LEGISLATIVE SERVICES AGENCY
OFFICE OF FISCAL AND MANAGEMENT ANALYSIS
FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT
LS 7271 NOTE PREPARED: Feb 3, 2025
BILL NUMBER: SB 482 BILL AMENDED: Jan 30, 2025
SUBJECT: Absenteeism.
FIRST AUTHOR: Sen. Donato BILL STATUS: 2
nd
Reading - 1
st
House
FIRST SPONSOR:
FUNDS AFFECTED:XGENERAL IMPACT: State & Local
DEDICATED
FEDERAL
Summary of Legislation: This bill defines "chronically absent". The bill requires the Department of
Education (DOE) to do the following:
(1) Establish a categorization framework to distinguish between excused and unexcused absences
based on the reason for the absence.
(2) Collect certain information regarding absences from school corporations and charter schools.
(3) Prepare and submit a report regarding the information collected.
This bill also provides that the absence policy adopted by the governing body of a school corporation must
provide for the categorization of excused and unexcused absences in accordance with the categorization
framework established by DOE. The bill allows a prosecuting attorney to hold intervention meetings before
filing an affidavit with the court regarding a habitual truant. It amends the definition of "absent student" for
purposes of the truancy prevention policy provisions. It also requires a public school to hold an attendance
conference not later than 10 instructional days (instead of five instructional days) after the student's fifth
absence. The bill prohibits a public school from expelling a student in kindergarten through grade 8 solely
because the student is chronically absent or a habitual truant. It makes a conforming change.
Effective Date: July 1, 2025.
Explanation of State Expenditures: Provisions in the bill require the Department of Education (DOE) to
establish a new attendance categorization framework in FY 2026, and to prepare an annual report beginning
in FY 2027. This represents a workload increase that is 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:
Explanation of Local Expenditures: The bill will decrease the administrative workload for school
corporations by providing schools additional time to organize an attendance conference. Prosecuting
SB 482 1 attorneys may have a minor workload increase if they hold attendance intervention meetings for certain
students.
Explanation of Local Revenues:
State Agencies Affected: Department of Education.
Local Agencies Affected: School corporations; prosecuting attorneys.
Information Sources:
Fiscal Analyst: Kelan Fong, 317-232-9592.
SB 482 2