the enforcement of federal immigration law applies regardless of whether the enforcement related activity is carried out by a federal, state, or local law enforcement agency. Removes the mens rea standard in the statute concerning governmental bodies or postsecondary institutions violating the citizenship and immigration status information and enforcement of federal laws chapter. Provides that if the attorney general determines that probable cause exists that a governmental entity has not complied with certain requests, the attorney general may bring a court action to: (1) enjoin an act or practice constituting a violation; (2) impose a civil penalty for noncompliance; and (3) and obtain other such relief as is necessary. Provides that before bringing an action against a county jail for certain violations, the attorney general shall consult with the department of correction concerning the most recent inspection report and provide the county jail with notice of the attorney general's probable cause determination. Provides that a governmental body that has the custody of an individual who is the subject of an immigration detainer request shall: (1) provide the judge authorized to grant or deny the individual's release on bail notice that the individual is subject to an immigration detainer request; (2) record in the individual's case file that the individual is subject to an immigration detainer request; (3) comply with the immigration detainer request; and (4) inform the individual that the individual is being held pursuant to an immigration detainer request. Provides immunity to a governmental body or an employee of a governmental body for any action taken concerning an immigration detainer request as long as the action does not violate federal or civil law. Requires a judge who receives notice that an individual is subject to an immigration detainer request to ensure that the notice of the immigration detainer request is recorded in the court's record. Provides that the department of correction shall, in consultation with the attorney general, identify options for training concerning minimum standards for county jails. Provides that compliance with certain standards and the results of an inspection do not preclude and are not a defense to the attorney general bringing an action under IC 5-2-18.2. Provides that the department shall submit to the state budget committee status update reports. Requires the office of the secretary to submit a report to the legislative council concerning certain immigration matters. Provides that each hospital shall, not more than one hundred twenty (120) days after the end of each calendar quarter, file with the state department beginning January 1, 2027, in cases where Medicaid is the patient's payor, the form of identification, if any, used by the patient when the patient was admitted. Specifies that it is unlawful for an employer to knowingly or intentionally recruit, hire, or continue to employ an unauthorized alien in Indiana. Allows the attorney general to bring an enforcement action against an employer if the attorney general determines that probable cause exists that the employer has violated certain recruitment and hiring restrictions concerning an unauthorized alien. Prohibits an employer from discharging or discriminating against an employee because the employee communicated or cooperated with the attorney general.Provides that indecent nuisance means a place in which human trafficking is conducted and is not limited to a public place. Provides that a governmental entity that employs a prosecuting official is entitled to investigative costs, court costs, and reasonable attorney's fees incurred in an indecent nuisance action if the existence of an indecent nuisance is admitted or established in the action. Makes technical changes.

Prohibits health practitioners and other specified individuals from performing pelvic, prostate, or rectal examinations on an anesthetized or unconscious patient except in specified circumstances. Specifies the requirements of a notice of informed consent.

Repeals provisions that prohibit counting straight party votes for candidates for election to an at-large district to which more than one person may be elected. Removes a provision requiring particular ballot placement when more than one candidate may be elected to an office. Provides that if a voter votes a straight party ticket and also selects one or more individual candidates for an office to which more than one person may be elected, the: (1) individual votes shall be counted unless the total number of individual votes is greater than the number of persons to be elected to the office; (2) straight party votes for the office shall not be counted; and (3) straight party votes for other offices on the ballot shall be counted. Makes conforming amendments. Specifies how a vote is counted with a straight ticket on a paper ballot.

Adds four members to the statewide child fatality review committee, one of whom is appointed by each of the following: (1) The speaker of the house of representatives. (2) The president pro tempore of the senate. (3) The minority leader of the house of representatives. (4) The minority leader of the senate. Provides that a court may grant postadoption contact privileges to the birth parent of a child if the child is at least one year of age (rather than two years of age, under current law). Adds information that must be included in the annual report of the department of child services (department) concerning child fatalities or near fatalities in Indiana that are the result of child abuse or neglect. Requires the department to promptly disclose to the public certain information regarding child fatalities or near fatalities. Allows the department, upon request, to provide additional information regarding cases of child fatalities or near fatalities subject to certain requirements. Provides that the obligation of the department to conduct a detailed assessment of a report of known or suspected child abuse or neglect does not apply if the report is screened out and referred to a law enforcement agency. Provides that the department: (1) shall disclose information regarding reported child abuse or neglect to a member of the United States Congress representing Indiana or a member of the Indiana general assembly (state legislator) upon request of the state legislator; (2) may release information to the news media to confirm, clarify, correct, or supplement information concerning reported child abuse or neglect that has been made public by a source other than the department; and (3) shall, upon request by the news media, report to the news media specified information regarding the death of a child whose death is suspected to be the result of child abuse or neglect. Provides that if the information disclosed or released by the department includes a record that is redacted to exclude specified information, the record is not confidential. Provides that the department may provide unredacted reports or material to: (1) a service provider that requires access to the unredacted reports or material to assess whether the service provider's services are suitable for the child; and (2) the attorney general or a prosecutor for purposes of a criminal investigation by the attorney general or prosecutor. Provides that the statutory limit on the department's provision of services to a parent, guardian, or custodian of a child who is the subject of a petition alleging the child to be a child in need of services (CHINS) applies: (1) regardless of whether the child has been removed from the home of the parent, guardian, or custodian; (2) regardless of whether the services are provided at the direction of a court or at the direction of the department; and (3) beginning on the date on which the CHINS petition is filed. Makes technical and conforming changes.

Requires a hospital to: (1) disclose information concerning payment assistance programs; (2) post signs concerning the programs in specified locations of the hospital; and (3) make information concerning the programs available to individuals through the hospital's patient portal. Requires a hospital to make a reasonable effort to notify individuals of available payment assistance programs before beginning a collection action against the individual. Prohibits the use of downcoding in a specified manner. Prohibits a provider from using an automated process, system, or tool to submit a health benefits claim without the review of a provider or other person involved in the development of the claim for submission. Prohibits an insurer that issues a policy of accident and sickness insurance (insurer) and a health maintenance organization from retroactively reducing the reimbursement rate for any CPT code. Sets forth limitations on the time frame in which an insurer and a health maintenance organization: (1) may request repayment of an overpayment, adjust a subsequent claim, recoup a paid claim, or retroactively audit a paid claim; and (2) is required to correct a payment error to a provider. Provides that if an insurer or a health maintenance organization recoups payment from a provider due to an error in coordination of benefits, the provider may submit a claim for the same services to the appropriate insurer or health maintenance organization.