Introduced Version SENATE BILL No. 274 _____ DIGEST OF INTRODUCED BILL Citations Affected: IC 6-3-3-5; IC 21-12-16; IC 21-12-16.5. Synopsis: Education matters. Defines "teacher" for the next generation Hoosier educators and next generation Hoosier minority educators scholarship programs and funds. Provides that an applicant may meet certain scholarship qualifications by being employed as a full-time teacher or full-time school counselor for five years. Increases the amount of the tax credit allowed to individuals for contributions to a postsecondary educational institution or related foundation in Indiana from $100 to $200 in the case of a single return and from $200 to $400 in the case of a joint return. Effective: January 1, 2024 (retroactive); July 1, 2024. Buchanan January 11, 2024, read first time and referred to Committee on Education and Career Development. 2024 IN 274—LS 6661/DI 143 Introduced Second Regular Session of the 123rd General Assembly (2024) PRINTING CODE. Amendments: Whenever an existing statute (or a section of the Indiana Constitution) is being amended, the text of the existing provision will appear in this style type, additions will appear in this style type, and deletions will appear in this style type. Additions: Whenever a new statutory provision is being enacted (or a new constitutional provision adopted), the text of the new provision will appear in this style type. Also, the word NEW will appear in that style type in the introductory clause of each SECTION that adds a new provision to the Indiana Code or the Indiana Constitution. Conflict reconciliation: Text in a statute in this style type or this style type reconciles conflicts between statutes enacted by the 2023 Regular Session of the General Assembly. SENATE BILL No. 274 A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning education. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana: 1 SECTION 1. IC 6-3-3-5, AS AMENDED BY P.L.2-2007, 2 SECTION 121, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS 3 [EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2024 (RETROACTIVE)]: Sec. 5. (a) At 4 the election of the taxpayer, there shall be allowed, as a credit against 5 the adjusted gross income tax imposed by IC 6-3-1 through IC 6-3-7 for 6 the taxable year, an amount (subject to the applicable limitations 7 provided by this section) equal to fifty percent (50%) of the aggregate 8 amount of charitable contributions made by such taxpayer during such 9 year to postsecondary educational institutions located within Indiana 10 (including any of its associated colleges in Indiana) or to any 11 corporation or foundation organized and operated solely for the benefit 12 of any postsecondary educational institution. 13 (b) In the case of a taxpayer other than a corporation, the amount 14 allowable as a credit under this section for any taxable year shall not 15 exceed one two hundred dollars ($100) ($200) in the case of a single 16 return or two four hundred dollars ($200) ($400) in the case of a joint 17 return. 2024 IN 274—LS 6661/DI 143 2 1 (c) In the case of a corporation, the amount allowable as a credit 2 under this section for any taxable year shall not exceed: 3 (1) ten percent (10%) of such corporation's total adjusted gross 4 income tax under IC 6-3-1 through IC 6-3-7 for such year (as 5 determined without regard to any credits against that tax); or 6 (2) one thousand dollars ($1,000); 7 whichever is less. 8 (d) A charitable contribution in Indiana qualifies for a credit under 9 this section only if the charitable contribution is made to a 10 postsecondary educational institution or a corporation or foundation 11 organized for the benefit of a postsecondary educational institution 12 that: 13 (1) normally maintains a regular faculty and curriculum and 14 normally has a regularly organized body of students in attendance 15 at the place where its educational activities are carried on; 16 (2) regularly offers education at a level above the twelfth grade; 17 (3) regularly awards either associate, bachelors, masters, or 18 doctoral degrees, or any combination thereof; and 19 (4) is duly accredited by the North Central Association of 20 Colleges and Schools, the Indiana state board of education, or the 21 American Association of Theological Schools. 22 (e) The credit allowed by this section shall not exceed the amount 23 of the adjusted gross income tax imposed by IC 6-3-1 through IC 6-3-7 24 for the taxable year, reduced by the sum of all credits (as determined 25 without regard to this section) allowed by IC 6-3-1 through IC 6-3-7. 26 SECTION 2. IC 21-12-16-1.5 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA 27 CODE AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS 28 [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2024]: Sec. 1.5. As used in this chapter, 29 "teacher" refers to a person who is employed by a public school or 30 an eligible school (as defined in IC 20-51-1-4.7) as a: 31 (1) full-time classroom teacher (as defined in 32 IC 20-18-2-22(d)); or 33 (2) school counselor (as defined in IC 20-18-2-22(b)(5)); 34 whose primary responsibility is the instruction or counseling of 35 students. 36 SECTION 3. IC 21-12-16-5, AS AMENDED BY P.L.161-2023, 37 SECTION 1, AND AS AMENDED BY P.L.242-2023, SECTION 1, 38 AND AS AMENDED BY THE TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS BILL 39 OF THE 2024 GENERAL ASSEMBLY, IS CORRECTED AND 40 AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2024]: 41 Sec. 5. (a) An applicant who is enrolled in an accredited postsecondary 42 educational institution after June 30, 2017, may qualify for a 2024 IN 274—LS 6661/DI 143 3 1 scholarship under this chapter. section. To qualify for a scholarship, an 2 applicant must: 3 (1) apply for a scholarship on a form supplied by the commission; 4 (2) except as provided in subsection (b), have graduated from an 5 Indiana nonaccredited nonpublic or state accredited high school 6 accredited under IC 20-31-4.1 and: 7 (A) graduated in the highest twenty percent (20%) of students 8 in the applicant's high school graduating class; 9 (B) received a score in the top twentieth percentile on the SAT 10 or ACT examination; or 11 (C) achieved a cumulative grade point average upon 12 graduation of at least 3.5 3.0 on a 4.0 grading scale (or its 13 equivalent if another grading scale is used) for courses taken 14 during grades 9, 10, 11, and 12; 15 (3) have participated in school activities and community service 16 activities during high school; 17 (4) have applied to and been accepted for enrollment in an 18 accredited postsecondary educational institution approved by the 19 commission under section 10 of this chapter; 20 (5) agree in writing to: 21 (A) obtain a license to teach under IC 20-28-5; and 22 (B) teach be employed as a teacher for at least five (5) 23 consecutive years in a public school or an eligible school (as 24 defined in IC 20-51-1-4.7) in Indiana after graduating with a 25 baccalaureate degree from the accredited postsecondary 26 educational institution described in subdivision (4); and 27 (6) meet any other criteria established by the commission. 28 (b) A student who graduates from a nonaccredited nonpublic school 29 must meet the requirement described in subsection (a)(2)(B) in order 30 to meet the eligibility requirement described in subsection (a)(2). 31 SECTION 4. IC 21-12-16.5-1.5 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA 32 CODE AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS 33 [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2024]: Sec. 1.5. As used in this chapter, 34 "teacher" refers to a person who is employed by a public school or 35 an eligible school (as defined in IC 20-51-1-4.7) as a: 36 (1) full-time classroom teacher (as defined in 37 IC 20-18-2-22(d)); or 38 (2) school counselor (as defined in IC 20-18-2-22(b)(5)); 39 whose primary responsibility is the instruction or counseling of 40 students. 41 SECTION 5. IC 21-12-16.5-5, AS ADDED BY P.L.161-2023, 42 SECTION 3, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE 2024 IN 274—LS 6661/DI 143 4 1 JULY 1, 2024]: Sec. 5. (a) An applicant who is enrolled in an 2 accredited postsecondary educational institution may qualify for a 3 scholarship under this chapter. To qualify for a scholarship, an 4 applicant must: 5 (1) apply for a scholarship on a form supplied by the commission; 6 (2) except as provided in subsection (b), have graduated from an 7 Indiana nonaccredited nonpublic or state accredited high school 8 accredited under IC 20-31-4.1 and: 9 (A) graduated in the highest twenty percent (20%) of students 10 in the applicant's high school graduating class; 11 (B) received a score in the top twentieth percentile on the SAT 12 or ACT examination; or 13 (C) achieved a cumulative grade point average upon 14 graduation of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 grading scale (or its 15 equivalent if another grading scale is used) for courses taken 16 during grades 9, 10, 11, and 12; 17 (3) have participated in school activities and community service 18 activities during high school; 19 (4) have applied to and been accepted for enrollment in an 20 accredited postsecondary educational institution approved by the 21 commission under section 10 of this chapter; 22 (5) agree in writing to: 23 (A) obtain a license to teach under IC 20-28-5; and 24 (B) teach be employed as a teacher for at least five (5) 25 consecutive years in a public school or an eligible school (as 26 defined in IC 20-51-1-4.7) in Indiana after graduating with a 27 baccalaureate degree from the accredited postsecondary 28 educational institution described in subdivision (4); 29 (6) meet the definition of a minority under IC 21-13-1-6; and 30 (7) meet any other criteria established by the commission. 31 (b) A student who graduates from a nonaccredited nonpublic school 32 must meet the requirement described in subsection (a)(2)(B) in order 33 to meet the eligibility requirement described in subsection (a)(2). 34 SECTION 6. [EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2024 (RETROACTIVE)] 35 (a) IC 6-3-3-5, as amended by this act, applies to taxable years 36 beginning after December 31, 2023. 37 (b) This SECTION expires July 1, 2028. 38 SECTION 7. An emergency is declared for this act. 2024 IN 274—LS 6661/DI 143