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The Indiana House Ways and Means Committee has approved a bill that would establish a county deputy prosecuting attorney/public defender scholarship program and fund.
The bill passed unanimously and is heading to the full House for consideration.
It is aimed at addressing the attorney shortage in the Hoosier state.
House Bill 1049 would award a scholarship to an incoming full-time law school student of $20,000 for three years. A part-time law school student may receive $15,000 for not more than four years. The commission cannot award more than $60,000 to one person.
Rep. Gregory Steuerwald, R-Avon, the bill’s author, did not attend the committee hearing.
Rep. Ed DeLaney, D-Indianapolis, a co-author of the bill, said he knows Notre Dame Law School does not provide a course on Indiana law.
“I don’t think that Notre Dame University is going to teach a course at their law school on Indiana Supreme Court. I won’t say why, but I just don’t think it’ll happen,” DeLaney said.
DeLaney said that he thinks all three law schools in the state could offer a specific course on Indiana Consitution.
“It would cost them some money,” DeLaney said. “It might result in a little more attention being paid to our state Supreme Court, no offense, but that’s always good.”
To qualify for the scholarship, applicants must agree to work full-time as a deputy prosecutor or public defender in Indiana for at least five consecutive years following admittance to the Indiana bar.
The bill was amended in committee to specify that applicants must attend an Indiana law school that provides a course specific to Indiana law.
The Commission for Higher Education would administer the program and fund.
Unless Notre Dame changes its curriculum to add a course that focuses on Indiana law, only applicants planning to attend either Indiana University Maurer School of Law or Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law are eligible.
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