republic-os/legislation/us/states/in/2021/hb-1549.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "Education matters."
description: "Allows the priority enrollment period for the prekindergarten pilot program to begin later than April 1, 2021, in calendar year 2021. Provides that a school corporation may not enter into or renew a contract with an outside vendor to operate or manage a dedicated virtual education school of the school corporation unless the school corporation submits the most recent contract or proposed contract with the vendor to the department of education (department). Amends limits on the percentage of appropriated funds that may be used for grants to limited eligibility children under the prekindergarten pilot program. Provides that the department of education (department) shall make informational material that is evidenced based available on the department's Internet web site that may help teachers and other school employees identify a student who may have been impacted by trauma. Requires the department to provide a notice to each school corporation and charter school on how to access the informational material. Provides that a charter school may give enrollment preference to children who attend another charter school that is closed because of action by the state board of education (state board). Establishes the Cambridge International program (program). Requires the department to: (1) administer the program; and (2) submit a report regarding the program to the state board each year. Establishes the Indiana postsecondary prior learning assessment clearinghouse (clearinghouse). Requires the governor to direct the commission, department, and governor's workforce cabinet (cabinet), in collaboration with state educational institutions, to: (1) develop and regularly update the clearinghouse; and (2) collect information concerning prior learning assessments used by state educational institutions to award advanced standing or postsecondary credit. Requires each state educational institution to report prior learning assessment information. Requires the commission, department, and the cabinet to publish the clearinghouse information on its respective Internet web site. Requires the governor to direct the commission, department, and cabinet, in consultation with state educational institutions, to prepare model guidance and informational resources concerning postsecondary enrollment opportunities that incorporate work based learning experiences. Requires the governor to direct the commission, department, and cabinet to publish model guidance and information resources on its respective Internet web site. Prohibits a charter school organizer from entering into contracts under which an officer or employee of the organizer or a relative of an officer or employee of the organizer will receive compensation or proceeds. Provides an exception for de minimis contracts valued at $1,000 or less. Repeals a provision regarding high school credit for Cambridge International courses."
jurisdiction: "us/states/in"
legislature: "Indiana General Assembly"
session: "2021"
identifier: "HB 1549"
citation: "Indiana HB 1549 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["EDUCATION", "State Superintendent", "State Department and Boards", "SCHOOLS generally (K-12)", "SCHOOLS", "Special Education and Special Programs"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Dennis Kruse", "Jeff Raatz", "John Crane", "Robert Behning"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 31
vote_count: 1
first_action: "2021-01-14"
last_action: "2021-04-29"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/906eb7f4-c1d7-43bf-af2f-1d67e8c15cf7"
source_url: "http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2021/bills/house/1549"
source_hash: "0f37c67922b4eca561c0a2efce825c05c101eb17fdf28b1a4c85299305a31915"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-in"]
---

# Indiana HB 1549 (2021) — Education matters.

Allows the priority enrollment period for the prekindergarten pilot program to begin later than April 1, 2021, in calendar year 2021. Provides that a school corporation may not enter into or renew a contract with an outside vendor to operate or manage a dedicated virtual education school of the school corporation unless the school corporation submits the most recent contract or proposed contract with the vendor to the department of education (department). Amends limits on the percentage of appropriated funds that may be used for grants to limited eligibility children under the prekindergarten pilot program. Provides that the department of education (department) shall make informational material that is evidenced based available on the department's Internet web site that may help teachers and other school employees identify a student who may have been impacted by trauma. Requires the department to provide a notice to each school corporation and charter school on how to access the informational material. Provides that a charter school may give enrollment preference to children who attend another charter school that is closed because of action by the state board of education (state board). Establishes the Cambridge International program (program). Requires the department to: (1) administer the program; and (2) submit a report regarding the program to the state board each year. Establishes the Indiana postsecondary prior learning assessment clearinghouse (clearinghouse). Requires the governor to direct the commission, department, and governor's workforce cabinet (cabinet), in collaboration with state educational institutions, to: (1) develop and regularly update the clearinghouse; and (2) collect information concerning prior learning assessments used by state educational institutions to award advanced standing or postsecondary credit. Requires each state educational institution to report prior learning assessment information. Requires the commission, department, and the cabinet to publish the clearinghouse information on its respective Internet web site. Requires the governor to direct the commission, department, and cabinet, in consultation with state educational institutions, to prepare model guidance and informational resources concerning postsecondary enrollment opportunities that incorporate work based learning experiences. Requires the governor to direct the commission, department, and cabinet to publish model guidance and information resources on its respective Internet web site. Prohibits a charter school organizer from entering into contracts under which an officer or employee of the organizer or a relative of an officer or employee of the organizer will receive compensation or proceeds. Provides an exception for de minimis contracts valued at $1,000 or less. Repeals a provision regarding high school credit for Cambridge International courses.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Enrolled House Bill (H)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://in-proxy.openstates.org/2021/bills/HB1549/versions/HB1549.05.ENRS)
2. **House Bill (H)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://in-proxy.openstates.org/2021/bills/HB1549/versions/HB1549.02.COMH)
3. **House Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://in-proxy.openstates.org/2021/bills/HB1549/versions/HB1549.04.COMS)
4. **House Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://in-proxy.openstates.org/2021/bills/HB1549/versions/HB1549.03.COMS)
5. **Introduced House Bill (H)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://in-proxy.openstates.org/2021/bills/HB1549/versions/HB1549.01.INTR)

## Votes

- HB 1549 - Raatz - 3rd Reading — **50–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Dennis Kruse — primary (person)
- Jeff Raatz — primary (person)
- John Crane — primary (person)
- Robert Behning — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2021-01-14** Authored by Representative Behning
- **2021-01-14** First reading: referred to Committee on Education `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2021-02-11** Committee report: amend do pass, adopted `committee-passage`
- **2021-02-15** Second reading: ordered engrossed `reading-2`
- **2021-02-17** Third reading: passed; Roll Call 155: yeas 94, nays 0 `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-02-17** Senate sponsors: Senators Raatz and Crane
- **2021-02-18** Referred to the Senate
- **2021-03-11** First reading: referred to Committee on Education and Career Development `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2021-04-01** Committee report: amend do pass adopted; reassigned to Committee on Appropriations `committee-passage, referral-committee`
- **2021-04-05** Senator Kruse added as third sponsor
- **2021-04-08** Committee report: amend do pass, adopted `committee-passage`
- **2021-04-12** Second reading: ordered engrossed `reading-2`
- **2021-04-13** Third reading: passed; Roll Call 430: yeas 50, nays 0 `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-04-14** Returned to the House with amendments `amendment-failure`
- **2021-04-14** Motion to dissent filed
- **2021-04-14** House dissented from Senate amendments `amendment-failure`
- **2021-04-14** House conferees appointed: Behning and Smith V
- **2021-04-14** House advisors appointed: Goodrich, Cook, Klinker and Pfaff
- **2021-04-14** Senate conferees appointed: Raatz and Ford J.D.
- **2021-04-14** Senate advisors appointed: Crane and Yoder
- **2021-04-21** Senator Ford J.D. removed as conferee
- **2021-04-21** Senator Kruse added as conferee
- **2021-04-22** CCR # 1 filed in the House
- **2021-04-22** CCR # 1 filed in the Senate
- **2021-04-22** Rules Suspended. Conference Committee Report 1: adopted by the House; Roll Call 510: yeas 97, nays 0
- **2021-04-22** Rules Suspended. Conference Committee Report 1: adopted by the Senate; Roll Call 499: yeas 32, nays 17
- **2021-04-23** Signed by the President Pro Tempore
- **2021-04-28** Signed by the President of the Senate
- **2021-04-28** Signed by the Speaker
- **2021-04-29** Signed by the Governor `executive-signature`
- **2021-04-29** Public Law 216

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/906eb7f4-c1d7-43bf-af2f-1d67e8c15cf7`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Indiana legislature records).