Sunday, January 28, 2007

Legislative Update Indiana Association for the Educaiton of Young Children


Indiana AEYC Legislative Update

A Membership Benefit of Indiana AEYC

Bill Track - Bill History Report

Indiana Association for the Education of Young Children (IAEYC)

Run Time: Friday, Jan-26-2007, 03:42 PM


HB1055 Optional full day kindergarten. (Robertson)

Digest

Provides that the governing body of a school corporation may establish a full-day, half-day, or combination program for kindergarten. For a school corporation that establishes a full-day kindergarten program, provides that the parent of an enrolled kindergarten student determines whether the student attends kindergarten for a full or half day.

Date Action

01/08/2007 H: Author Added Paul J. Robertson

01/08/2007 H: 1st Reading Assigned Education

HB1118 Possession of firearms on certain property. (Denbo)

Digest

Prohibits a person from adopting or enforcing a policy or rule that prohibits or has the effect of prohibiting an individual from legally possessing a firearm that is locked in the individual's motor vehicle while the motor vehicle is in or on the person's property. Excepts possession of a firearm: (1) on school property or a school bus; (2) on certain child care and shelter facility property; (3) on penal facilityproperty; and (4) in violation of federal law. Provides that a person who, in compliance with the prohibition, does not adopt or enforce

such a policy or rule is not liable for resulting injury or damage. Authorizes a civil action for damages, costs, attorney's fees, and injunctive relief to remedy a violation.

Date Action

01/08/2007 H: Author Added Jerry L. Denbo

01/08/2007 H: 1st Reading Assigned Rules and Legislative Procedures

HB1120 Limitation on school starting date. (Lehe)

Digest

Prohibits schools from beginning student instructional days for the school year more than one week before the first Monday in September, starting in 2008.

Date Action

01/08/2007 H: Author Added Don Lehe

01/08/2007 H: 1st Reading Assigned Education

HB1142 Definition of child care ministry. (Hinkle)

Digest

Amends the definition of "child care ministry" to specify the grounds for the organization's federal tax exemption and to require annual filing of supporting documentation with the division of family resources. Grandfathers organizations registered on January 1, 2006.

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Date Action

01/08/2007 H: Author Added Phillip D. Hinkle

01/08/2007 H: 1st Reading Assigned Family, Children, and Human Affairs

HB1143 Predatory trespassing by sex offenders. (Hinkle)

Digest

Makes it a Class D felony for an individual who is a sex offender to enter a school or child care facility during the school or child care facility's normal hours of operation unless the individual: (1) has a child who attends the school or child care facility; (2) is dropping off or picking up the child; and (3) spends no more time at the school or child care facility than is required to drop off or pick up the child.

Date Action

01/08/2007 H: Author Added Phillip D. Hinkle

01/08/2007 H: 1st Reading Assigned Courts and Criminal Code

HB1167 Child and dependent care tax credit. (Micon)

Digest

Provides a refundable income tax credit to individuals for certain household, child care, or dependent care expenses associated with an individual's gainful employment. Provides that the amount of the credit is 50% of the federal child and dependent care credit. Provides that an individual whose federal adjusted gross income exceeds $45,000 is not eligible for the credit.

Date Action

01/11/2007 H: Author Added Joe Micon

01/11/2007 H: Co Author Added Lawrence Lee Buell

01/11/2007 H: Co Author Added William A. Crawford

01/11/2007 H: Co Author Added Sheila Johnston Klinker

01/11/2007 H: 1st Reading Assigned Ways and Means

HB1219 Full-day kindergarten. (Hoy)

Digest

Provides that for purposes of computing the average daily membership and other pupil counts of school corporations, pupils enrolled in a full-day kindergarten program shall be counted as one pupil. Limits any increase in funding resulting from the recalculation of average daily membership to the part of the increase that is distributed from the state.

Date Action

01/11/2007 H: Author Added George Philip Hoy

01/11/2007 H: 1st Reading Assigned Education

HB1406 Kinship caregivers. (Dickinson)

Digest

Requires the department of child services to: (1) collaborate with nonprofit community based agencies to develop a grant proposal for submission to potential funding sources for the purpose of establishing kinship care navigator pilot projects to assist kinship caregivers with understanding and navigating the system of services for children; and (2) report annually to the legislative council and the governor on the kinship care navigator pilot projects. Establishes requirements for: (1) the pilot projects; and (2) kinship care navigators. Provides that implementation of the kinship care navigator pilot projects is contingent upon receipt of nonstate or private funding for the projects.

Date Action

01/16/2007 H: Author Added Mae Dickinson

01/16/2007 H: Co Author Added Vanessa Summers

01/16/2007 H: 1st Reading Assigned Family, Children, and Human Affairs

HB1435 Department of child services caseworkers. (Mays)

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Digest

Allows a department of child services (department) caseworker to carry mace, pepper spray, a stun gun, or another nonlethal device specified by the department while working on a department investigation. Allows the department to adopt rules: (1) concerning training requirements and other requirements that a caseworker must meet to carry a nonlethal device; and (2) specifying other nonlethal devices

that a department caseworker may carry.

Date Action

01/16/2007 H: Author Added Carolene Mays

01/16/2007 H: 1st Reading Assigned Family, Children, and Human Affairs

SB0102 Lead-bearing substances. (Gard)

Digest

Restricts the use and sale of lead-bearing substances and items to which young children have access. Prohibits the removal or defacing of a lead warning on a product label. Requires a paint vendor to provide lead information pamphlets to customers and to offer lead testkits for sale.

Date Action

01/08/2007 S: Author Added Beverly J. Gard

01/08/2007 S: 1st Reading Assigned Health and Provider Services

SB0104 Committee on child care. (Lawson)

Digest

Requires the division of family resources to establish child care advisory committees. Reestablishes the committee on child care with different membership and additional considerations for the committee's program of study. (The introduced version of this bill was prepared by the committee on child care.)

Date Action

01/08/2007 S: Author Added Connie Lawson

01/08/2007 S: 1st Reading Assigned Health and Provider Services

SB0241 Qualified child care expenditure tax credits. (Smith)

Digest

Establishes a state tax credit for an employer that makes qualified child care expenditures, qualified child care resource and referral expenditures, or qualified child care planning expenditures on behalf of its employees. Provides that the maximum amount of the credit for each taxable year is the lesser of the employer's pro rata share of: (1) $20,000; or (2) 40% of the employer's qualified expenditures.

Date Action

01/08/2007 S: Author Added Samuel Smith

01/08/2007 S: 1st Reading Assigned Tax and Fiscal Policy

SB0328 Department of child services. (Lawson)

Digest

Requires the director of the department of child services (department) to appoint a county director for each county office of family and children. (Current law requires the director of the division of family resources to make the appointments in consultation with the director of the department.) Specifies that national criminal history checks shall be conducted in compliance with federal law to determine whether certain individuals who supervise children have been convicted of specified offenses. Modifies the definition of "custodian", for purposes of statutes regarding children in need of services (CHINS), to include a person who is a member of the household of a child's noncustodial parent. Requires criminal history checks in pre-adoption placements, even if the child is: (1) not a ward of the court or thedepartment; or (2) placed with certain relatives. Makes certain other changes. Replaces county early intervention plan teams with Page 3 of 5 Bill Track - Bill History Report | IndianaNet regional services councils. Establishes the duties, membership, and procedures of the regional services councils. Repeals county early intervention plan teams for delinquent children. Provides that the department may: (1) establish at least three citizen review panels; and represent the community; (2) exami(2) designate existing entities as citizen review panels. Requires a citizen review panel to: (1) consist of volunteer members who broadlyne policies and procedures of child welfare agencies and specific cases when appropriate; (3) meet at least one time every three months; and (4) prepare an annual report. Requires the department to submit a response to a citizen review panel's report not more than six months after the date the department receives the report. Pr! ohibits a member of a citizen review panel from disclosing identifying information about a specific child services case, child ormember of the child's family who is the subject of a child protective services investigation, or any other person identified in confidential materials. Provides that the department may remove a member who discloses identifying information from a citizen review panel. Requires child welfare agencies to cooperate and work with citizen review panels. Allows citizen review panels access to reports and other materials concerning child protective services. Provides that a petition alleging that a child taken into custody is a CHINS shall be filed before the detention hearing. Requires the initial hearing on the CHINS petition to be held at the same time as the detention hearing. Establishes a child protection registry, and permits a person or agency to obtain certain information contained in the registry relating to an individual who has applied for employment or volunteered for services in a capacity that would place the individual in a position of trust with children. Specifies that national criminal history checks shall be conducted in compliance with federal law to determine whether certain individuals who supervise children have been convicted of specified offenses. Requires a court to consult with a CHINS regarding a proposedpermanency plan for the child. Provides that if the child is at least 16 years of age and the proposed permanency plan for the childprovides for the transition from foster care to independent living, the court shall notify the child of the permanency hearing and providethe child an opportunity to be heard. Repeals provisions: (1) requiring the department to offer certain services to a family or a child following an investigation of a report of child abuse or neglect; and (2) authorizing voluntary services referral agreements between thedepartment and persons accused of child abuse or neglect. Makes conforming amendments.

Date Action

01/16/2007 S: Author Added Connie Lawson

01/16/2007 S: 1st Reading Assigned Judiciary

SB0415 Qualified child care expenditure tax credits. (Errington)

Digest

Establishes a state tax credit for an employer that makes qualified child care expenditures, qualified child care resource and referral expenditures, or qualified child care planning expenditures on behalf of its employees. Provides that the maximum amount of the credit for each taxable year is the lesser of the employer's pro rata share of: (1) $20,000; or (2) 40% of the employer's qualified expenditures.

Date Action

01/11/2007 S: Author Added Sue Errington

01/11/2007 S: 1st Reading Assigned Tax and Fiscal Policy

SB0423 Imagination library program. (Simpson)

Digest

Appropriates $3,000,000 to the department of education to be used to fund matching grants to school corporations to participate in the Imagination Library early reading program to provide books for children from birth through five years of age.

Date Action

01/16/2007 S: Author Added Vi Simpson

01/16/2007 S: 1st Reading Assigned Appropriations

SB0425 Term of state contracts. (Simpson)

Digest

Provides that a contract for services entered into by a state agency: (1) may not be for a period of more than four years unless a statute specifically provides otherwise; and (2) may not be renewed. Provides that, after the term of a contract for services, a new contract for the same services may be awarded to the same contractor that provided the services under the original contract only if there is a new Page 4 of 5 Bill Track - Bill History Report | IndianaNet solicitation. Provides that the statute authorizing public-private agreements does not apply to services unless the contract is a "BOT" agreement or an "operating agreement" (as both terms are defined in the public-private agreement statute).

Date Action

01/16/2007 S: Author Added Vi Simpson

01/16/2007 S: 1st Reading Assigned Tax and Fiscal Policy

SB0427 Early childhood and kindergarten programs. (Simpson)

Digest

Requires school corporations to offer full-day kindergarten under a schedule established by the department of education. Provides that the schedule must require schools that receive Title I funding to offer full-day kindergarten beginning with the 2007-2008 school year, and all school corporations to offer full-day kindergarten beginning with the 2009-2010 school year. Appropriates $3,000,000 to the department of education to be used to fund matching grants to school corporations to participate in the Imagination Library to provide books for children from birth through five years of age.

Date Action

01/11/2007 S: Author Added Vi Simpson

01/11/2007 S: 1st Reading Assigned Education and Career Development

SB0428 Full-day kindergarten. (Simpson)

Digest

Requires school corporations to offer full-day kindergarten under a schedule established by the department of education. Provides that the schedule must require schools that receive Title I funding to offer full-day kindergarten beginning with the 2007-2008 school year, and all school corporations to offer full-day kindergarten beginning with the 2009-2010 school year.

Date Action

01/11/2007 S: Author Added Vi Simpson

01/11/2007 S: 1st Reading Assigned Education and Career Development

SB0456 Outsourcing relief. (Simpson)

Digest

Requires approval by the legislative council of state contracts that: (1) result in outsourced employees; and (2) total at least $10 million. Provides that a contract entered into by a state agency may not be for a period of more than four years unless a statute specifically provides otherwise. Requires a state agency to award contracts to Indiana businesses unless the Indiana business: (1) is not the lowest bidder; or (2) cannot perform the contract. Requires a person that bids on a state contract to disclose certain information concerning outsourced workers to the Indiana department of administration. Requires a financial institution to defer principal payments for up to 12

months on a mortgage or vehicle loan held by an outsourced employee of the state or a state educational institution. Requires the state student assistance commission to administer a program of low interest loans to outsourced employees or dependents of outsourced employees who are full-time students at a state educational institution to pay tuition and regularly assessed fees.

Date Action

01/16/2007 S: Author Added Vi Simpson

01/16/2007 S:


Comment: For those of you who are interested.

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