Bills on supplemental teacher pay, sexual education materials and chaplain-counselors moved largely along party lines. Photo by Getty Images.

By Leslie Bonilla Muñiz
Indiana Capital Chronicle

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s Senate on Tuesday, Feb. 11 approved a trio of education measures — on supplemental teacher pay, sexual education materials and chaplain-counselors — largely along party lines. Then, the chamber nearly split on bulked-up carbon storage regulations.

Republicans united behind “market force” teacher pay legislation with implications for unions, passing it on a 39-10 vote.

Sen. Spencer Deery, R-Lafayette, told of how a school in his district struggled to retain special education teachers — but was paying them like other educators.

Sen. Spencer Deery, R-West Lafayette, laughs at a joke from a member of the public during testimony on his proposal, Senate Bill 202. Photo by Whitney Downard, Indiana Capital Chronicle.

His Senate Bill 249 would let schools divert revenue available for collective bargaining toward supplemental pay. It would also require that “employment in a high need area” account for at least 10% of the calculations used to determine supplemental increases and increments.

Sen. Andrea Hunley, D-Indianapolis, argued there are other ways to differentiate pay that don’t affect the pot of money open to collective bargaining.

Deery said such mechanisms exist “in theory” but schools only use 0.2% of their state money on supplemental pay. His legislation next heads to the House for consideration.

Educational materials for “human sexuality” instruction were back up for debate.

Senate Bill 442 requires school boards to approve materials, then publish basic information about them in a “conspicuous” place on the school’s website. The school’s parental consent form — which lets parents remove their children from sexual education classes — would need a link to that information.

Author Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville, acknowledged that parents can already request access to the materials, but that his work would make it easier for them to know what’s being taught.

Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville, speaks in the Senate chamber on Thursday Feb. 6, 2025. Photo by Leslie Bonilla Muñiz, Indiana Capital Chronicle.

Sen. J.D. Ford, D-Indianapolis, asked what would happen if materials or even the class’ teacher changes during the academic year, since the postings are due in July. Byrne replied that school boards could “figure that out” — using the phrase repeatedly throughout their discussion.

Senate Minority Leader Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington, went further. She argued that Senate Bill 442 would let community members influence what gets taught at a cost to parents’ own rights.

The Senate approved the legislation on a 39-9 vote, also along party lines. Byrne’s previous attempt passed his chamber with similar margins last session but failed to get a House hearing.

And another repeat proposal — this one legalizing chaplain-counselors in public schools — moved on after a 32-16 vote.

Senate Bill 523 would let public schools bring in paid or volunteer chaplains and use them for both secular and religious counseling – the latter with parental permission.

Author Sen. Stacey Donato, R-Logansport, said it wasn’t intended to replace traditional counselors.

Sen. Stacey Donato, R-Logansport, in committee on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024. Photo by Leslie Bonilla Muñiz, Indiana Capital Chronicle.

Ford was the only other lawmaker to speak on the bill. He argued there’s no clear definition of “chaplain” and no mental health or cardiopulmonary resuscitation training requirements for them. He also asserted the changes could violate students’ rights to religious freedom and the separation of church and state.

“If we’re exempting chaplains from the same professional standards as other folks in the school, that just tells me that we’re actually not serving students — that we’re, rather, subjecting them to unconstitutional, government-sponsored religious advice,” Ford said.

Donato authored similar legislation last session, but it died in the House without getting an education committee hearing — as did the House’s own version.

Carbon Regrets Aired

A measure dealing with carbon dioxide storage and transmission pipelines splintered both caucuses.

Senate Bill 457 exempts such pipeline companies from needing to get certificates of authority in certain cases, tweaks fee amounts and directs fee proceeds away from topic-specific funds toward the state’s General Fund. It also creates a permit for certain carbon dioxide wells, adds inspection provisions and includes new fines for violations.

Author Sen. Sue Glick, R-LaGrange, dubbed it a “clean-up bill.”

Lawmakers authorized a pilot project, led by Wabash Valley Resources, in 2019 and revisited it in 2023. In between, in 2022, they established regulations for carbon sequestration projects and exempted the pilot from those requirements.

Sens. Rick Niemeyer and Cyndi Carrasco sit in the Senate chamber on Organization Day on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. Photos by Whitney Downard, Indiana Capital Chronicle.

Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, asked why the proposal ditches the trust funds. Glick replied Sen. Ryan Mishler — the powerful Senate Appropriation Committee’s leader — had made those changes, adding, “You would have to ask” him.

Sen. Randy Niemeyer, R-Lowell, objected to carbon storage’s recent prevalence.

Three years ago, he said, “nobody knew that this pipeline stuff was going to go into … counties in the rural area.” But when he and others discovered companies were “doing seismic testing … in those areas without any authorization, it kind of hit home.”

Niemeyer said there’s not enough local control in Senate Bill 457. He added, “I just can’t support any legislation dealing with this garbage situation… the way we implemented it out of here was not good.”

Sen. Andy Zay, R-Huntington, said he supported the ongoing pilot but “would like to see (it) through.” He feared “standardiz(ing” the process before the pilot’s implementation.

Glick’s bill passed on a narrow, 27-21 vote.