| 1 | 1 | | |
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| 2 | 2 | | Introduced Version |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE BILL No. 1510 |
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| 4 | 4 | | _____ |
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| 5 | 5 | | DIGEST OF INTRODUCED BILL |
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| 6 | 6 | | Citations Affected: IC 20-20-52. |
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| 7 | 7 | | Synopsis: School counselor grants. Establishes the school counselor |
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| 8 | 8 | | grant fund. Provides that the department of education may award |
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| 9 | 9 | | eligible school corporations and charter schools grants in an amount |
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| 10 | 10 | | determined by the department for the employment of school |
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| 11 | 11 | | counselors. Makes an appropriation for the state biennium to the school |
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| 12 | 12 | | counselor grant fund. |
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| 13 | 13 | | Effective: July 1, 2025. |
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| 14 | 14 | | Pfaff, DeLaney |
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| 15 | 15 | | January 21, 2025, read first time and referred to Committee on Education. |
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| 16 | 16 | | 2025 IN 1510—LS 7398/DI 110 Introduced |
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| 17 | 17 | | First Regular Session of the 124th General Assembly (2025) |
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| 18 | 18 | | PRINTING CODE. Amendments: Whenever an existing statute (or a section of the Indiana |
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| 19 | 19 | | Constitution) is being amended, the text of the existing provision will appear in this style type, |
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| 20 | 20 | | additions will appear in this style type, and deletions will appear in this style type. |
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| 21 | 21 | | Additions: Whenever a new statutory provision is being enacted (or a new constitutional |
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| 22 | 22 | | provision adopted), the text of the new provision will appear in this style type. Also, the |
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| 23 | 23 | | word NEW will appear in that style type in the introductory clause of each SECTION that adds |
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| 24 | 24 | | a new provision to the Indiana Code or the Indiana Constitution. |
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| 25 | 25 | | Conflict reconciliation: Text in a statute in this style type or this style type reconciles conflicts |
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| 26 | 26 | | between statutes enacted by the 2024 Regular Session of the General Assembly. |
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| 27 | 27 | | HOUSE BILL No. 1510 |
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| 28 | 28 | | A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning |
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| 29 | 29 | | education and to make an appropriation. |
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| 30 | 30 | | Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana: |
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| 31 | 31 | | 1 SECTION 1. IC 20-20-52 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE |
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| 32 | 32 | | 2 AS A NEW CHAPTER TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE |
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| 33 | 33 | | 3 JULY 1, 2025]: |
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| 34 | 34 | | 4 Chapter 52. Grants for School Counselors |
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| 35 | 35 | | 5 Sec. 1. This chapter does not apply to a virtual charter school |
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| 36 | 36 | | 6 (as defined in IC 20-24-1-10). |
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| 37 | 37 | | 7 Sec. 2. As used in this chapter, "fund" means the school |
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| 38 | 38 | | 8 counselor grant fund established by section 3 of this chapter. |
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| 39 | 39 | | 9 Sec. 3. (a) The school counselor grant fund is established for the |
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| 40 | 40 | | 10 purpose of providing school counselor grants to school |
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| 41 | 41 | | 11 corporations and charter schools for the employment of school |
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| 42 | 42 | | 12 counselors. |
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| 43 | 43 | | 13 (b) The fund consists of the following: |
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| 44 | 44 | | 14 (1) Appropriations made by the general assembly. |
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| 45 | 45 | | 15 (2) Gifts, grants, devises, or bequests made to the department |
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| 46 | 46 | | 16 to achieve the purposes of the fund. |
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| 47 | 47 | | 17 (c) The department shall administer the fund. |
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| 48 | 48 | | 2025 IN 1510—LS 7398/DI 110 2 |
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| 49 | 49 | | 1 (d) The expenses of administering the fund shall be paid from |
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| 50 | 50 | | 2 money in the fund. |
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| 51 | 51 | | 3 (e) The treasurer of state shall invest the money in the fund not |
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| 52 | 52 | | 4 currently needed to meet the obligations of the fund in the same |
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| 53 | 53 | | 5 manner as other public funds may be invested. Interest that |
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| 54 | 54 | | 6 accrues from these investments shall be deposited in the fund. |
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| 55 | 55 | | 7 (f) Money in the fund at the end of a state fiscal year does not |
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| 56 | 56 | | 8 revert to the state general fund but remains available to be used for |
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| 57 | 57 | | 9 the purposes of this chapter. |
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| 58 | 58 | | 10 Sec. 4. To be eligible for a school counselor grant under this |
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| 59 | 59 | | 11 chapter, a school corporation or charter school must submit an |
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| 60 | 60 | | 12 application in a manner prescribed by the department that |
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| 61 | 61 | | 13 includes the following information: |
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| 62 | 62 | | 14 (1) The current school counselor to student ratio for the |
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| 63 | 63 | | 15 school corporation or charter school. |
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| 64 | 64 | | 16 (2) A description and plan regarding how the school |
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| 65 | 65 | | 17 corporation or charter school intends to use a grant awarded |
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| 66 | 66 | | 18 under this chapter to lower the school corporation's or |
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| 67 | 67 | | 19 charter school's school counselor to student ratio. |
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| 68 | 68 | | 20 Sec. 5. The department may award school counselor grants to |
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| 69 | 69 | | 21 school corporations and charter schools that meet the |
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| 70 | 70 | | 22 requirements of this chapter. |
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| 71 | 71 | | 23 Sec. 6. The state board may adopt rules under IC 4-22-2 to |
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| 72 | 72 | | 24 implement this chapter. |
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| 73 | 73 | | 25 SECTION 2. [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2025] (a) There is |
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| 74 | 74 | | 26 appropriated from the state general fund to the school counselor |
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| 75 | 75 | | 27 grant fund established by IC 20-20-52-3, as added by this act, |
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| 76 | 76 | | 28 fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) for the state biennium |
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| 77 | 77 | | 29 beginning July 1, 2025, and ending June 30, 2027. |
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| 78 | 78 | | 30 (b) This SECTION expires July 1, 2027. |
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| 79 | 79 | | 2025 IN 1510—LS 7398/DI 110 |
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