HB1134 - Education Matters

On Wednesday, the Senate Committee on Education and Career Development voted 8-5 to pass HB1134, "Education Matters." This bill received another amendment before passage, but most notably were the amendments introduced by committee members that did not pass.

Specifically, they voted down an amendment that would require schools to teach Black history.  Just as Indiana law currently mandates teaching the historical facts surrounding the Holocaust, the amendment to 1134 would simply have raised the teaching of important facts of Black history, such as slavery, Jim Crow, and the civil rights movement, from optional to mandatory.  Minutes later the majority voted against the inclusion of basic federal protections of civil rights regarding race, sex and gender, disability and religion found in Federal law (Title VI, Title IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act), and in our Constitution. 

Read more here about Wednesday's committee hearing. 

HB1134 moves to the full Senate chamber next week for further amendments and a vote. Click on the link below to tell Indiana Senators in the full chamber to vote NO on HB1134. 

Book banning

Similar legislation that threatened to ban books from schools and public libraries has stalled in the House. SB17, "Material Harmful to Minors," will not receive a hearing in the House Education Committee. If passed into law, it would have removed the exemption for K-12 schools and public libraries from a law that prohibits the distribution of obscene material to children, which would have potentially led to censorship or book banning. 

MCCOY opposes any efforts to ban books and supports the processes already in place for schools and libraries to address book challenges. 

We will continue to keep a close eye on this legislation to ensure that legislators do not tack on this unnecessary legislation to other bills that are moving through the Statehouse.

Trans Youth

The full senate chamber is expecting to vote early next week on HB1041, "Participation in School Sports."  If passed, this bill will prohibit transgendered girls from participating in a girls' sport. Excluding trans students from participation deprives them of opportunities available to their peers and sends the message that they are not worthy of the same things that their non-trans friends are. MCCOY continues to strongly oppose this bill.

Read more about the bill here. Click on the link below to tell lawmakers TODAY to OPPOSE HB1041 when they vote on it in the full Senate chamber next week!

Gun licensing

The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony this week on HB1077, "Firearms Matters" which originally would remove the requirement to obtain a license to carry a firearm. After the 8-hour long committee hearing, legislators decided to delete the permitless carry components of House Bill 1077 in favor of a provision speeding up the licensing process in certain circumstances. After that amendment, the bill passed out of the committee with a vote of 11-0 and has now been reassigned to the Senate Committee on Rules and Legislative Procedure.