Indiana 2025 Regular Session

Indiana House Bill HB1660 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
	1	+	EH1660.1
	2	+	March 28, 2025
	3	+	ENGROSSED
	4	+	HOUSE BILL No. 1660
	5	+	_____
	6	+	DIGEST OF HB 1660 (Updated March 26, 2025 2:49 pm - DI 140)
	7	+	Citations Affected: IC 20-33.
	8	+	Synopsis: Excused absence from school. Provides that the governing
	9	+	body of a school corporation or the chief administrative officer of a
	10	+	nonpublic school system shall authorize the absence and excuse of a
	11	+	school student if the student participates in certain events offered by
	12	+	the National FFA Organization, the Indiana FFA Association, or a 4-H
	13	+	club. Provides that a student's excused absences may not exceed six
	14	+	days in a school year. Provides that the student must be in good
	15	+	academic standing.
	16	+	Effective: July 1, 2025.
	17	+	Baird, Prescott, Cash, Culp
	18	+	(SENATE SPONSORS — BUCHANAN, LEISING)
	19	+	January 21, 2025, read first time and referred to Committee on Education.
	20	+	February 6, 2025, reported — Do Pass.
	21	+	February 10, 2025, read second time, ordered engrossed.
	22	+	February 11, 2025, engrossed. Read third time, passed. Yeas 90, nays 0.
	23	+	SENATE ACTION
	24	+	March 3, 2025, read first time and referred to Committee on Education and Career
	25	+	Development.
	26	+	March 27, 2025, reported favorably — Do Pass.
	27	+	EH 1660—LS 7599/DI 143 March 28, 2025
1	28		First Regular Session of the 124th General Assembly (2025)
2	29		PRINTING CODE. Amendments: Whenever an existing statute (or a section of the Indiana
3	30		Constitution) is being amended, the text of the existing provision will appear in this style type,
4	31		additions will appear in this style type, and deletions will appear in this style type.
5	32		Additions: Whenever a new statutory provision is being enacted (or a new constitutional
6	33		provision adopted), the text of the new provision will appear in this style type. Also, the
7	34		word NEW will appear in that style type in the introductory clause of each SECTION that adds
8	35		a new provision to the Indiana Code or the Indiana Constitution.
9	36		Conflict reconciliation: Text in a statute in this style type or this style type reconciles conflicts
10	37		between statutes enacted by the 2024 Regular Session of the General Assembly.
11		-	HOUSE ENROLLED ACT No. 1660
12		-	AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning education.
	38	+	ENGROSSED
	39	+	HOUSE BILL No. 1660
	40	+	A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning
	41	+	education.
13	42		Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:
14		-	SECTION 1. IC 20-33-2-14, AS AMENDED BY P.L.150-2024,
15		-	SECTION 62, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
16		-	JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 14. (a) This section and sections 15 through 17.5
17		-	17.8 of this chapter apply to a student who attends either a public
18		-	school or a nonpublic school.
19		-	(b) The governing body of each school corporation shall have a
20		-	policy outlining the conditions for excused and unexcused absences.
21		-	(c) The governing body of each school corporation shall have a
22		-	policy regarding the participation of a habitually truant in
23		-	extracurricular and co-curricular activities.
24		-	(d) The policy under subsection (b) must include the grounds for
25		-	excused absences required by sections 15 through 17.5 17.8 of this
26		-	chapter or another law.
27		-	(e) Any absence that results in a person not attending at least one
28		-	hundred eighty (180) days in a school year must be in accordance with
29		-	the governing body's policy under subsection (b) to qualify as an
30		-	excused absence.
31		-	(f) Service as a page for or as an honoree of the general assembly is
32		-	a lawful excuse for a student to be absent from school, when verified
33		-	by a certificate of the secretary of the senate or the chief clerk of the
34		-	house of representatives. A student excused from school attendance
35		-	under this section may not be recorded as being absent on any date for
36		-	HEA 1660 2
37		-	which the excuse is operative and may not be penalized by the school
38		-	in any manner.
39		-	SECTION 2. IC 20-33-2-17.8 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA
40		-	CODE AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS
41		-	[EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 17.8. (a) Except as provided in
42		-	subsections (b) and (c), the governing body of a school corporation
43		-	or the chief administrative officer of a nonpublic school system
44		-	shall authorize the absence and excuse of each school student if the
45		-	student participates in a scheduled competition, exhibition, or
46		-	event offered by:
47		-	(1) the National FFA Organization;
48		-	(2) the Indiana FFA Association; or
49		-	(3) a 4-H club;
50		-	for educational purposes as evidenced in writing by the student's
51		-	parent and as approved in writing by the student's school
52		-	principal. A student excused from school attendance under this
53		-	section may not be recorded as being absent on any date for which
54		-	the excuse is operative and may not be penalized by the school in
55		-	any manner.
56		-	(b) The number of excused absences a student may receive
57		-	under subsection (a) may not exceed six (6) instructional days in a
58		-	school year.
59		-	(c) In order for a student to receive an excused absence under
60		-	subsection (a), the student must be in good academic standing, as
61		-	determined by the school corporation or nonpublic school.
62		-	HEA 1660 Speaker of the House of Representatives
63		-	President of the Senate
64		-	President Pro Tempore
65		-	Governor of the State of Indiana
66		-	Date: Time:
67		-	HEA 1660
	43	+	1 SECTION 1. IC 20-33-2-14, AS AMENDED BY P.L.150-2024,
	44	+	2 SECTION 62, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
	45	+	3 JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 14. (a) This section and sections 15 through 17.5
	46	+	4 17.8 of this chapter apply to a student who attends either a public
	47	+	5 school or a nonpublic school.
	48	+	6 (b) The governing body of each school corporation shall have a
	49	+	7 policy outlining the conditions for excused and unexcused absences.
	50	+	8 (c) The governing body of each school corporation shall have a
	51	+	9 policy regarding the participation of a habitually truant in
	52	+	10 extracurricular and co-curricular activities.
	53	+	11 (d) The policy under subsection (b) must include the grounds for
	54	+	12 excused absences required by sections 15 through 17.5 17.8 of this
	55	+	13 chapter or another law.
	56	+	14 (e) Any absence that results in a person not attending at least one
	57	+	15 hundred eighty (180) days in a school year must be in accordance with
	58	+	16 the governing body's policy under subsection (b) to qualify as an
	59	+	17 excused absence.
	60	+	EH 1660—LS 7599/DI 143 2
	61	+	1 (f) Service as a page for or as an honoree of the general assembly is
	62	+	2 a lawful excuse for a student to be absent from school, when verified
	63	+	3 by a certificate of the secretary of the senate or the chief clerk of the
	64	+	4 house of representatives. A student excused from school attendance
	65	+	5 under this section may not be recorded as being absent on any date for
	66	+	6 which the excuse is operative and may not be penalized by the school
	67	+	7 in any manner.
	68	+	8 SECTION 2. IC 20-33-2-17.8 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA
	69	+	9 CODE AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS
	70	+	10 [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 17.8. (a) Except as provided in
	71	+	11 subsections (b) and (c), the governing body of a school corporation
	72	+	12 or the chief administrative officer of a nonpublic school system
	73	+	13 shall authorize the absence and excuse of each school student if the
	74	+	14 student participates in a scheduled competition, exhibition, or
	75	+	15 event offered by:
	76	+	16 (1) the National FFA Organization;
	77	+	17 (2) the Indiana FFA Association; or
	78	+	18 (3) a 4-H club;
	79	+	19 for educational purposes as evidenced in writing by the student's
	80	+	20 parent and as approved in writing by the student's school
	81	+	21 principal. A student excused from school attendance under this
	82	+	22 section may not be recorded as being absent on any date for which
	83	+	23 the excuse is operative and may not be penalized by the school in
	84	+	24 any manner.
	85	+	25 (b) The number of excused absences a student may receive
	86	+	26 under subsection (a) may not exceed six (6) instructional days in a
	87	+	27 school year.
	88	+	28 (c) In order for a student to receive an excused absence under
	89	+	29 subsection (a), the student must be in good academic standing, as
	90	+	30 determined by the school corporation or nonpublic school.
	91	+	EH 1660—LS 7599/DI 143 3
	92	+	COMMITTEE REPORT
	93	+	Mr. Speaker: Your Committee on Education, to which was referred
	94	+	House Bill 1660, has had the same under consideration and begs leave
	95	+	to report the same back to the House with the recommendation that said
	96	+	bill do pass.
	97	+	(Reference is to HB 1660 as introduced.)
	98	+	BEHNING
	99	+	Committee Vote: Yeas 10, Nays 0
	100	+	_____
	101	+	COMMITTEE REPORT
	102	+	Mr. President: The Senate Committee on Education and Career
	103	+	Development, to which was referred House Bill No. 1660, has had the
	104	+	same under consideration and begs leave to report the same back to the
	105	+	Senate with the recommendation that said bill DO PASS.
	106	+	(Reference is to HB 1660 as printed February 6, 2025.)
	107	+
	108	+	RAATZ, Chairperson
	109	+	Committee Vote: Yeas 13, Nays 0
	110	+	EH 1660—LS 7599/DI 143