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

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Indiana Education Funding and Employee Rights Act

This bill restricts how schools can use public money, limits virtual learning for teacher protests, and stops automatic payroll deductions for employee organizations.

What This Bill Does

• It does not allow schools to spend public money on hiring lobbyists or paying groups that hire lobbyists.
• Taxpayers and Indiana residents can sue if a school breaks these rules about using public funds.
• Schools cannot turn regular class days into virtual learning when teachers plan to protest, demonstrate, or do political advocacy.
• If a school does not follow the rule about turning class days into virtual learning for protests, it loses state funding for each day this happens.
• Employers at schools are not allowed to take money from employees' paychecks to give to employee organizations.

Who It Names or Affects

• Schools and educational institutions in Indiana
• Teachers and other school staff members

Terms To Know

lobbyist

A person who tries to influence decisions made by government officials.

civil action

A lawsuit that a citizen can file in court.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how much state funding will be reduced for each day of violation.
• It is unclear what happens if the bill becomes law and schools continue to break these rules.

Official Summary Text

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

Current Bill Text

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

Education matters.

Prohibits a school corporation, public school, governing body of a school corporation, or state educational institution from spending public funds to: (1) hire or contract with, for the purpose of lobbying a member of the general assembly, a person required to register as a lobbyist; or (2) pay a nonprofit association or organization that: (A) primarily represents school corporations, public schools, governing bodies, or state educational institutions; and (B) hires or contracts with a person required to register as a lobbyist. Provides that a taxpayer or resident of Indiana may bring a civil action for a violation of the prohibited conduct. Provides that a school corporation may not convert a scheduled instructional day to virtual instruction because of the planned or coordinated absence of teachers or other personnel for the purpose of participating in a protest, demonstration, or political advocacy event. Provides that a school corporation that violates this provision is subject to a reduction in state tuition support for each day of violation. Provides that a school employer may not deduct any dues, fee, assessment, or other sum of money from the wages or other earnings of an employee to hold for or pay to a school employee organization. Repeals provisions regarding certain deductions of dues from pay by school employers.