Statehouse Report 7
February 28, 2011
LEGISLATIVE DEVELOPMENTS
Re-Cap of Last Week
It was a very interesting week at the State House as we reached the half-way point of the legislative session. While the Senate completed its work on bills introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, all floor activity in the House stalled on Monday afternoon as House Democrats began a days-long series of caucuses or meetings away from the State House, preventing a quorum to do business on the House floor.
Due to this delay, the House may extend its deadline for bills to pass out of its chamber. Under a proposal that is pending before the House at this time, the deadline for House bills to pass the initial chamber is to be extended to March 4. If that proposal is adopted, the budget bill and other bills that did not receive a House vote last week will not be declared dead bills, and they will be eligible for legislative action this week.
Bills that Have Passed the Senate or the House
Here are some of the bills that passed the Senate or House that continue to be eligible for consideration during the remainder of the legislative session:
SB 30/HB 1406: These bills would permit extension of university police jurisdiction beyond campuses, if authorized by the Trustees of the institution.
SB 431: The bill would transfer the State Department of Toxicology, currently administered under statute by the IU School of Medicine, to a state agency.
SB 497: The legislation would provide an early graduation college scholarship (up to $3,500) to a student who graduates from high school before grade 12.
SB 533: The bill would make a number of changes to design/build facility construction statute, an option available to IU for construction of facilities.
SB 577: This bill would make a number of changes to State Student Assistance Commission (SSACI) student financial assistance programs, in particular, the 21st Century Scholars, Children of Disabled Veterans, and Public Safety Officers programs.
SB 590: The bill is a comprehensive immigration bill and includes a provision that would prohibit an illegal alien from being eligible for any higher education award or a resident tuition rate.
HB 1183: This legislation would institute an Indiana business price preference for purchases by a state agency (which would include Indiana University for supplies manufactured or assembled by a business located in Indiana.
HB 1251: The bill would require the Indiana economic development corporation (IEDC) to establish a young entrepreneurs program to help promote the business proposals of students in entrepreneurial programs at state educational institutions and provide assistance with new company start-ups.
HB 1283: The bill would make a number of changes to the laws governing minority and women's business enterprises, including a requirement that state universities adopt goals established by the Governor's Commission on Minority and Women's Business Enterprises (MBE/WBE).
HB 1402: The bill would prohibit public universities from charging illegal aliens in-state tuition rates.
Looking Ahead
House and Senate bills that did not pass their respective chamber during the first half of the session are not eligible for consideration the remainder of the session. There were approximately 600 bills introduced in each the Senate and the House. The Senate passed 225 bills and thus there will be considerably fewer bills eligible for consideration the remainder of the legislative session (we should know the number of remaining "live" House bills next week). However, the content of these "dead" bills could be amended into another bill and thus be revived.
The first half legislative process repeats itself during the second half of the session with bills that passed the Senate considered in the House committees and then on second and third reading on the House floor. Likewise, bills that passed the House will be eligible for consideration in Senate committees and on the Senate floor.
