We had a great discussion on a wide range of issues in Logansport last week. Thanks to the Logansport-Cass County Chamber of Commerce for hosting legislators for the Third House Session! One of the biggest topics we discussed was education. We have passed several bills this session that are high priorities for House Republicans and the education community, including holding teachers harmless from low ILEARN test scores and decoupling teacher evaluations from test scores.
Another education priority bill took a positive step forward, which would allow schools to apply for waivers for more than 1,500 sections of Indiana Code. This provides flexibility for schools by giving the State Board of Education the ability to change or reduce teacher-training requirements along with other education mandates.
I’m thrilled to report that two of my bills passed the House this week and should be heard in the Senate in the coming weeks. House Bill 1099 on low head dam safety passed 95-1 and House Bill 1218 on locating underground facility infrastructure passed unanimously.
House Bill 1110, the bill I filed creating a student loan repayment program for health care providers who work in shortage areas, will not move forward this session. However, in the House Public Health Committee we had an opportunity to talk about Indiana’s health workforce and actions we might take in the future to expand access to providers. I will continue working on this issue, and return in the 2021 legislative session with another bill. This idea has broad support from the provider community and experts in this area, and I am hopeful for passage of a program like this in a future session.
Next week will be “halftime,” meaning we have to finish our work in the House in order to pass our bills to the Senate for consideration. Then we receive the Senate bills that have passed over to us. Stay tuned for more in the coming weeks, including the Senate bills I am sponsoring. Remember, it’s your state government, so participate in it! As always, if you have questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to reach out at h23@iga.in.gov.
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State Rep. Ethan Manning (R-Denver) represents House District 23,
which includes portions of Cass, Fulton and Miami counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
