As third reading deadlines approach and the end of session draws near, the General Assembly has entered the home stretch. Bills are starting to move through final votes in both chambers and, in some cases, are heading to the Governor’s desk. Conference committees will begin next week for bills being dissented on upon returning to the chamber of origin. Floor sessions remain busy while lawmakers work to finalize legislation and resolve remaining differences before adjournment.
Please take action on these bills! Go HERE to see updates on all the bills Advocates are following. Scroll down to see the "dirty dozen" and use the Action Network links. Edit letters to add your remarks and personal stories to add strength to your letter.
1) SB 277, Indiana Department of Environmental Affairs, has passed out of the Environmental Affairs Committee and will be coming up for a vote in the full House. Please contact your state representatives immediately (Rep. Dave Hall: 317-232-9978) and ask him to oppose SB 277, to ensure that IDEM will still be required to safeguard your region’s environment.
2) Oppose SB76-ImmigrationMatters This bill was passed by the full House on 2/12, but because the House amended this bill it must go back to the full Senate to approve or vote down the House version. This message now goes to Senator Raatz. This is really a dangerous bill for our public schools because it forces them to comply with ICE or be fined 10,000.
- This bill will directly impact schools, bringing significant risk and cost to ALL Hoosiers by mandating that ICE and Border Patrol agents have access to our public schools, universities, and local government agencies, or be sued for $10,000 per violation, allowing for no on-the-ground local decision-making or local discretion.
- SB 76 poses a threat to the constitutional rights of all Hoosiers. It increases the risk of prolonged detention and due process violations, undermines trust in community government and agencies, targets immigrant Hoosiers in public institutions, and even when receiving public benefits, creates a high-stakes, likely discriminatory workplace enforcement plan.
3) Oppose HB 1176-Education Matters. Passed the Senate Education Committee and will be heard by the full Senate and voted. Sharing of publicly funded resources with privately managed charter schools should be voted on by the community taxpayers. HB 1176 makes it easier to convert public schools into charter schools and expands innovation network schools without voter approval. It should not be decided by an appointed board created by statehouse legislation.
- SGO caps should not be eliminated. This policy prioritizes pre-tax vouchers for the wealthy at the expense of low-income students by siphoning resources from public schools that serve everyone.
- School boards should not be weakened. HB 1176 prevents school boards from both authorizing and partnering with innovation charter schools, forcing those schools away from local oversight and further separating them from the public education system.
4) Oppose HB 1266 Department of Education & Education Matters New committee assignment. Senate Appropriations. HB 1266 transfers the control of school buildings and transportation from the elected school boards and hands over that authority to an appointed centralized board.
5) HB 1423 – HB 1423 – Indianapolis public education corporation – Vote NO New committee assignment. Senate Appropriations.
- IPS and other Hoosier school districts do not need more bureaucracy and less local elected control. HB 1423 creates a new education corporation with an appointed board and gives it authority over public school funding and referenda. This is NOT economical and it weakens voter accountability.
- An unelected corporation should not make decisions about public school funding. Taxing and governance authority should remain with elected school boards that are accountable to voters.
6) SB 161 – Education Matters – Vote No Sent to House Ways and Means. Opts Indiana into the Federal Tax Credit Scholarship Program. This is a significant step toward the nationalization of voucher programs and the elimination of public education.
7) Oppose SB 204 - Various Education Matters - Allows charter-licensed teachers easier access to state licenses. Any individual with a bachelor’s degree and 3.0 GPA now has a pathway to becoming a licensed teacher without additional training or education.
- Eases licensure requirements (including degree pathways). Removes the limitation that the bachelor’s degree held by recipients of initial practitioner teaching licenses must be in a STEM field.
8) Oppose SB 88 AND Oppose SB239 – Various Education Matters
9) Oppose-SB12-Rank Choice Voting Prohibition
10) Oppose HB1359 - Scanning ballots
Allows certain counties to scan voted optical scan ballot cards during the early voting period and on election day without using secrecy envelopes. It threatens voter privacy due to mandates for identifiers for ballots to enable retrieval.
11) Oppose HB 1343 -- Military Police Force of the Indiana National Guard
HB 1343, SECTION 40, includes a dangerous overreach of state power that strips our local law enforcement and local government of their authority. It creates a "Police State" by authorizing a state-controlled military police force to enter our communities without local consent.
12) Oppose SB1 changes to Medicaid and SNAP
Approximately one in 5 Hoosiers, including 41% of children and 2/3 of nursing home residents depend on Medicaid. Over 600,000 people depend on SNAP for food assistance.
Please join us and encourage your Senators and Representatives to join us for the next Legislative Update: Saturday, March 7th: 9:00 to 10:30 am.
REGISTER: You (and your legislators) can register for the Legislative Updates here: https://lwv-bmc.org/legis-updates The CATS recording links for each session are available at that link. 2026 Legislative Updates are co-sponsored by the Leagues of Women Voters of Bloomington-Monroe County, Brown County, and Johnson County, the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, Limestone Post Magazine, NAACP Monroe County Branch, and Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbus, IN.
January 31st Legislative Update (CATS Recording: https://catstv.net/m.php?q=15463)
Senator Shelli Yoder and Representative Matt Pierce participated in the Legislative Update moderated by Christopher Emge, Senior Director of Government & Community Relations Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce. Approximately 60 constituents attended.
Some bills discussed include:
· HB1001 Housing Matters Housing Affordability. Proponents say deregulation will lower housing costs. Opponents raise concerns about the lack of requirements connecting deregulation to lowering costs, concerns remain as to how the quality of housing may be impacted.
· HB 1002 Electric Utility Affordability Proponents say provisions will help reduce cost. Amendments failed that would exempt residential utility bills from sales tax and eliminate the existing sales tax exemption for data centers.
· HB1003 Boards and commissions Proponents say it could improve efficiency, reduce redundancy, and remove inactive boards. Concerns include possible reduction in opportunity for public input, e.g., if the Natural Resources commission, previously charged with ensuring public comment, is eliminated.
· HB 1004 Various education matters Focuses on deregulation but threatens to further reduce teacher voices in proposed changes such as allowing increase in number of hours teachers must work.
· SB1 Human Services Matters works toward alignment with the federal reconciliation bill. However, the bill increases obstacles for eligibility and coverage of Medicaid and SNAP nutrition benefits. Proponents claim fraud will be reduced, but data is absent. Opponents say the obstacles will remove people, appearing to reduce cost to the state, though costs may just be absorbed elsewhere. (Link to letter campaign Oppose SB1 changes to Medicaid and SNAP)
· SB2 Bail procedures Proposes to change the Indiana constitution expanding when judges can deny bail beyond current crimes of murder and treason. SB3 Ballot language for constitutional amendment: if passed, it will be on Hoosiers’ ballot this fall. Opponents say the broad language could result in someone charged with a misdemeanor to be denied bail. The language isn’t clear to facilitate voters making a clear choice.
· SB182 Gender issues Establishes legal definitions for "male" and "female" based on biological sex at birth. Adds specific rules such as requiring state documentation to reflect gender assigned at birth. Proponents say it protects private spaces, such as bathrooms. Opponents say it undermines parental rights to take children to a restroom and is a discriminatory anti-LGBTQ bill that may violate federal law. (Link to letter campaign Oppose SB 182 Gender Issues)
· SB 236 Abortion inducing drugs and reports Amendments removed the reporting aspects that opponents feared jeopardized right to privacy. Proponents want to allow Hoosiers to bring legal action to stop use of medical abortions to protect unborn. Opponents say it creates a lawsuit-driven enforcement scheme inviting surveillance, intimidation, and legal harassment further entangling Hoosiers’ private medical decisions in the court system. (Link to letter campaign Oppose SB 236 Abortion inducing drugs and abortion reports)
Your voice matters
Please call or email your legislators to support or oppose legislation. Click to find your legislators.
See LWVIN Letter Campaigns-to support or oppose specific legislation (please note, this list is not comprehensive). The Letter Campaign includes bills for Natural Resources, Education, Women’s Health/Reproductive Rights, Voters Rights, Immigration, Proposed Military Police Force in Indiana and more. See 2026 bill details: https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2026/bills
Stay informed with the Indiana State General Assembly:
Contact Senators and/or Representatives to request information on their current views on legislation or to express your views.