Indiana 2025 Regular Session

Indiana House Bill HB1659 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2	Introduced Version
3	3	HOUSE BILL No. 1659
4	4	_____
5	5	DIGEST OF INTRODUCED BILL
6	6	Citations Affected: IC 20-20-54.
7	7	Synopsis: Ethics implementation fund. Establishes the ethics
8	8	implementation fund (fund) for the purpose of providing grants to
9	9	course providers that offer ethics training courses for teachers. Charges
10	10	the department of education (department) with administering the fund.
11	11	Requires the department to create authorization and approval
12	12	processes. Requires the department to create guidelines to provide
13	13	professional development credit to teachers who have successfully
14	14	completed an ethics training course. Makes an appropriation.
15	15	Effective: July 1, 2025.
16	16	Baird
17	17	January 21, 2025, read first time and referred to Committee on Education.
18	18	2025 IN 1659—LS 7604/DI 143 Introduced
19	19	First Regular Session of the 124th General Assembly (2025)
20	20	PRINTING CODE. Amendments: Whenever an existing statute (or a section of the Indiana
21	21	Constitution) is being amended, the text of the existing provision will appear in this style type,
22	22	additions will appear in this style type, and deletions will appear in this style type.
23	23	Additions: Whenever a new statutory provision is being enacted (or a new constitutional
24	24	provision adopted), the text of the new provision will appear in this style type. Also, the
25	25	word NEW will appear in that style type in the introductory clause of each SECTION that adds
26	26	a new provision to the Indiana Code or the Indiana Constitution.
27	27	Conflict reconciliation: Text in a statute in this style type or this style type reconciles conflicts
28	28	between statutes enacted by the 2024 Regular Session of the General Assembly.
29	29	HOUSE BILL No. 1659
30	30	A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning
31	31	education and to make an appropriation.
32	32	Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:
33	33	1 SECTION 1. IC 20-20-54 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE
34	34	2 AS A NEW CHAPTER TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
35	35	3 JULY 1, 2025]:
36	36	4 Chapter 54. Ethics Implementation Fund
37	37	5 Sec. 1. As used in this chapter, "course provider" refers to a
38	38	6 course provider that offers an ethics training course.
39	39	7 Sec. 2. As used in this chapter, "ethics training course" refers to
40	40	8 a course offered by a course provider that provides training for
41	41	9 teachers on the integration of morals instruction (as described in
42	42	10 IC 20-30-5-5) and good citizenship instruction (as described in
43	43	11 IC 20-30-5-6) into the teacher's classroom instruction.
44	44	12 Sec. 3. As used in this chapter, "fund" refers to the ethics
45	45	13 implementation fund established by section 4 of this chapter.
46	46	14 Sec. 4. (a) The ethics implementation fund is established.
47	47	15 (b) The department shall administer the fund. The department
48	48	16 must use money in the fund to provide grants to course providers
49	49	17 for the purpose of providing ethics training courses for teachers.
50	50	2025 IN 1659—LS 7604/DI 143 2
51	51	1 (c) The fund consists of appropriations from the general
52	52	2 assembly.
53	53	3 (d) Money in the fund at the end of a state fiscal year does not
54	54	4 revert to the state general fund.
55	55	5 Sec. 5. (a) Before January 1, 2026, the department shall
56	56	6 establish:
57	57	7 (1) an authorization process for course providers; and
58	58	8 (2) a review process for the approval of a course provider's
59	59	9 ethics training course, which must be aligned to Indiana
60	60	10 academic standards.
61	61	11 (b) The department may award a grant under this chapter to a
62	62	12 course provider that has been authorized under subsection (a)(1)
63	63	13 and approved under subsection (a)(2) that does the following:
64	64	14 (1) Applies for a grant on a form provided by the department.
65	65	15 (2) Submits any other pertinent information required by the
66	66	16 department.
67	67	17 (c) The department shall develop guidelines to:
68	68	18 (1) award grants to course providers under subsection (b);
69	69	19 and
70	70	20 (2) provide professional development credit to teachers who
71	71	21 have successfully completed an ethics training course.
72	72	22 (d) A course provider that receives a grant under subsection (b)
73	73	23 may not charge a fee to a teacher who enrolls in an ethics training
74	74	24 course with the course provider.
75	75	25 Sec. 6. There is annually appropriated to the ethics
76	76	26 implementation fund established by section 4 of this chapter two
77	77	27 hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) from the state general
78	78	28 fund to carry out the purposes of the fund.
79	79	2025 IN 1659—LS 7604/DI 143