Legislative Calls to Action -- January 28, 2026

Contact your Legislator: IGA | Find Your Legislator

Information from Mad Voters. Refer to Mad Voters Bill tracker for most up-to-date information. BILL TRACKER | MADVoters

For the calendar of the Indiana Legislature go to IGA | Home and click on Calendars and Schedules

Indiana Legislature

Bills on schedule for January 26, 2026

HB 1036 - Children in need of services.

Author: Representative Victoria Garcia Wilburn (D)

1/26 Committee Hearing @ 10:30 AM, Room 156B

Requires DCS to conduct an in-person assessment before closing an investigation involving a child who the department has reason to believe is a child in need of services (CHINS). That is, a situation where a minor faces abuse, neglect, abandonment, or poses a danger to themselves, and their parents can't or won't provide necessary care like food, shelter, medical help, or supervision. Call to Action

House Judiciary Committee. Chairman Rep. Chris Jeter: h88@iga.in.gov, 317-232-9769

HB 1423 - Indianapolis public education corporation.

Author: Representative Bob Behning (R)

1/26 Committee hearing at 8:30am, room 404, no public testimony

Greatly reduces decision-making power of IPS’s elected school board and transfers it to an all-appointed board (heavily influenced by pro-charter interests). Not only is this taxation without representation, but it adds another costly layer of bureaucracy.

HB 1176 - Education matters.

Author: Representative Jake Teshka (R)

1/26 Second Reading @ 1:30pm

Creates additional pathways for converting existing public schools into charter schools. Unlike public schools, charter schools don't have elected school boards accountable to taxpayers and voters. They are also exempt from some regulations required of public schools, and have a well-documented history of fraud and closure. See also SB 239.

Bills continuing in process:

SB 239 - Various education matters.

Author: Senator Linda Rogers (R)

Creates additional pathways for converting existing public schools into charter schools. Unlike public schools, charter schools don't have elected school boards accountable to taxpayers and voters. They are also exempt from some regulations required of public schools, and have a well-documented history of fraud and closure. See also HB 1176.

SB 182 - Gender issues. HIGH ALERT!

Author: Senator Liz Brown (R)

Erases legal recognition of trans, intersex, and non-binary Hoosiers by establishing "sex" and "gender" as synonymous terms throughout the Indiana Code, defining them solely by biological characteristics (chromosomes and anatomy) present at birth. Prohibits changes to an individual's gender on their birth certificate. Requires correctional facilities, public schools, and universities to sex segregate bathrooms and locker rooms, despite trans and non-binary individuals being far more likely to be harassed, victimized, and assaulted.

SB 236 - Abortion inducing drugs and abortion reports. HIGH ALERT!

Author: Senator Tyler Johnson

Criminalizes the mailing or delivery of abortion-inducing drugs like Mifepristone and Misoprostol into Indiana. Enables private citizens to file wrongful death lawsuits and qui tam lawsuits against people or organizations that provide abortion pills - incentivizing people to act as bounty hunters that could receive $100,000. Changes the definition of abortion to exclude miscarriage management and ectopic pregnancy, which is medically inaccurate. Requires terminated pregnancy reports to be shared with the Governor-appointed Inspector General (who had no medical training) and the Indiana Department of Health, risking patient and doctor privacy. Physicians who testified against the bill also cited the chilling effect this bill would have on healthcare accessibility and maternal care deserts.

SB 085 - Health care debt and costs. HIGH PRIORITY!

Author: Senator Ed Charbonneau (R), Senator Fady Qaddoura (D)

Protects patients from aggressive medical debt collection practices while requiring greater transparency and financial assistance options from hospitals. Requires hospitals to offer payment plans to eligible individuals and publicize clear information about financial assistance options.

SB 076 - Immigration matters.

Author: Senator Liz Brown, Senator Chris Garten, Senator Tyler Johnson (R)

Strengthens the enforcement of federal immigration laws. Mandates that the Indiana Attorney General must defend law enforcement officers, governmental bodies, or postsecondary institutions in civil suits. Prohibits employers from hiring undocumented people.

SB 012 - Prohibition of ranked choice voting.

Author: Senator Blake Doriot, Senator Chris Garten, Senator Mike Gaskill (R)

Preemptively prohibits the use of ranked choice voting in Indiana elections. This means that voters will not be able to rank candidates by preference, and elections will continue using traditional voting methods. This bill doesn't resolve low voter turnout or improve voter access.

SB 277 - Indiana Department of Environmental Management

Author: Senator Rick Niemeyer (R)

1/26 Senate Second Reading (amendments) at 1:30 PM

Large deregulation bill that loosens functions and requirements of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), changing dozens of protective provisions from “shall” to “may," leading to less oversight for pollution and polluters and fewer opportunities for stakeholder input.

SB 285 - Housing matters. HIGH ALERT!

Author: Senator Cyndi Carrasco (R)

SB 285 criminalizes homelessness, making it significantly harder for unhoused individuals to secure future employment or permanent housing. If found guilty of sleeping on city or state property, individuals could receive a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by up to 60 days in jail and/or a fine up to $500. Prohibits local governments from enacting policies that "prohibit or discourage" the enforcement of public camping or sidewalk obstruction ordinances, overruling local control.

SB 140 - Doxxing.

Author: Senator Vaneta Becker, Senator Aaron Freeman, Senator Susan Glick (R)

Monday 1-26-26 3rd reading at 1:30 pm

Criminalizes doxxing. The right to privacy and freedom from intimidation are foundational for democracy.

SB 001 - Human services matters.

Author: Sen. Chris Garten, Sen. Ryan Mishler, Sen. Ed Charbonneau (R)

Significantly tightens eligibility and administrative requirements for SNAP and Medicaid. Terminating "expanded categorical eligibility" (BBCE) means Indiana will revert to stricter federal income and asset limits, estimated to lead to significant benefit cuts or terminations for millions, including working families and seniors. Expands mandatory work or training requirements to age 64. Requires verification of immigration status and reporting of non-verified individuals. Moving from annual to semiannual (every 6 months) eligibility renewals increases the risk of "procedural" dis-enrollment, where eligible people lose coverage due to missed paperwork, as well as increases administrative burden and administrative costs.

Federal

To find calendar of legislation: Legislative Search Results | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

From The Hill

The House on Thursday approved its final slate of 2026 funding bills, overcoming Democratic demands. However, this appropriations bill now has to be passed by the Senate. Senators have a choice next week to vote for a DHS funding bill that gives ICE and Border Patrol more money to brutalize our neighbors or to say ENOUGH. We must demand our senators -- especially our Democratic senators -- refuse to give ICE and Border Patrol one more penny of taxpayer money or vote for any funding bill that doesn’t get these thugs out of our cities. (National Indivisible) Contact our US Senators.

Contact - Senator Young   Contact - Senator Jim Banks

A three-bill minibus appropriations package passed the House by a vote of 341-88. The package funds the departments of Defense, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Labor, Education and other related agencies. 

The most contentious measure, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill, passed the House by a separate vote of 220-207. Democratic leaders opposed the bill as tensions flared in the wake of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer fatally shooting Minneapolis woman Renee Good.  

The House will combine the four bills with a two-bill minibus it passed last week and send the full package to the Senate. The upper chamber is expected to take up the bills when it returns from recess next week ahead of a Jan. 30 deadline.

The DHS bill proved to be the most contentious, as liberals argued it didn’t go far enough in reining in ICE. They had demanded that tougher oversight and conduct standards for ICE officers should be included in the legislation.

The bill had included a few targeted reforms to appease Democrats, including a $115 million reduction in funding for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, a decrease of 5,500 ICE detention beds and a $1.8 billion cut in Border Patrol funding. It also strengthens oversight of ICE through the Office of the Inspector General and Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.

The bills passed Thursday rejected many of the steep funding cuts to major domestic agencies that the Trump administration sought in the White House budget request earlier this year, but neither do they offer significant funding boosts. The Department of Housing and Urban Development would see a 9 percent boost over current funding levels, totaling $84.3 billion for HUD.

The Education Department would receive $79 billion, a slight increase of $217 million above current funding. The Department of Health and Human Services would be funded at nearly $117 billion, a $210 million increase, while the Department of Labor would get $13.7 billion, a $65 million hike. (Politico)

The appropriation bill includes funding for key health programs and other bipartisan health care provisions and extensions. The bill includes extensions of AHA-supported priorities, such as the Medicare-dependent hospital and low-volume adjustment programs for one year, telehealth flexibilities for two years, and hospital-at-home flexibilities for five years. The bill also funds key rural health, health care workforce, maternal and child health and behavioral health programs. The Senate will consider the funding package next week. (American Hospital Association) The bill did not provide for extensions for ACA subsidies.