2015 Indiana General Assembly Voting Record on Youth-Related Legislation Investing in Youth Today, Improving Conditions Tomorrow ©2015 MCCOY, Inc. Reproduction and distribution of this material is encouraged, however, please reference MCCOY, Inc. as original author. 1 ABOUT THE MARION COUNTY COMMISSION ON YOUTH (MCCOY), INC. MCCOY is an independent, non-partisan 501(c)(3) organization that champions the positive development of youth through leadership on key issues and support of the youth worker community. MCCOY works toward the goal of ensuring that every young person in central Indiana has opportunities to thrive, learn, engage, and contribute. MCCOY serves as an advocate on behalf of youth, a capacity builder that prepares youth-serving organizations to support youth, a convener that brings the community together to address youth issues, and a resource that provides tools and information to young people. Our policy goals include: Early Intervention & Prevention – all youth should be safe, nurtured and free from abuse, neglect and delinquency through comprehensive community efforts that coordinate, build capacity and advocate for high-quality early intervention and prevention services Quality Youth Programs - all youth programs should adhere to quality and best practice standards in order to best serve the youth in Indiana Student Success – all youth in Indiana have the right to receive a quality education, graduate and succeed Youth Engagement – all youth can be empowered to voice their opinions about and be part of the decisions that affect them Youth Worker Professional Development – all professionals working with youth should have opportunities for continuing education and professional development programs with quality standards and credentialing Our 2015 legislative priorities were: Early Childhood Safety & Education – improving the quality and accessibility of child care and early education programs, requiring kindergarten attendance, and fully- funded full-day kindergarten Early Intervention and Prevention – ensuring that prevention and early intervention services are available and accessible to individuals and families before they are in crisis Juvenile Justice Reform – expand the use of risk assessments in the Juvenile Delinquency Alternatives Initiative, ensure that all juveniles are represented by counsel in juvenile court, and ensure that status offenders are not housed in secure detention School Safety & School Discipline Reform – ensuring that schools utilize evidence-based prevention programs and implement positive behavioral interventions & supports state-wide Youth Safety – ensure that policies related to issues such as violence, suicide, gangs, and bullying are data-driven and reflect a comprehensive approach to addressing the root causes of the issues within families, communities, and schools During the 2015 session, MCCOY actively advocated on a number of issues and bills related to children, including: HEA 1269 Health Matters SB443 Various Education Matters HEA1304 Various Criminal Law Matters SB497 Health Education and Sex Education Curricula SB277 School Counselors SEA500 Education Deregulation MCCOY also facilitates the Voices for Indiana’s Children virtual advocacy network. This network consists of individuals, organizations and coalitions who seek to enhance advocacy on children’s issues through networking, collaboration, and sharing resources. ©2015 MCCOY, Inc. Reproduction and distribution of this material is encouraged, however, please reference MCCOY, Inc. as original author. 2 ABOUT THIS VOTING RECORD The purpose of this guide is to inform the reader about legislation that was brought forward relating to youth during the 2015 legislative session. The bills published in this document are not a full, comprehensive report of all bills relating to youth, but reflect those bills that either fit into MCCOY’s priorities or have a direct impact on youth in Indiana. The summaries provided are those that appear on the General Assembly’s website as prepared by the Legislative Services Agency and some contain additional commentary where needed. The voting record for each legislator in the state serves as a means to inform the reader on how their legislator votes on children’s issues and is not intended to be a scorecard because, as a non-partisan organization, MCCOY does not endorse or oppose any particular legislator based on their votes. To find complete information on all of the bills from the 2015 session, please visit: http://www.iga.in.gov To find out who your legislator is, please visit: http://district.iga.in.gov/DistrictLookup/ ©2015 MCCOY, Inc. Reproduction and distribution of this material is encouraged, however, please reference MCCOY, Inc. as original author. 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 2015 Enacted Legislation...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................5 Budget HEA1001 State Biennial Budget ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................5 Child Safety HEA1004 Safety PIN Grant Program ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................8 HEA1016 Newborn Safety Incubators ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................8 HEA1161 Immunity for Damage Caused Rescuing a Child ............................................................................................................................................................................................8 HEA1216 Missing Children and Trafficked Children ......................................................................................................................................................................................................9 SEA313 Definition of “Sexual Conduct” .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................9 SEA532 Human Trafficking, Promoting Prostitution, and Adult Entertainment Performers ........................................................................................................................................9 Child Welfare/ Juvenile Justice HEA1196 CHINS and Delinquent Child Dual Determination ..........................................................................................................................................................................................9 HEA1304 Various Criminal Law Matters ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................10 HEA1434 Department of Child Services ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................10 Education HEA1009 Innovation Network Schools ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................10 HEA1042 Education Loan Information ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................11 HEA1056 Student Transfers ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................11 HEA1068 Background Checks ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................11 HEA1108 Dyslexia ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................11 HEA1194 High School Diplomas ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................11 HEA1414 School Safety Drills .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................12 HEA1438 Adult High Schools .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................12