Big I Indiana: Weekly Legislative Update - February 3, 2026
Last Week in Review
Last week was an exciting and cold week at the Statehouse. With multiple deadlines approaching, both the House and Senate were busy hearing, amending, and voting on legislation.
Due to weather conditions, the House did not meet on Monday; however, the Senate was able to make quorum and convene for session Monday afternoon. Tuesday marked the committee report deadline in both chambers. The Senate reached its second reading deadline on Wednesday, while the House shifted its deadline to Thursday. For third reading deadlines, the Senate met on Thursday, and the House moved its deadline to yesterday’s session. This week begins the second half of session.
Indiana Senate
Last Monday, Senate Bill 76, Immigration matters authored by Sen. Liz Brown (R-Fort Wayne) was up for third reading. The bill passed 37 to 7, and the House sponsor is Rep. Garrett Bascom (R-Lawrenceburg). The bill provides that the Attorney General can defend a law enforcement officer, governing body, or collegiate institution if one of them gets involved in an immigration case. The bill also, among other things, provides penalties for governing bodies or collegiate institutions limiting or restricting the enforcement of federal immigration law.
On Tuesday, the Senate Elections Committee heard Senate Resolution 5, authored by Sen. Travis Holdman (R-Markle). The resolution urges Congress to propose an amendment to the US Constitution to establish that campaign and election spending may be regulated. The Secretary of the Senate will transmit copies of this resolution to the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives if this resolution gets passed during session this year. The resolution moved out of committee 8 to 0, and was later adopted.
Senate Bill 87, E-Verify requirements for public works projects authored by Sen. Greg Goode (R-Terre Haute) was heard on second reading, where it was amended and then engrossed. The bill provides that a public agency may not enter a contract with any type of contractor if they employ illegal aliens. The contractors must take certain actions to ensure the immigration status of their employees. Later in the week, the bill was passed to the House with a unanimous vote, and the House sponsor is Rep. Mike Karickhoff (R-Kokomo).
Senate Bill 236, Abortion inducing drugs and abortion reports authored by Sen. Tyler Johnson (R-Leo) was heard on third reading. The bill modifies the definition of “abortion” and “abortion inducing drug.” It also provides that a person who manufactures, distributes, or is involved in the process of delivery of an abortion inducing drug is liable for the death of the unborn child. The bill passed to the House 35 to 10, and the House sponsor is Rep. Garrett Bascom (R-Lawrenceburg).
Senate Bill 27, Stadium authority authored by Sen. Ryan Mishler (R-Mishawaka) was heard on third reading. The bill establishes the northwest Indiana stadium authority for the purpose of financing a potential move of the Chicago Bears to northwest Indiana. The bill was passed 46 to 2, and the House sponsor is Rep. Jeff Thompson (R-Lizton).
Heard on third reading, Senate Bill 250, Regulation of hemp authored by Sen. Aaron Freeman (R-Indianapolis) advanced to the House with a vote of 35-13. The House sponsor is Rep. Garrett Bascom (R-Lawrenceburg). The bill defines “THC” for purposes of Indiana alcohol and tobacco law. It also asks for additional requirements and restrictions from the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission.
Senate Bill 85, Health care debt and costs authored by Sen. Ed Charbonneau (R-Valparaiso) was heard on third reading. The bill requires hospitals to offer people who meet a specific income the opportunity to have a payment plan, and the bill also includes various information hospitals must now report to the state. The bill passed 33 to 15, and the House sponsor is Rep. Julie McGuire (R-Indianapolis).
Also heard on third reading was Senate Bill 282, Compounding drugs; registration of medical spas authored by Sen. Ed Charbonneau (R-Valparaiso). As passed by the Health and Provider Services committee, the bill would restrict the compounding of glucagon-like-peptide-1 (GLP-1) substances unless certain requirements are met and would require suppliers and sellers to maintain specified records. The bill was amended on second reading to delete the provisions related to restricting GLP-1’s and to grant the state the ability to enforce regulations. It was passed to the House with a vote of 47-1. The House sponsor is Rep. Brad Barrett (R-Richmond).
Indiana House of Representatives
On second reading, House Bill 1066, Purchase and lease of government vehicles, authored by Rep. Mitch Gore (D-Indianapolis), amends the Indiana Code to regulate the purchasing and leasing of government vehicles. It requires state entities and political subdivisions to acquire base model vehicles while also setting disposal expectations for non-compliant vehicles. It was amended by the author on second reading and ordered engrossed.
During the House’s third reading calendar on Wednesday, House Bill 1002, Electric utility affordability, a House Republican agenda bill authored by Rep. Aliana Shonkwiler (R-Noblesville), was considered by the body. HB 1002 shifts utilities to multi-rate rate plan framework aimed at improving electric utility affordability and strengthening customer protections in Indiana. As amended, the bill requires utilities to apply levelized billing plans to all active residential customer accounts while allowing penalty-free opt-outs. The bill also restricts service disconnections during extreme heat and expands the low-income assistance programs. House Bill 1002 passed the House by a vote of 88-4. Sen. Eric Koch (R-Bedford) is sponsoring the bill as it moves to the Senate.
Also, on third reading on Thursday, House Bill 1335, Nonprofit hospitals, authored by Rep. Martin Carbaugh (R-Fort Wayne), advanced out of the House. The bill requires hospitals to spend more on community programs and charity care than the value of their tax exemptions. It also adds workforce training requirements through clinical preceptors and increases state oversight by expanding reporting, enforcement, and penalty authority for the Indiana Department of Health. HB 1335 passed the House by a vote of 92 to 1 and now moves to the Senate. Sen. Spencer Deery (R-West Lafayette) is Senate sponsor.
House Bill 1119, Execution methods, authored by Rep. Jim Lucas (R-Seymour), which would have authorized the use of firing squads as a method of execution in Indiana, failed on House third reading by a vote of 48-46 after not receiving the required constitutional majority.
Also, in the House for third reading, Senate Bill 212, State income tax conformity, sponsored by Rep. Jeffrey Thompson (R-Lizton), passed the House by a vote of 96 to 0. The bill conforms to Indiana’s Internal Revenue Code to the federal One Big Beautiful Bill. The bill was sent to the Governor’s office and signed into law on Thursday.
Thursday marked the final day for House second reading, with 29 bills scheduled for second reading. The full House calendar for Thursday can be found here.
The first bill on second reading, House Bill 1003, Boards and Commissions, authored by Rep. Steve Bartels (R-Eckerty), makes broad changes to Indiana’s boards and commissions by repealing, consolidating, or modifying commissions and updating their membership, duties, and operations. The bill also revises administrative rule of readoption requirements, transfers certain responsibilities to state agencies, and makes related funding and technical updates. During the second reading, 13 amendments were filed; however, only 6 amendments (#2, #3, #5, #7, #9, and #10) were adopted before the bill was ordered to engrossment.
House Bill 1038, Relocation of gaming operations, authored by Rep. Craig Snow (R-Winona Lake), was also heard on its second reading. The bill establishes a process to relocate the Ohio County casino license to an inland casino located in Allen, DeKalb, Steuben, or Wayne County. The bill outlines application requirements, investment minimums, fees, and timelines for relocation. It also sets a framework for how tax revenue and related payments would be distributed if the relocation is approved. The bill was amended to place a nonbinding public referendum on the next general election ballot to ask voters whether a casino relocation should be permitted in their county, and was ordered to engrossment.
House Bill 1086, Display of Ten Commandments, authored by Rep. Michelle Davis (R-Whiteland), requires the Ten Commandments to be maintained in public school libraries while allowing optional classroom display. The bill was ordered to be engrossed.
House Bill 1210, Department of local government finance, authored by Rep. Craig Snow (R-Winona Lake), makes a broad set of updates to the manner in which local government finance and taxation are administered. It requires municipal entities to use a competitive process when hiring municipal advisers and increasing transparency in local financial reporting. The bill also makes numerous technical changes to property tax procedures, tax credits and exemptions, and the distribution of certain gaming tax revenues. The bill was amended (#1, #3, #4, and #6) on second reading and has been ordered engrossed.
Previously, Rep. Julie McGuire (R-Southport) had passed on calling House Bill 1271, Payment of health claims up for second reading. During Thursday’s session, she brought forward an amendment that clarifies when hospitals must notify patients about payment assistance and further limits when insurers may seek refunds or recoup payments. Following the amendment adoption, the bill was ordered to be engrossed.
House Bill 1315, Township reorganization, authored by Rep. Alaina Shonkwiler (R-Noblesville), dissolves certain qualifying townships by transferring their powers, duties, and services to a designated county or municipality. The amendment adopted on second reading clarifies and restructures the reorganization framework by adjusting timelines and redefining fire protection roles. It allows the county or city to create service districts and levy taxes within the former township to continue providing and funding township services.
HB 1417: Causes of action and damages, was heard in the House committee on Judiciary last Tuesday. It was amended to remove several provisions, including caps on non-economic damages, and to pare the bill down to two basic issues. The amendment tightens Indiana’s public nuisance laws to ensure the cause of action is used properly and not as a vehicle for policymaking. It also added language increasing the limit on qualified settlements from the current $5 thousand to $100,000. Committee Chair Chris Jeter emphasized that when discussing frivolous lawsuits, raising the caps on qualified settlement offers is one of the most effective tools to encourage parties to settle. After strong testimony from Rep. Matt Lehman (bill author) and Indiana Alliance for Legal Reform representatives David Long and Steve Wolff, and opposition testimony from the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, the bill passed the committee on a party-line vote of 9 to 4. It moved through second reading last Thursday without amendment. HB 1417 was considered on third reading yesterday and passed the full House by a vote of 61 to 34. It now heads to the Senate, where its sponsors will be Sen. Scott Baldwin and Sen. Chris Garten.
Notable Legislation that Died
In every legislative session, there are some notable bills that die before being heard, during committee, or on the floor. Below are a few Senate bills of note that have died.
Senate Bill 11, Firing squad authored by Sen. Michael Young (R-Indianapolis) was heard in the Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee. The bill was never voted on in committee. The bill would have authorized the death penalty to be carried out by firing squad if lethal injection is unavailable and condemned person consents.
Senate Bill 138, School chaplains, authored by Sen. Stacey Donato (R-Logansport), was referred to the Senate Education and Career Development Committee, but it was never heard. The bill would have allowed a principal or superintendent of a public or charter school to either employ or bring on a volunteer school chaplain. The chaplain would have been able to give secular and nonsecular advice.
Senate Bill 267, Influence campaign reports authored by Sen. Scott Alexander (R-Muncie) was passed out of Senate Elections Committee, but it was never called for second reading on the Senate floor. The bill would have required anyone who pays another person $500 or more to help with an influence campaign must file a written report.
Senate Bill 289, Public depositories authored by Sen. Kyle Walker (R-Lawrence) was passed to the floor from the Senate Insurance and Financial Institutions Committee. However, the bill was never called to second reading. The bill would have loosened the requirements for counties to provide funds in designated financial institutions, and the bill also would have designated certain financial institutions to receive public funds.
The Week Ahead
After yesterday’s third reading deadline in the House, we are officially into the second half of the session. Bills that survived their house of origin will have roughly two weeks to move through committees in the second house. The pace will be extremely fast and fluid as the legislature flies toward an expected completion of the session by the end of February. That breakneck pace starts this week with a full complement of committee hearings on bills. The full House Committee schedule can be found here, and the Senate Committee schedule can be found here. Both are live links and will be updated as more committees are scheduled.
Live Bill Report
2026 Big I Indiana Legislative Bill Track
You can stay up to date on all issues concerning the Big I and insurance industry during the 2026 Indiana General Assembly through the above link. This link is live and will be updated in real-time as the session progresses to include any changes that are made to our followed bills. Our team at Catalyst has created this report uniquely for the Big I Indiana to include the bills that are relevant to you. Each bill's status will automatically update when any new action occurs, including when it becomes scheduled to be heard in a committee. By equipping you with this live and continuously updating report, we will keep you in the loop about every action that impacts our interests.
In-Depth Legislative Update
The bills listed below are those that have been identified as the top priorities for the association for the 2026 Indiana General Assembly. This list will be shorter and differ somewhat from the Bill Track above because these are what we consider bills of most importance to you and your clients. The bills that have the most direct impact on our membership will have more detailed explanations and will list the activity on the bill. The others contain a link that will send you to the Indiana General Assembly website, where you can find more detail on the bill. Finally, when a priority bill changes status, that change will be noted in red type as we move forward through the session.
If you or your staff have any questions about anything in this update, or at any time throughout the 2026 legislative session, please do not hesitate to reach out to Steve Duff at [email protected].