Statehouse Report 13
April 7, 2009
LEGISLATIVE DEVELOPMENTS
As we move toward the Committee Report Deadline on April 9, we witnessed a steady stream of committee hearings last week with several involving issues relating to Indiana University. As well, President McRobbie provided additional information regarding enrollment trends to all House and Senate legislators in response to news stories regarding enrollment of non-resident students at IU and Purdue.
Biennial Budget Bill (HB1001)
Next week, the Senate Appropriations Committee will produce its version of the state biennial budget, including operating and capital funding levels for IU and for the Indiana Innovation Alliance. As discussed last week, use of federal stimulus bill State Fiscal Stabilization funds will be critical for balancing the state's budget. After producing the budget in the Appropriations Committee, the bill will be sent to the Senate for consideration of amendments and passage. This will set the stage for conference committee negotiations between the Senate and House to occur during the final two weeks of the session.
On another budget-related matter, we reported last week that the State Student Assistance Commission announced the possibility of 46 percent cuts in student grants beginning next fall due to an unprecedented increase in applications for financial assistance. Indiana University will be providing assistance to SSACI and the State Budget Agency staff in finalizing award levels in order that students might receive the highest amount of grant assistance possible.
Other Legislation
Developments on legislation impacting IU this week included:
SB 254 Voter Registration ID: This bill, which passed the House, would permit use of a university-issued ID that does not have an expiration date or has an indefinite expiration date, to be used as valid ID when voting.
SB 536 Pension Provisions: Primarily dealing with state pension issues, this bill was amended in committee to require public universities with football programs to consider minority coaching candidates when filling open coaching positions. Indiana University maintains a strong commitment to diversity, equal opportunity and affirmative action in all hiring efforts, thus negating the need for this type of statutory language.
HB 1014 Age Discrimination: The bill, heard in Senate committee, would prohibit certain actions by an employer, a labor organization, or an employment agency that would constitute discrimination against a person 40 years of age or older. An exception was included in the bill which would permit mandatory retirement for senior public university administrators and for the board of directors of a corporation. The bill also would transfer jurisdiction over age discrimination proceedings from the commissioner of labor to the civil rights commission
1280 Internet Access to Budget Information: The bill would require the state auditor to work with state agencies and universities to collect and post budget and spending information on the Internet. IU testified in a Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee hearing expressing some concerns regarding costs associated with staffing and software modifications involved in enacting such provisions.
1462 Criminal History Checks: Among other provisions, the bill, which passed the Senate, expands current statute regarding criminal history background checks for teachers and other personnel to be employed in a school, and exempts universities from paying for the criminal history check for School of Education students beginning their classroom experiences. Another bill, SB 182, is pending in the House.
Resolution Honoring Kathy Smith-Andrew: We were thrilled that fellow IU State Relations team member Kathy Smith-Andrew was honored by the Senate with passage of a resolution recognizing her many years of public service in Indiana. Kathy taught in public schools for nearly 30 years, served as a State Senator for 10 years, was an Education Policy Advisor to Governor O'Bannon, and capped her career with ten years of service as Associate Director of State Relations for Indiana University. Kathy will be retiring this summer, and her contributions to IU's State Relations Team will be sorely missed.
Looking Ahead
This week is the final week for committee hearings of Senate bills in the House and House bills in the Senate. Thus, we expect that this week could be the busiest week yet for committee hearings as bill authors seek to keep their bills alive in the legislative process.
