LEGISLATIVE SERVICES AGENCY
OFFICE OF FISCAL AND MANAGEMENT ANALYSIS
FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT
LS 7685 NOTE PREPARED: Apr 1, 2025
BILL NUMBER: HB 1637 BILL AMENDED: Apr 1, 2025
SUBJECT: School and Public Safety Matters.
FIRST AUTHOR: Rep. Bartels BILL STATUS: 2
nd
Reading - 2
nd
House
FIRST SPONSOR: Sen. Baldwin
FUNDS AFFECTED:XGENERAL IMPACT: State & Local
XDEDICATED
FEDERAL
Summary of Legislation: (Amended) The bill contains the following provisions:
School Safety -
School Safety Commission: The bill provides for the appointment of a fire chief, or the fire chief's designee,
to a county school safety commission.
Office of School Safety: The bill establishes the Office of School Safety within the Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) for the purpose of coordinating and administering school security and safety resources. It
also requires a school corporation or charter school to comply with certain safety related requests by the
Office of School Safety.
Division of School Building Physical Security and Safety: The bill repeals the provision establishing the
Department of Education's Division of School Building Physical Security and Safety.
Fire and Building Safety -
Board of Firefighting Personnel Standards and Education: The bill authorizes the DHS to issue enforcement
orders in accordance with rules adopted by the Board of Firefighting Personnel Standards and Education.
State Fire Marshal: The bill removes emergency medical services enforcement authority from the State Fire
Marshal's management authority. It amends the definition of "law enforcement officer" to include the State
Fire Marshal and the executive director or fire investigator of the department.
Open Fire Exemption: The bill provides that the DHS, a fire department, or a volunteer fire department may
open burn for fire training purposes if certain conditions are met.
Enforcement: The bill makes various changes to provisions relating to the DHS's enforcement authority
pertaining to the administrative adjudication of building fire and safety laws.
HB 1637 1 Building Code Review: The bill provides that the Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission, with
certain exceptions, may not adopt a final rule for more than three building codes during any 12 month period.
The bill also makes conforming amendments.
Effective Date: Upon passage; July 1, 2025.
Explanation of State Expenditures: Office of School Safety: The bill increases expenditures and workload
significantly for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish an Office of School Safety within
DHS to coordinate and administer school security and safety. The Office of School Safety will perform many
of the same responsibilities by the Division of School Building Physical Security and Safety such as
establishing and working with schools’ safety and emergency plans, assisting the Secured School Safety
Board, hosting a website, and operating the School Safety Specialist Training and Certification Program. The
DHS executive director would appoint a director which would cost an estimated $132,970 to $207,057 in
FY 2026 and $138,649 to $215,700 in FY 2027. Implementation of the Office of School Safety will likely
require additional full-time equivalent employees. Based on similar positions, salary and benefits for an
additional employee could range from $92,312 to $132,588 in FY2026 and $96,365 to $138,252 in FY 2027.
Additional Information - The Division of School Building Physical Security and Safety would transfer all
property, records, and accounts to the Office of School Safety. The School Safety Specialist Training and
Certification Program for the Department of Education (DOE) was appropriated $1 M in FY 2024.
Department of Education: This bill repeals the DOE’s Division of School Building Physical Security and
Safety, which will be succeeded by Office of School Safety. DOE is still required to work in conjunction
with the Office of School Safety in developing and implementing certain protocols as specified in the bill,
but this bill will decrease the net workload for DOE.
Board of Firefighting Personnel Standards and Education: The Board of Firefighting Personnel Standards
and Education would have an increase in workload and expenditures for appeals from certain orders issued
and creating a program for certification of fire service or nonfire service personnel. Increases in expenditures
are likely to be small and potentially offset from fees from the created certification program.
The bill transfers reporting of training requirements of fire fighters, certification of firefighters, and
administration of Best Practices Fund from Board of Firefighting Personnel Standards and Education to DHS.
The bill’s requirements are within the agency’s routine administrative functions and should be able to be
implemented with no additional appropriations, assuming near customary agency staffing and resource levels.
State Fire Marshal: The bill would decrease the workload of the state fire marshal to not manage the
enforcement authority of emergency medical services. The workload would transfer to DHS to manage the
enforcement authority of emergency medical services. DHS has an emergency medical services division to
potentially reorganize the enforcement authority of emergency medical services.
The bill makes the state fire marshal a law enforcement officer when conducting an investigation into the
causes and circumstances surrounding a fire or explosion. It does not affect ongoing investigations that
continue after July 1, 2025. The bill’s requirements are within the agency’s routine administrative functions
and should be able to be implemented with no additional appropriations, assuming near customary agency
staffing and resource levels.
HB 1637 2 Building Code Review: The bill limits Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission to adopt a final rule
for no more than three building codes during any 12 month period. It may increase workload to extent that
the commission reviews more building codes (Current law only allows to review three building codes a year).
The bill’s requirements are within the commission’s routine administrative functions and should be able to
be implemented with no additional appropriations, assuming near customary agency staffing and resource
levels.
Enforcement: DHS would have an increase workload to publish a list of projects for design release that is
not selected for an application plan review. The bill’s requirements are within the agency’s routine
administrative functions and should be able to be implemented with no additional appropriations, assuming
near customary agency staffing and resource levels.
Explanation of State Revenues: Board of Firefighting Personnel Standards and Education: Board of
Firefighting Personnel Standards and Education may create a program for certification of fire service or
nonfire service personnel. If the board creates a program, fee revenue from certification may increase. The
fees would be set by the board and deposited into the Fire and Building Services Fund. Any increase in fee
revenue is likely to be small.
Open Fire Exemption: DHS, municipal fire departments, and volunteer fire departments are exempt from
air pollution control violations to open burn for certain fire training purposes. Revenue from penalties fees
from Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) would decrease. IDEM may collect a civil
penalty up to $25,000. Any penalty decrease would be small.
Enforcement: For a practitioner of an elevator contractor, elevator inspector, or elevator mechanic, revenue
from civil penalties may decrease due to maximum penalty amount DHS may impose decreasing from a
$1,000 to $250. The revenue would be deposited into the Fire and Building Services Fund. Any decrease in
revenue is expected to be small.
Explanation of Local Expenditures: School Safety Commission: The bill may increase workload for a fire
chief, or a fire chief’s designee, if appointed for a county school safety commission. However, it should be
able to be implemented with no additional appropriations, assuming near customary agency staffing and
resource levels.
Explanation of Local Revenues:
State Agencies Affected: Department of Homeland Security; State Fire Marshal; Board of Firefighting
Personnel Standards and Education; Indiana Department of Environmental Management; Department of
Education.
Local Agencies Affected: Local fire departments; Public Schools.
Information Sources: SPD Staffing Data. Peoplesoft Financial Data.
Fiscal Analyst: Nate Bodnar, 317-234-9476; Alexander Raggio, 317-234-9485.
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