2026 Legislative Session Bill Summaries
HSB 533—Baccalaureate Degrees at Community Colleges: This bill allows community colleges to offer degree programs that lead to a baccalaureate degree in high-demand areas.
IASB is registered in support of the bill. We think this could lead to more opportunities for students to earn an education degree and become teachers, helping to alleviate some of our teacher shortage. The bill passed the House Higher Education Committee.
HF 2189—Notice Requirements for Construction Contracts: This bill requires public entities, like a school district, to provide written notice to contractors and subcontractors within 14 days of accepting a final bid. There is no liability if a district does not comply.
IASB is registered undecided on the bill. We think contractors can already attend a board meeting or look at board meeting minutes to receive this information, but it is not a large burden on districts. The bill passed the House Judiciary Committee.
HF 2203—Epi Pens and Nasal Sprays: This bill simply adds nasal sprays that deliver epinephrine as allowable for students to use at school, in addition to an epi-pen.
IASB is registered in support of the bill. It does not substantially change anything for schools or require anything extra. The bill passed the House Health and Human Services Committee.
HF 2230—Teacher Prep Programs: This bill, introduced by the Department of Education (DE), would make changes to the requirements of the state’s teacher preparation programs:
Require all students complete a minimum of 15 hours of practicum related to differentiation of instruction for special education students and English learners.
For an endorsement in English learner instruction, a minimum of 40 hours of practicum will be required.
Administer an end-of-program summative assessment, designed to assess the student’s content endorsement area preparedness.
IASB is registered undecided on the bill. We are supportive of providing more instruction and experiences for all teacher candidates in differentiated instruction and English language instruction. We appreciate clarification from the DE that the summative assessment is not required for either graduation or licensure, but question if it’s necessary. The bill passed the House Education Committee.
HF 2231—Civics Excellence Program and Seal: This bill directs the Department of Education to develop a civics excellence program that can lead a student to receive a civics seal on their high school diploma.
IASB is registered in favor of the bill. We appreciate that participating in the program will be voluntary from districts and want to recognize students who take an interest in civics. The bill passed the House Education Committee.
HF 2244—Social Studies Instruction Requirements: This bill requires school districts to offer and teach one unit of government, increasing it from the currently required one-half unit. The committee amended the bill to also include that districts must teach civics and U.S. government in 7th or 8th grade.
IASB is registered undecided on the bill. We appreciate the emphasis on ensuring students have adequate knowledge of civics and government but want to ensure that schools have time to adjust to provide the required instruction. The bill passed the House Education Committee.
SF 274/HF 2247—Requiring Schools to Accept Cash at Events: This bill requires school districts to accept cash at athletic and extracurricular events hosted in their district.
IASB is registered undecided on the bill. We would prefer that this is a local decision and caution that dealing with cash can lead to misplaced funds or fraud. The bill passed the Senate and House Education Committees.
SF 2005—Operational Sharing for CTE Instructors: This bill would allow districts to receive supplemental funding through operational sharing if they choose to share a career and technical education instructor. The weighting would be equal to three pupils.
IASB is registered in support of the bill. We are always supportive of operational sharing opportunities, especially in a hard-to-fill and expensive areas like CTE. The bill passed the Senate Education Committee.
SF 2006—Recess Requirements: This bill requires schools to provide at least 30 minutes of physical activity outside of PE each day for students in grades K-5.
IASB is registered undecided on the bill. We understand that activity throughout the day is important for younger students, but we think the decision on how to accomplish that should be decided locally. The bill passed the Senate Education Committee.
SF 2007—Operational Sharing for School Resource Officers (SRO): This bill would increase the weighting for supplemental funding that districts receive through operational sharing if they choose to share a school resource officer. The weighting would increase to four pupils.
IASB is registered in support of the bill. We are always supportive of operational sharing opportunities, particularly this increased weighting because the SRO position is expensive. The bill passed the Senate Education Committee.
SF 2144—Transfer of Funds to Flexibility Account: This bill allows districts to transfer unexpended Teacher Salary Supplement (TSS) funds to their flexibility account. It also removes the requirement that a board hold a public hearing prior to transferring funds to the flexibility account.
IASB is registered in support of the bill. We like that it offers districts more flexibility and takes away the burdensome requirement of a public hearing. The bill passed the Senate Education Committee.
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