Senator Deery Gives Update On Legislation

A bill I authored that would limit scenarios in which public Indiana colleges may refuse transcript distribution to current and former students will now head to the governor’s desk.

Senate Enrolled Act 404 would prohibit universities from withholding a transcript if a student paid at least $100 to $300 toward their debt within the last year, depending on the amount owed.

This bill was drafted to help increase college completion rates throughout Indiana so Hoosiers are ready for the 21st century workforce.

Other states have worked on this problem, but Indiana is the first to address this issue with a balanced approach. I believe we have provided a model for other states to follow.

Supporting workforce transportation

House Bill 1046, which I sponsored, would allow a public transportation corporation in one county to cross into another county to transport individuals as long as an interlocal agreement between the two counties is in place.

This would allow a resident of a rural county to use public transportation to travel to a more urban neighboring county for work.

The bill unanimously passed the Senate Committee on Appropriations Thursday and will now head to the full Senate for further consideration.

The language in the bill to allow ‘The Rise’ in Vermillion County to compete for state road grants was removed in that committee, but I am still working on some ways to get the language into law.