The 2026 short session of the Indiana General Assembly adjourned “sine die” 15 calendar days early as planned (to account for the two weeks the body met in December 2025) before their statutory Saturday, March 14th deadline. Of the 452 House bills filed, 18% passed. Of the 290 Senate bills, 28% passed. Adjournment also marked the end of 14 legislators’ careers who are either not seeking re-election or seeking other offices. Indiana Gov. Mike Braun has signed the vast majority of bills sent to his desk, but for the remaining few, the Governor must decide whether to sign, veto or allow bills to become law without his signature.
This will be the final weekly State Update until the beginning of the 2027 budget session. An archive of previous Statehouse Updates can be found here.
**Editorial Note: As of March 12, 2026, Gov. Mike Braun signed all the remaining bills on his desk. Like his first year in office, Gov. Braun did not veto any bills passed during his second legislative session, but he did allow one bill, SEA 91: Syringe exchange program, to become law without his signature.
Bills That Passed on the Final Day
HB 1004: Various education matters
Signed by Governor
The bill removes and repeals various education provisions and expired education provisions in Indiana Title 20: Education. This is the second deregulation bill in a multi-year process to “cut red tape in education by eliminating unnecessary rules and regulations, freeing up resources and giving K-12 schools more flexibility to focus on educating our kids.”
HB 1266: Department of education and education matters
Signed by Governor
The bill, among other provisions, provides that each state educational institution that offers a two year graduate degree program in mental or behavioral health shall evaluate the graduate degree program to determine the feasibility, if any, of providing the graduate degree program in a specifically structured manner to allow a full-time student to complete the graduate degree within: (1) one year; or (2) five years if the graduate degree program is combined with a baccalaureate degree program. The bill provides that the department of workforce development must maintain alignment with federal rules governing workforce Pell grants.
HB 1268: Indiana defense task force funding
Signed by Governor
The bill provides that certain amounts appropriated for state fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27 must be used exclusively to support priorities identified by the Indiana Defense Task Force (task force) established by IC 4-3-21.5. Provides that the Indiana Economic Development Corporation shall consult with, and receive approval from, the task force prior to obligating or expending the funds. The bill requires the task force to make a report detailing the use of the funds and their correspondence to task force priorities to the State Budget Committee and the Legislative Council.
HB 1358: Indiana department of health
Signed by the Governor
The bill, among other provisions, provides that medical schools must include nutrition education as part of the medical school's curriculum and require medical students to complete a rural health rotation.
SB 76: Immigration matters
Signed by the Governor
The bill, among other provisions, provides that if a law enforcement officer, governmental body, or postsecondary educational institution is made a party to a civil suit and the attorney general determines that the suit has arisen out of certain immigration matters, the attorney general may defend the law enforcement officer, the governmental body, or the postsecondary educational institution if representation is requested. The bill provides, with certain exceptions, that if the attorney general determines that probable cause exists that a governmental entity has not complied with an immigration detention request, the attorney general may bring a court action to: (1) enjoin an act or practice constituting a violation of an immigration detention request; (2) impose a civil penalty for noncompliance with an immigration detention request; and (3) and obtain other such relief as is necessary. The bill provides that a governmental body or postsecondary educational institution may not create a policy or resolution that restricts another governmental body from cooperating with federal officials regarding information of the citizenship or immigration status of an individual as long as the request does not conflict with federal law.
SB 88: Various education matters
Signed by the Governor
The bill, among other provisions, requires a state educational institution (SEI) to accept the Classic Learning Test (CLT) examination to the same extent the SEI accepts the ACT or SAT examination with respect to admission criteria.
SB 199: Various education matters
Signed by the Governor
The bill requires the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, not later than December 1, 2026, to evaluate accrediting agencies of state educational institutions and to report the commission's findings and recommendations to the general assembly. The bill requires state educational institutions to obtain approval from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education to continue degree programs with low enrollment or those classified as “low-earning outcome programs” per the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1087d).
SB 204: Various education matters
Signed by Governor
The bill, among other provisions, repeals reporting requirements related to duplicative or outdated reports in Title 21: Higher Education and changes certain amounts concerning construction, land purchases, and repair and rehabilitation by an institution to $3,000,000, adjusted for inflation. It provides that a state educational institution that has been denied approval to continue a degree program may: (1) permit students to enroll in the degree program until June 1 of the year following the denial; and (2) provide students enrolled in the degree program with the opportunity to finish their degree prior to the degree program's closure. The bill prohibits health profession education programs, as well as healthcare providers participating in health profession education programs, from requiring students to receive immunizations as a condition of participating in required clinical training if the student, or parent, if the student is a minor, objects based on a sincerely held religious belief. The bill requires a state educational institution to award course credit for a satisfactory score on an AP exam in which the AP exam corresponds to the state educational institution's course in the core transfer library.
SB 256: Foreign agent registration, foreign terrorist organizations, and foreign adversaries
Signed by the Governor
The bill requires certain persons acting on behalf of a hostile foreign country to register with the attorney general. The bill establishes a procedure to deny state benefits to persons who aid a foreign terrorist organization. This bill prohibits state educational institutions from admitting or enrolling students who are agents of a foreign adversary in a qualifying program offered by the approved postsecondary educational institution without a “foreign influence and research security review.” This bill requires an approved postsecondary educational institution to provide to the commission for higher education the number of foreign students currently enrolled in a qualifying program and the number of foreign students enrolled in a qualifying program for each academic year for the preceding 10 years. The bill prohibits certain individuals and business entities from acquiring real property located in Indiana. The bill repeals existing statutes regarding foreign ownership of agricultural land.