2020 Accomplishments

Increase Access to Healthcare through Student Health Insurance

HB 1009: Concerning student health plans
- Requires student health insurance plans that provide coverage for maternity care to provide equal coverage for voluntary abortions
HB 1273: Concerning menstrual products in schools
- Unfunded mandate requiring all K-12 schools and institutions of higher education to make free menstrual products available

HB 1504: Modifying the workforce education investment act
- Allows funds from the Workforce Education Investment Account (WEIA) to be used toward establishing behavioral health workforce programs and grants, prioritizing loan repayments to underrepresented student populations, and more

HB 1088: Concerning potential impeachment disclosures
- Requires law enforcement agencies to report officer misconduct to prosecuting authorities, inquire whether officers have been subject to potential impeachment disclosures before hiring, and more
HB 1054: Establishing requirements for tactics and equipment used by peace officers
- Prohibits officers from using chokeholds, neck restraints, certain military equipment, and no-knock warrants, establishes restrictions on the use of tear gas, etc. and a work group on the use of canine teams, and more

SB 5321: Expanding access to the college bound scholarship
- Removes requirement that students sign a pledge in order to be eligible for the College Bound Scholarship, instead creating a right for students who fulfill the academic, income, residency, and felony requirements

HB 1109: Concerning victims of sexual assault
- Expands rights for sexual assault survivors and requires status updates on cases with previously unsubmitted sexual assault kits and annual case review programs on sexual assault investigations and prosecutions

SB 5237: Expanding accessible, affordable child care and early childhood development programs
- Expands access to subsidized child care by removing work requirements for student parents to be eligible for the Working Connections Child Care (WCCC) program for students at community and technical colleges (CTC) (and students in bachelor’s degree programs, as funds allow), and more

HB 1368: Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic through state actions supported by federal funding
- Included $5 million in emergency financial aid for undocumented students
- Funds were distributed in March

SB 5227: Requiring diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism training and assessments at institutions of higher education
- Requires public institutions of higher education to develop a training program on DEI and antiracism for all students, staff, and faculty and conduct a climate assessment on DEI every 5 years
SB 5228: Addressing disproportionate health outcomes by building a foundation of equity in medical training
- Requires public medical schools to develop curriculum on health equity and develop goals for increasing underrepresented student populations
HB 1044: Creating prison to postsecondary education pathways
- Permits the Department of Corrections (DOC) to implement postsecondary education certificate and degree programs at state correctional institutions

HB 1166: Expanding access to the homeless and foster care college students pilot program
- Expands pilot programs to provide assistance to homeless students and students who were in foster care at institutions of higher education

HB 1028: Concerning evaluation and recommendation of candidates for residency teacher certification
- Removes edTPA requirement for residency teaching certifications, instead creating multiple measure methods of evaluation
HB 1472: Adding a graduate student to the student achievement council
- Adds a graduate student seat on the Student Achievement Council