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HB1266Introduced in the House

Department of education and education matters.

Passed

Introduced by Robert Behning, District 91

What does this bill do?

Plain-English breakdown

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Official description

Department of education and education matters. Makes various changes to education provisions concerning the following: (1) Creating a teaching and learning framework for the implementation of mathematics academic standards. (2) Development of a data science math pathway. (3) Submission of a report to the general assembly concerning recommendations on strategies to support academically and fiscally underperforming schools, and interventions as necessary. (4) Evaluating, approving, and publishing high quality curricular materials time lines. (5) Local board membership for a local centralized school facilities board and local student transportation board. (6) Salary differentiation regarding teachers who possess a literacy endorsement. (7) Amounts expended in participating in an interlocal agreement included in determining amounts school corporations expend on full-time teacher salaries for purposes of teacher salary minimum funding requirements. (8) Summer school program and reimbursement administration. (9) Criteria required for eligibility of a waiver for conducting four day school weeks. (10) Oversight of career and technical education program designation. (11) Uses of teacher appreciation grants. (12) The calculation of operating referendum distributions and school safety referendum distributions to charter schools with regard to virtual instruction. (13) Petitions regarding reconsidering payments of choice scholarships. (14) Membership of the board for proprietary education. (15) The effective date regarding the changes to the definition of "eligible choice scholarship student". (16) Career specialist permit eligibility. Provides that an emergency permit may be renewed up to two times to an individual enrolled in an alternative teacher certification program if the program provides documentation verifying the individual's good standing in the program to the department of education. Creates a new qualification option for a transition to teaching program participant who seeks to obtain a license to teach in grades 5 through 12. Removes a provision that provides that the department may not release less than 10 items per subject matter level per grade level regarding the statewide summative assessment. Removes a requirement that for a parent or student to use a career scholarship account (CSA) annual grant amount for costs related to transportation a CSA participating entity must pay a matching amount for the transportation costs. Requires each state educational institution that offers a two year graduate degree program in mental or behavioral health to evaluate the graduate degree program to determine the feasibility of providing the program in a specifically structured manner to allow full-time students to complete the program within: (1) one year; or (2) five years if the program is combined with a baccalaureate degree program. Requires the Indiana department of education to elect to participate as a covered state in the federal tax credit scholarship program for elementary and secondary education under Section 25F of the Internal Revenue Code (enacted in Public Law 119-21, commonly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025). Makes conforming changes to the school scholarship tax credit in current law. Requires the governor and the department of workforce development, in consultation with the commission for higher education, to: (1) establish a process to identify eligible workforce training programs; (2) establish a process for institutions and programs to apply for recognition as an eligible workforce training program; (3) coordinate certain workforce training matters; and (4) require eligible workforce training programs to provide certain datasets to the department. Provides that the department of workforce development must maintain alignment with federal rules governing workforce Pell grants. Repeals certain provisions concerning postsecondary career and technical education.

Where it stands

Public Law 159

March 12, 2026

How did lawmakers vote?

House votes

2 recorded votes · each counted separately

Senate votes

2 recorded votes · each counted separately

HouseStage: House - Rules Suspended. Conference Committee Report 1 · February 27, 2026

66

Yes

30

No

4

Absent or Not Voting

100 representatives recorded in this House vote. Colors show vote categories only, not whether a vote was good or bad.

See how each representative voted

Bill history

  1. Coauthored by Representative McGuire

  2. Authored by Representative Behning

  3. First reading: referred to Committee on Education

  4. Committee report: amend do pass, adopted

  5. Recommitted to Committee on Ways and Means pursuant to House Rule 126.3

  6. Representative Klinker added as coauthor

  7. Committee report: amend do pass, adopted

  8. Amendment #1 (Burton) motion withdrawn

  9. Second reading: ordered engrossed

  10. Third reading: passed; Roll Call 136: yeas 90, nays 1

  11. Senate sponsors: Senators Raatz, Johnson T

  12. Referred to the Senate

  13. First reading: referred to Committee on Education and Career Development

  14. Committee report: amend do pass adopted; reassigned to Committee on Appropriations

  15. Committee report: amend do pass, adopted

  16. Senator Randolph added as cosponsor

  17. Amendment #1 (Yoder) prevailed; voice vote

  18. Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed

  19. Third reading: passed; Roll Call 246: yeas 47, nays 0

  20. Returned to the House with amendments

  21. Motion to dissent filed

  22. House dissented from Senate amendments

  23. House conferees appointed: Behning, Smith V

  24. House advisors appointed: Payne, Cash, DeLaney, Klinker, Pfaff

  25. Senate conferees appointed: Raatz, Hunley

  26. Senate advisors appointed: Johnson T, Ford J.D.

  27. Representative Smith V removed as conferee

  28. Representative Greene added as conferee

  29. Senator Hunley removed as conferee

  30. Senator Goode added as conferee

  31. CCR # 1 filed in the House

  32. CCR # 1 filed in the Senate

  33. Rules Suspended. Conference Committee Report 1: adopted by the Senate; Roll Call 334: yeas 28, nays 19

  34. Rules Suspended. Conference Committee Report 1: adopted by the House; Roll Call 425: yeas 66, nays 30

  35. Signed by the President of the Senate

  36. Signed by the Speaker

  37. Signed by the President Pro Tempore

  38. Signed by the Governor

  39. Public Law 159

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