STAFF REPORT
Legislators on Indy’s south side made a few announcements over the last week.
Paid senate internships available
State Senator Greg Walker (R-Columbus) announced there are paid internships available for qualified candidates.
“Helping develop our next generation of leaders is one of my priorities as your state senator,” he said in a press release. “With that in mind, I’m excited to share that the Indiana Senate Republican Caucus is looking for highly motivated students and young professionals to join our 2026 intern class.”
Indiana Senate Republicans offer paid spring-semester internships in the communications, information technology, legal, legislative, page and policy offices. Qualified candidates may be of any major and must be at least a college sophomore. Recent college graduates, as well as graduate and law school students, are also encouraged to apply.
Interns earn a $900 biweekly stipend and benefit from scholarship and academic credit opportunities, professional development, community involvement and networking.
Senate internships are in-person, full-time positions at the Statehouse in downtown Indianapolis that typically begin with a mandatory orientation in late December or early January and conclude at the end of the legislative session, which will be in March 2026.
“Interning with the Indiana Senate offers participants more than valuable work experience – it’s a chance for young professionals to become more independent, meet new people and experience Indiana’s capital city,” Walker said. “If you know a young person who could benefit from this opportunity, I hope you’ll encourage them to apply.”
The application is available at https://www.indianasenaterepublicans.com/intern-program.
Walker’s district includes the southeast portion of Johnson County.
New Indiana laws to support first responders
State Representative Bob Behning (R-Indianapolis) announced two new laws that will aid first responders.
“Danger, stress and sacrifice are all part of the job for first responders, who answer the call at a moment’s notice to help save lives,” he said in a press release. “To help these selfless Hoosiers, I supported new laws to prioritize our police officers’, firefighters’ and emergency medical service providers’ health and safety.”
House Enrolled Act 1118 protects confidentiality for first responders who undergo critical incident stress management services (CISM). These services offer structured debriefings to help first responders cope with the psychological effects of high-stress situations. The law changes Indiana code so that any first responder using a CISM debriefing is not compelled to disclose those conversations in a civil, criminal or administrative proceeding.
Senate Enrolled Act 28 addresses a newer threat that public safety officials face on the job – illegal signal jamming devices. These devices block electronic communications to confuse security systems and evade law enforcement. The new law criminalizes the use, sale, manufacturing and distribution of radio frequency jamming devices unless authorized by federal law.
More information about both laws can be found at iga.in.gov.
Behning’s district includes the southwest portion of Marion County.
Governor ceremonially signs bill to strengthen nursing workforce
In addition to the above announcements, Behning also announced that a bill he co-sponsored was signed into Indiana law this week.
Senate Enrolled Act 176 ensures Indiana’s nursing workforce can meet the growing health care needs of Hoosiers, according to a press release.
According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, enrollment in baccalaureate nursing programs declined in 2022 after 20 years of growth. With Indiana projected to face a shortage of more than 73,000 licensed practical nurses by 2037, Senate Enrolled Act 176 allows high school students to enroll in state-accredited nursing programs. Behning said this step will help students save money on college-level courses that will count toward a future degree, gain experience in a professional environment sooner and create more opportunities for advanced education, including training to become a registered nurse.
“Nurses are an integral part of quality health care and we need to ensure we have enough of them to meet demand across the state,” said Behning, who’s a member of the House Public Health Committee. “Making it easier for students to access nursing programs earlier is one way we can encourage more Hoosiers to consider it as a career.”
Several Ivy Tech campuses across the state offer programs to earn an associate of science in nursing degree or enroll in a transition to ASN program. Others have a practical nursing technical certificate program. Visit IvyTech.edu for more information.
Behning said the law also adds two members to the State Board of Nursing, expanding representation and updating member qualifications to ensure the board can address evolving challenges in health care.
SEA 176 received bipartisan support in both chambers during the 2025 legislative session. More information is available at iga.in.gov.
Indiana achieves historic increase in student literacy
Several local legislators shared that third grade literacy rates have improved, including Rep. Craig Haggard (R-Mooresville), Rep. Peggy Mayfield (R-Martinsville), and Rep. Michelle Davis (R-Whiteland).
“I’m proud to share that Indiana is making progress in improving third grade literacy,” the three said in a press release. “Recent data from the 2024-2025 Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination (IREAD) assessment show a nearly five percentage point increase in literacy rates statewide, marking the fourth consecutive year of growth.”
More than 87 percent of Hoosier third graders demonstrated proficiency in reading, putting Indiana’s literacy rate at this grade level back to pre-pandemic levels. Additionally, for the first time, Indiana third graders saw improvement across all student populations.
These IREAD results follow Indiana placing sixth in the country for fourth and eighth grade reading in the 2024 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) rankings.
To improve Indiana’s literacy rates, the General Assembly passed a HEA 1558 in 2023 implementing science of reading standards, which is evidence-based instruction that increases students’ reading competency through phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, fluency, oral language skills and comprehension. SEA 1 passed in 2024 added screenings for students at risk of falling behind on reading proficiency and providing earlier intervention.
“As your state representative, I am committed to continuing these efforts so every Hoosier student has the tools to succeed,” the three representatives said. “Thank you for your continued support as we work together to make Indiana a great place for our children to learn and grow.”
IREAD data for individual schools is available on the state Department of Education website.
