Planned Parenthood in the balance: Gov. weighs signing controversial abortion bill

Gov. Daniels signed 15 bills into law Thursday and is currently struggling with whether or not to sign the controversial abortion bill approved Wednesday regarding funding for Planned Parenthood.

ABORTION BILL
The Indianapolis Star quotes Daniels as saying, “I haven’t decided yet ... It was attached to a bill I strongly supported, but we’ve got a little research to do.” The bill in question, House Bill 1210, would strip Planned Parenthoodof Indiana of federal funds allocated through the state and would increase restrictions on women seeking abortions in Indiana.

Daniels is weighing whether or not to announce his candidacy for the White House and has been criticized by social conservatives for seeking a “truce” on social issues like abortion and gay marriage. Daniels said Thursday that he would not be making any announcements about his decision to run or not until at least next week, but his decision whether or not to sign the abortion bill could affect whether he runs for president or not because of the role social conservatives play in presidential primaries.
 
EDUCATION REFORM
A bill the governor did sign created a system to evaluate public school teachers that categorizes teachers as highly effective, effective, improvement necessary or ineffective. It also specifies that “a teacher rated ineffective or improvement necessary may not receive a raise or increment for the following year,” as well as stating “that a student may not be instructed two years in a row by two different teachers who have been rated as ineffective in the year preceding the student’s placement in that class, if
avoidable.”

This bill was among several bills that have been passed as part of the governor’s package of proposed reforms to the state’s education system. Earlier in the month, Daniels signed a bill restricting the collective bargaining rights of public teachers, and two other bills are awaiting his signature.

One of these bills allows a broader pool of officials to create charter schools, and another allows middle- and low-income families to send their students to private or parochial schools using public money.

This would give Indiana one of the broadest school voucher programs in the country. Most states that have similar programs only allow parents with low-incomes or parents of students in failing schools to send their children to private schools using tax money. Indiana’s bill, if signed, will not include these restrictions.

Among the other bills signed by the governor: a bill making it a Class A misdemeanor for a person to “peep at the private area” of an individual and record with a camera, a bill increasing requirements for bail agents to have their license renewed and a bill defining credit agreements for local governments.