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HB1266 • 2026

A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning education.

A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning education.

Budget Education Parental Rights Taxes
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Representative Robert Behning
Last action
2026-03-12
Official status
Enrolled House Bill (H)
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official summary does not provide specific details on timelines or criteria for implementation.

Indiana Education Act

This act makes changes to Indiana's education laws, including new frameworks for teaching math, data science pathways, support for struggling schools, teacher salary adjustments, and more.

What This Bill Does

  • Creates a framework for teaching and learning in mathematics based on academic standards.
  • Develops a pathway for students interested in data science within the math curriculum.
  • Requires reports to be submitted about strategies to help underperforming schools.
  • Sets rules for evaluating, approving, and publishing high-quality educational materials.
  • Changes membership requirements for local school facilities and transportation boards.
  • Adjusts teacher salaries based on literacy endorsements.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Teachers and educators in Indiana
  • School districts and local education boards
  • Students and their families

Terms To Know

Data Science Math Pathway
A new educational track for students interested in data science within the math curriculum.
Literacy Endorsement
An additional certification that teachers can earn to specialize in teaching reading and writing skills.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify all details for implementing changes, such as exact timelines or specific criteria.
  • Some provisions may require further guidance from the Department of Education or other state agencies.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HB1266.02.COMH.AMH09

Committee House Bill (H) • Representative Jeffrey Thompson

Filed

Plain English: This amendment does not provide specific changes to the bill and only states 'Education matters.'

  • The official text of the amendment is too brief and does not specify any concrete changes to the bill.
HB1266.02.COMH.AMH05

Committee House Bill (H) • Representative Gregory Porter

Filed

Plain English: The amendment adds a new section to the Indiana Code that allows for a tax credit related to contributions made to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.

  • Adds a new section in the Indiana Code allowing individuals who contribute to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library to receive a tax credit.
  • The amendment does not specify the amount or limits of the tax credit, which may need to be defined elsewhere in the bill or by other legislative action.
HB1266.02.COMH.AMH06

Committee House Bill (H) • Representative Gregory Porter

Filed

Plain English: The amendment proposes to add funding for the Imagination Library program in Indiana.

  • Adds an appropriation for the Imagination Library, a book distribution program.
  • The exact amount of funding and details about how it will be used are not specified.
HB1266.03.COMH.AMS10

Committee House Bill (S) • Senator Jeff Raatz

Filed

Plain English: This amendment changes how the Indiana Department of Education handles certain types of data.

  • The amendment modifies the way the Indiana Department of Education manages and uses specific educational data.
  • The official text does not provide enough details to explain exactly what kind of data is affected or how it will be managed differently.
  • Further information would be needed to understand the full impact of this amendment.
HB1266.03.COMH.AMS11

Committee House Bill (S) • Senator Jeff Raatz

Filed

Plain English: This amendment proposes changes to the Indiana Code related to education, but the specific details of these changes are not provided in the given information.

  • The exact nature and content of the proposed changes to the Indiana Code concerning education are not specified in the provided text.
  • The official amendment text does not provide enough detail about what specific parts of the Indiana Code would be changed or how they would be altered.
HB1266.04.COMS.AMS15

Committee House Bill (S) • Senator Ryan Mishler

Filed

Plain English: This amendment does not provide specific changes to the bill and only states 'Education matters.'

  • The official text of the amendment is too vague to describe any concrete changes. It simply includes the phrase 'Education matters.'
HB1266.01.INTR.AMH01

Committee Introduced House Bill (H) • Representative Robert Behning

Filed

Plain English: The amendment adds a new section to the Indiana Code that allows for career specialists to obtain permits.

  • Adds a new section to the Indiana Code allowing individuals to apply for and receive permits as career specialists.
  • The exact requirements and responsibilities of a career specialist permit are not detailed in this amendment text.
HB1266.01.INTR.AMH02

Committee Introduced House Bill (H) • Representative Robert Behning

Filed

Plain English: The amendment changes the Indiana Code to require schools to use a specific framework for teaching math.

  • Adds a requirement that school corporations must follow a certain framework when creating or adopting mathematics academic standards.
  • The exact details of what this framework entails are not provided in the amendment text, so it's unclear how specific requirements will be implemented.
HB1266.03.COMH.AMH001

Filed House Bill (S) • Representative Alex Burton

Withdrawn

Plain English: This amendment, proposed by Representative Alex Burton, was withdrawn and does not provide specific details about changes to the Indiana Code concerning education.

  • The official text of the amendment is incomplete and does not specify any concrete changes or limits.
HB1266.05.COMS.AMS001

Filed House Bill (S) • Senator Shelli Yoder

Passed

Plain English: This amendment changes the Indiana Code to require schools to provide certain information about mental health services and resources.

  • Schools must give students and their parents or guardians information on available mental health services and resources.
  • The official text does not specify all details of what kind of information needs to be provided, how it should be communicated, or the specific mental health services and resources that are covered.
HB1266.05.COMS.AMS002

Filed House Bill (S) • Senator Shelli Yoder

Failed

Plain English: This amendment would add a new section to Indiana's education laws, but the details of what this section would do are not provided in the given text.

  • Adds a new section to Indiana’s education code, though the specific content and purpose of this new section is unclear from the provided information.
  • The amendment text does not provide enough detail about the具体内容在此处被截断了,但根据提供的信息和要求,可以补充完整。由于官方的修正案文本没有提供具体的内容细节,我们只能总结到目前为止的信息,并指出其限制性。以下是完整的JSON格式输出:

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-12 House

    Signed by the Governor

  2. 2026-03-12 House

    Public Law 159

  3. 2026-03-05 Senate

    Signed by the President Pro Tempore

  4. 2026-03-03 House

    Signed by the Speaker

  5. 2026-03-02 Senate

    Signed by the President of the Senate

  6. 2026-02-27 House

    Representative Greene added as conferee

  7. 2026-02-27 House

    Representative Smith V removed as conferee

  8. 2026-02-27 Senate

    Senator Goode added as conferee

  9. 2026-02-27 Senate

    Senator Hunley removed as conferee

  10. 2026-02-27 House

    CCR # 1 filed in the House

  11. 2026-02-27 Senate

    CCR # 1 filed in the Senate

  12. 2026-02-27 House

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

  13. 2026-02-27 Senate

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

  14. 2026-02-25 House

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

  15. 2026-02-25 House

    House conferees appointed: Behning, Smith V

  16. 2026-02-25 Senate

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

  17. 2026-02-25 Senate

    Senate conferees appointed: Raatz, Hunley

  18. 2026-02-24 Senate

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

  19. 2026-02-24 Senate

    Returned to the House with amendments

  20. 2026-02-24 House

    House dissented from Senate amendments

  21. 2026-02-24 House

    Motion to dissent filed

  22. 2026-02-23 Senate

    Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed

  23. 2026-02-23 Senate

    Amendment #1 (Yoder) prevailed; voice vote

  24. 2026-02-19 Senate

    Committee report: amend do pass, adopted

  25. 2026-02-19 Senate

    Senator Randolph added as cosponsor

  26. 2026-02-12 Senate

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

  27. 2026-02-02 Senate

    First reading: referred to Committee on Education and Career Development

  28. 2026-01-29 House

    Referred to the Senate

  29. 2026-01-28 House

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

  30. 2026-01-28 House

    Senate sponsors: Senators Raatz, Johnson T

  31. 2026-01-27 House

    Second reading: ordered engrossed

  32. 2026-01-27 House

    Amendment #1 (Burton) motion withdrawn

  33. 2026-01-22 House

    Committee report: amend do pass, adopted

  34. 2026-01-14 House

    Representative Klinker added as coauthor

  35. 2026-01-08 House

    Committee report: amend do pass, adopted

  36. 2026-01-08 House

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

  37. 2026-01-06 House

    Authored by Representative Behning

  38. 2026-01-06 House

    Coauthored by Representative McGuire

  39. 2026-01-06 House

    First reading: referred to Committee on Education

Official Summary Text

A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning education.
Department of education and education matters.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning education.

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.