Guest Column

Senate Bill 101, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), was recently signed into law by the Governor and has generated much discussion throughout the state and beyond. As legislators who voted for RFRA, we think it is important to clarify what this bill does and show why this is needed in Indiana.

RFRA establishes a judicial standard of review which will provide the courts with clear guidance on how to resolve any matters that come forth surrounding religious freedom. More than 30 states have already instituted some variation of RFRA. In addition, RFRA has been applied at the federal level since 1993 when it was signed into law by President Bill Clinton, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the federal RFRA does not apply to state and local laws and Indiana’s case law is not clear on these issues. Indiana’s RFRA assures that our state courts follow the same reasoning that the federal courts and 30 other states follow when they weigh these issues.

An example of a case to which RFRA was applied, is the recent Hobby Lobby case. Obamacare required that Hobby Lobby pay for its employees’ abortion-inducing drugs, which violated the owners’ religious beliefs. The U.S. Supreme Court concluded that RFRA entitled the business owners to an exemption from the regulation, because the religious accommodation would not require any of the female employees to do without the drugs.

To those who think this law gives business owners a license to discriminate, we would point out that RFRA can be used only as a defense against government action. In 22 years of this standard being applied at the federal and state level, discrimination has never materialized. RFRA does not give a license to discriminate, rather it protects every Hoosier’s first amendment rights regardless of their religious affiliation or lack thereof.

 Woody Burton (R-Whiteland) represents a portion of Johnson County.

 Rep. Dave Frizzell (R-Indianapolis) represents a portion of Marion and Johnson counties.

 Rep. John Price (R-Greenwood) represents portions of Johnson and Morgan Counties.

I am sure many of you are aware of the recent events at an Indiana school in which fifth and sixth grade students wrote essays about their thoughts on education in Indiana. The teacher then distributed her students’ letters to several state officials, informing all recipients that the students were not coached in their writing and did their own research. I want to take a moment to share my concerns about the issue.

I first want to say that I value our teachers and communication from them is very important to the General Assembly. As a member of the Education Committee, I recently held a town hall meeting in Johnson County with local educators. We had a spirited discussion about many issues regarding education, including the controversy surrounding the duties of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, as well as the length of this year’s ISTEP+ test. I value the feedback from teachers in my district and the rest of Indiana. We need to know how teachers feel about the legislation we are considering in the General Assembly. However, I am concerned about the way in which this particular teacher chose to share her opinions.

Indiana dedicates enormous energy and resources to the education of our children. We incentivize excellent teaching and promote innovation at every level. The classroom is a sacred place. It is the place where children learn to think, to develop opinions and stand for their beliefs. Even if this teacher did not coach her students as she said, it still seems likely that their research was directed. At the very least, students with a dissenting opinion did not get their essays sent.

Whatever the case may be, I find it disturbing. It is the job of all teachers to give their students the chance to think for themselves. That means presenting all the facts, all points of view and allowing each child to weigh the information and make a decision. I believe that is, by and large, how education is conducted in Indiana, and I am pleased about that. I want to remind all Indiana teachers that educating our children is this state’s top priority and their role is of utmost importance. I appreciate the work our teachers are doing for our children, and I want to encourage each teacher to continue teaching with excellence.

If teachers have opinions or concerns they wish to express, they should be free to do so. I have already emphasized that the General Assembly welcomes any and all input into the legislative process. However, when students are put in the middle of an issue, I must speak. Our children’s voices are valuable, but their protection is also important. I hope we all agree that they deserve fair and unbiased teaching in addition to the opportunity to share their opinions.

I am honored to serve as a member of the Indiana House of Representatives, and I welcome your feedback on this and other issues. I can be reached at 317-232-9648 or at h58@iga.in.gov.

I recently hosted town hall meetings in Johnson County. We had great discussions about our state budget and education among other topics. This session we will work to increase education funding while fixing the funding formula, reducing overhead, focusing dollars on the classroom and providing hard-working teachers with a tax credit.

The General Assembly will consider many bills related to education – the most important being House Bill (HB) 1001, the budget. Indiana operates on a biennial budget, and every other year the legislative session lasts longer to allow us time to thoughtfully consider each part of the budget we will pass. We will focus on crafting an honestly balanced budget with no tax increases.

Education is a top funding priority. In fact, nearly two-thirds of Indiana’s budget is devoted to K-12 and higher education funding. In 2011, we passed legislation to allow low-income families the ability to choose the best educational options for their children regardless of their zip code. I am proud that we have the nation’s fastest growing school voucher program, but I think now is the time to focus back on public education and continue providing Hoosier children with a competitive, well-rounded education.

Another bill related to education is HB 1108, a bill I authored to improve education for dyslexic students. This legislation defines dyslexia more clearly and requires teachers to be more informed of the disability before receiving their teaching license. I am confident that this bill will help teachers identify dyslexia and tailor their teaching style to accommodate students with the disorder.

HB 1005 is another education bill worth noting. This bill supplies teachers with a $200 tax credit for classroom supplies. It has come to our attention that many teachers in Indiana are spending their own hard-earned money to provide their students with classroom supplies. This tax credit will alleviate some of the financial stress this places on teachers and make it easier for them to provide a quality education for their students.

Another piece of legislation being discussed is HB 1009. This bill allows schools to establish Freedom to Teach zones, in which they will be able to implement innovative education methods. In these zones, schools are exempt from certain burdensome regulations to give educators increased flexibility to improve students’ academic performance. These schools will also be eligible for a grant to help them accomplish their goals.

I am honored to be your representative in Indianapolis, and I welcome your thoughts and opinions. I encourage you to stay involved with the legislative process this session. You can track legislation and find constituent resources on our website, www.indianahouserepublicans.com, and you can contact me at 317-232-9648, or h58@iga.in.gov.

I believe it is crucial that all Hoosier families have the ability to choose the best educational environment for their children. On Thursday in the House Education Committee, we heard Senate Bill (SB) 282 which allows special education students to receive state funding if they choose to attend a non-public school. This bill updates language from House Enrolled Act 1003 that passed last year which expanded the Choice Scholarship program.

This is a piece of legislation that I have been pursuing for quite some time. During the committee hearing I asked specifically if children with dyslexia or autism would be covered under this bill. Chairman Behning reassured me that the bill covers any disorder recognized by the school.

I have had numerous meetings with local parents to discuss this issue – several of those parents belong to an organization called Decoding Dyslexia. Decoding Dyslexia is a grassroots movement driven by Indiana families to raise awareness about dyslexia among parents, educators, community leaders, legislators and the general public. I have also met with representatives from Autism Speaks, the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism.

According to the International Dyslexia Association, dyslexia is a language-based learning disability that may affect an individual’s ability to read, write, spell and pronounce words. I was shocked when I learned that one in five people in the U.S. are dyslexic to some degree. When considering the scope of this learning disability, I think it is extremely important that we take action.

Under current federal law, public schools are required to provide special education services to students enrolled in nonpublic schools located in their school district. With SB 282, students who receive special education services would receive the same state funding regardless of whether they attended a public or nonpublic school.

In the fall, the Indiana State Board of Education made rules regarding how special education vouchers should be handled. SB 282 is a result of their efforts. I have personally reached out to Superintendent Ritz on several occasions, but unfortunately we were never able to meet one-on-one to discuss this issue. I hope to meet with her before session is over to further discuss this issue.

I think it is important that we provided high-quality educational opportunities for all Hoosier children, regardless of how they learn. I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish, and I look forward to further achievements on behalf of families with children who have special needs.

To view a previous column I wrote on this same topic, visit my website.