Several pieces of legislation co-authored by State Representative Woody Burton passed the Indiana House of Representatives on third reading on Monday, which was the deadline to pass bills out of their first House of origin.
House Bill (HB) 1483, authored by State Representative Jud McMillin (R-Brookville) and co-authored by Rep. Burton, passed the House with a 78-17 vote. It requires the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) to administer a drug testing program for individuals who are receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) for themselves or on behalf of a child.
“Those applying for assistance will go through an initial screening process which consists of a written substance abuse inventory test,” said Rep. Burton. “This assessment will test for possible drug abuse problems. Based on an individual’s performance on this test, they may be subject to random drug testing throughout their time on assistance.”
HB 1423, dealing with anti-bullying, passed the House with a 77-17 vote. It requires the Department of Education to develop guidelines to assist school corporations in establishing bullying prevention programs, reporting procedures and discipline rules.
“One in four kids has been bullied in the past year,” said Rep. Burton. “Having a safe environment is critical to student success and improving student performance. This bill will hopefully lessen the problem of bullying by offering training for both students and teachers.”
HB 1015, authored by State Representative Eric Koch (R-Bedford) and co-authored by Rep. Burton, passed the House with a 95-0 vote. This bill establishes an interim study committee to examine issues related to student discipline and safety.
“We have seen many issues from school bullying to violent acts of crime, and it is important that we do not enact legislation in a rush of emotion, but fully study and comprehend these situations and determine the best course of action to take,” said Rep. Burton.
HB 1334, authored by State Representative Jeff Thompson (R-Linton) and co-authored by Rep. Burton, passed the House with a 62-33 vote.
In its original form, this bill would prevent union dues from being automatically deducted from a teacher’s salary. However, Rep. Burton offered an amendment which allows a school to deduct dues for a school employee organization, or union, from the pay of a school employee if the employee provides written authorization for the deduction. Any dues deduced may not be used for political activities.
“HB 1334 helps separate policy from politics,” said Rep. Burton. “It gives teachers the choice to give to unions while also giving them the ability to contribute to political organizations without the state serving as the middleman.”
These pieces of legislation will move to the Senate for further discussion and debate. To stay up-to-date on these bills and any other piece of legislation in the General Assembly, visit www.in.gov/legislative.
