Boone County Hendricks County Montgomery County Bill providing additional funding and relief for Hoosiers gets signed into law
STATEHOUSE — Gov. Mitch Daniels signed into law House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1376 today during a bill signing ceremony at the Statehouse. The legislation, which was supported by Rep. Thompson (R-Lizton) and authored by Rep. Jeff Espich (R-Uniondale), increases education funding and provides relief to Hoosiers across the state. HEA 1376 will provide additional funding to state fair stage collapse victims, double the amount of funding for full day kindergarten, improve the process for establishing turnaround schools and enhance the Automatic Taxpayer Refund. “The state is still being fiscally responsible with the additional spending towards these deserving groups of Hoosiers,” said Rep. Thompson. “Being a good steward of your hard-earned tax dollars is important as we invest in the future of our state.” HEA 1376 will increase the amount of compensation available for state fair stage collapse victims from $5 million to $11 million and will provide ongoing assistance for those victims that suffered long-term disabilities. “No amount of money fixes this horrific situation that occurred last summer, but we need to do what is fair and reasonable for those involved and their families,” said Rep. Espich. The legislation will also provide an additional $80-100 million in funding for full day kindergarten and will increase the per student grant award from $1,227 per student to $2,400 per student. HEA 1376 represents the most significant new investment in full day kindergarten since the grant program first began. Along those lines, HEA 1376 will also improve the process for establishing turnaround schools. These school accountability standards, which were created by Public Law 221 in 1999, allow the state to intervene when a school is underperforming and has failed for six consecutive years in order to ensure a higher value of education for Hoosier students. Process improvements included in HEA 1376 require the School Board of Education to hold at least two public hearings to discuss the best practices for improving student achievement within the school and specifying that teachers in turnaround schools must be licensed. Historical data shows that the further a school moves in the intervention timeline, the less likely it is that the school will remain eligible for intervention, proving that accountability works. Finally, HEA 1376 enhances the Automatic Taxpayer Refund—which was created last year—by ensuring that taxpayer refunds are distributed more fairly. Current projections indicate that four million Hoosiers could receive a refund of $50 each when they file their 2012 tax returns next spring. HEA 1376 goes into effect immediately. -30-
Note to the Editor: Gov. Mitch Daniels signs HEA 1376 into law with other representatives. Back row, left to right: Rep. Ralph M. Foley (R-Martinsville). Rep. Jerry Torr (R-Carmel), Rep. Jeff Thompson (R-Lizton), Rep. Dale Grubb (D-Covington), Sen. Brandt Hershman (R-Wheatfield), Sen. Pat Miller (R-Indianapolis) and Rep. Peggy Welch (D-Bloomington). Front row, left to right: Rep. Eric Turner (R-Cicero), Gov. Mitch Daniels and Sen. Jim Smith (R-Charlestown). |
