Indiana

Bill tracker: Which bills are dead, advancing at halfway point of legislative session

Published

1 year ago

February 24, 2025

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Bill tracker: Which bills are dead, advancing at halfway point of legislative session

It’s the halfway point of Indiana’s 2025 legislative session.

That means hundreds of bills have already received approval from one chamber. There are also lots of dead bills that didn’t make it through the major deadlines this week.

When House and Senate lawmakers return from their session break on March 3, they will swap bills and consider more changes to proposed legislation before anything is sent to Gov. Mike Braun’s desk.

IndyStar is tracking the prominent bills that are moving through the legislative process and that would impact a wide variety of Hoosiers.

Here are some of the major bills that have advanced, and what happened to them last week.

Editor’s note: There will be no bill tracker next week due to a break for lawmakers before the second half of the session.

House Bill 1001: State budget

Lead author: Rep. Jeff Thompson, R-Lizton

What it does: This bill funds Indiana’s government, health care programs like Medicaid, public K-12 schools and colleges for the next two years. Republican proponents say it’s a “vanilla” budget that helps the state live within its fiscal means while funding key priorities such as removing the income cap for private school vouchers and a new workforce tax credit for employers. But Democratic opponents say the bill funds the wealthy at the expense of the poor, for example, by defunding the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program and failing to expand preschool.

Status: The bill passed the House by a 66-28 vote on Feb. 20 and now heads to the Senate.

Senate Bill 1: Property taxes

Lead author: Sen. Travis Holdman, R-Markle

What it does: The bill, which Gov. Mike Braun said he would not sign in its current form, aims to slow property tax increases by limiting how much local governments can raise their property tax rates and proposes limiting tax referendums to general elections. It would give first-time homebuyers a tax credit and enable more Hoosiers to take advantage of tax credits and deductions for disabled veterans and seniors. Finally, it allows counties to create programs to allow taxpayers to defer up to $500 of their property taxes annually.

Status: The Senate passed the bill on Feb. 17 by a vote of 37-10. It now heads to the House.

House Bill 1008: Illinois-Indiana boundary commission

Lead author: House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers

What it does: The bill creates a bipartisan group that would explore how Illinois counties could effectively secede from their state and join Indiana by redrawing state lines.

Status: The bill passed the house by a 69-25 vote on Feb. 20 and now heads to the Senate.

Senate Bill 518: Sharing property tax dollars with charter schools

Lead author: Sen. Linda Rogers, R-Granger

What it does: The bill would require all traditional public-school districts, including Indianapolis Public Schools, to share property tax revenue with charter schools in their attendance boundaries, if 100 or more kids leave the traditional district for charter schools, starting in 2028.

Status: The bill passed out of the Senate by a 28-21 vote on Feb. 20 and now heads to the House.

House Bill 1041: Transgender athlete ban

Lead author: Rep. Michelle Davis, R-Whiteland

What it does: This is virtually the same bill lawmakers passed in 2022, which banned transgender girls from participating in girls’ K-12 sports. This year’s bill extends that ban to collegiate athletics.

Status: The bill passed the House on Feb. 18 by a vote of 71-25. It now heads to the Senate.

House Bill 1531: Immigration enforcement penalties

Lead author: Rep. JD Prescott, R-Union City

What it does: The bill gives the governor power to withhold funding from local governments if the attorney general determines the entity does not comply with federal immigration enforcement. It says federal immigration law can be enforced by local, state and federal officials. The bill also prohibits employers from knowingly hiring someone who is not legally allowed in the U.S.

Status: The bill passed the full House on Feb. 20 by a vote of 64-26.

House Bill 1006: Prosecutors

Lead author: Rep. Chris Jeter, R-Fishers

What it does: The bill establishes a fund to help counties pay their deputy prosecutors and creates a prosecutor review board to investigate complaints against prosecutors. If the board determines the prosecutor is “noncompliant,” their office would be denied funds available through the bill. Democrats see the measure as an attack on Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears.

Status: The bill passed the full House on Feb. 19 by a vote of 72-24. It now heads to the Senate.

Senate Bill 2: Medicaid eligibility

Lead author: Sen. Ryan Mishler, R-Mishawaka

What it does: The bill adds far more stringent and regular government reviews of the eligibility of Medicaid recipients and adds work requirements in order for someone to be eligible for the Healthy Indiana Plan, the state Medicaid expansion plan. In addition, if the federal government allows, it limits enrollment in the Healthy Indiana Plan.

Status: The Senate passed the bill on Feb. 18 by a vote of 40-9. It now heads to the House.

House Bill 1004: Price-controlling hospitals

Lead author: Rep. Martin Carbaugh, R-Fort Wayne

What it does: This is one of the key bills seeking to control health care costs in Indiana. This bill does it by penalizing hospitals with an excise tax if they charge facility fees higher than a certain benchmark. It also sets another price benchmark over which their nonprofit tax status could be revoked.

Status: Passed the House on Feb. 20 by a 68-26 vote and now heads to the Senate.

Senate Bill 516: IEDC transparency changes

Lead author: Sen. Brian Buchanan, R-Lebanon

What it does: The bill would require the Indiana Economic Development Corporation make mandatory notifications to local governments if the quasi-government agency seeks to purchase 100 acres or more in a community and provide annual reports on Innovation Development Districts, like the LEAP project in Boone County. Additionally, the bill creates a new entrepreneurship and innovation office and a new role of president of the IEDC.

Status: The bill unanimously passed the full Senate on Feb. 20. It now heads to the House.

Senate Bill 284: Shrinking early voting

Lead author: Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville

What it does: The bill would have shrunk Indiana’s period for early in-person voting from 28 days to 14 days. It died on Feb. 19 after Byrne said he did not have the support to advance the bill.

Status: Died in the Senate on Feb. 19 after the author did not open it for amendments by the deadline.

Senate Bill 201: Closing Indiana’s primaries

Lead author: Sen. Mike Gaskill, R-Pendleton

What it does: By requiring voters to register with a political party in order to vote in that party’s primary, this bill would have made Indiana a closed-primary state. It died on Feb. 19 after Gaskill said he did not have the support to advance the bill.

Status: Died in the Senate on Feb. 19 after the author did not open it for amendments by the deadline.

House Bill 1461: Road funding

Lead author: Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie

What it does: The bill offers a platter of tools local governments could use to beef up their road budgets. Those tools initially included a tax on food deliveries and rideshares, and for Indianapolis, the ability to levy a property tax referendum, but these were later taken out. The bill also makes it easier for the state to establish more toll roads.

Status: The House passed the bill by a 72-21 vote on Feb. 20. It now heads to the Senate.

House Bill 1432: Online gambling

Lead author: Rep. Ethan Manning, R-Logansport

What it does: The bill would have allowed people to play online poker and other casino games virtually and allow the Hoosier Lottery to operate virtually as well.

Status: The bill died after not receiving a hearing in the House Ways and Means Committee before the Feb. 17 deadline.

Senate Bill 523: Chaplains in public schools

Lead author: Sen. Stacey Donato, R-Logansport

What it does: The bill would allow public schools to hire or bring in on a volunteer basis religious chaplains, with an eye toward alleviating the burden on school counselors.

Status: Passed the Senate on Feb. 11 by a 32-16 vote.

House Bill 1007: Small nuclear reactors

Lead author: Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso

What it does: The bill provides a state tax credit for expenses incurred in manufacturing small modular nuclear reactors in Indiana. The bill could result in costs shifted to utility customers to pay back project expenses before construction starts.

Status: Passed the full House by a 67-25 vote on Feb. 13.

Senate Bill 4: Water pipeline oversight

Lead author: Sen. Eric Koch, R-Bedford

What it does: The bill prohibits the construction, operation, purchase, sale and lease of a long-haul water pipeline unless the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission signs off on it. However, the Citizens deal to provide water to the LEAP district in Lebanon is exempted from those rules.

Status: Passed the Senate unanimously on Feb. 4. It now heads to the House.

Senate Bill 13: Spinning

Lead author: Sen. Jim Tomes, R-Wadesville

What it does: The bill makes intentional and reckless skidding while driving, known as “spinning”, a Class B misdemeanor and increases the penalties further if the spinning endangers, injures or kills another person. If the bill becomes law, a person found spinning could have their vehicle seized in a civil forfeiture.

Status: Passed the Senate 48-1 on Feb. 3.

House Bill 1002: Education deregulation

Lead author: Rep. Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis

What it does: The bill aims to loosen restrictions for Indiana schools and education systems, including by nixing the education credential requirement for the Indiana secretary of education, changing the timing of when teachers are paid and removing certain training and professional development requirements.

Status: Passed the House by a 75-16 vote on Feb. 3. It now heads to the Senate.

Senate Bill 10: Student voter ID

Lead author: Sen. Blake Doriot, R- Goshen

What it does: The bill would ban college students from being able to use their student IDs as a form of acceptable voter identification at the ballot box.

Status: Passed the full Senate Feb. 4 by a 39-11 vote. It now heads to the House.

Senate Bill 235: Banning DEI

Lead authors: Sen. Tyler Johnson, R-Leo, Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville

What it does: This bill bans all state spending on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives — from trainings to diverse hiring initiatives — at state agencies, educational institutions and health profession licensing boards.

Status: The contents of this bill were amended into a different bill, Senate Bill 289, on the Senate floor on Feb. 4. That bill then passed the Senate on Feb. 6 by a 34-13 vote.

House Bill 1393: Illegal immigration notices

Lead author: Rep. Garrett Bascom, R-Lawrenceburg

What it does: The bill requires law enforcement officers to report individuals to their county sheriff if the person is arrested for a felony or misdemeanor and the officer has probable cause to believe the person lacks permanent legal status. It then requires county sheriffs to report the person to proper authorities.

Status: Passed the House on Feb. 4 by a 67-26 vote.

Senate Bill 11: Social media for minors

Lead author: Sen. Mike Bohacek, R-Michiana Shores

What it does: The bill requires parental consent for social media use for people under age 16, and allows Indiana’s attorney general to sue social media operators that don’t comply.

Status: Passed by the full Senate by a 42-7 vote on Jan. 23. It now goes to the House for consideration.

Senate Bill 451: Income tax cut

Lead Author: Sen. Travis Holdman, R-Markle

What it does: The bill would further decrease Indiana’s individual income tax rate if state revenues grow by more than 3% compared to previous years.

Status: The bill unanimously passed the Senate on Jan. 28. It now heads to the House.

Senate Bill 143: Parental rights

Lead Author: Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne

What it does: The bill restricts government entities, including school districts and the Indiana Department of Child Services, from intruding on parental rights or keeping information from parents, unless there is a compelling governmental interest.

Status: Passed the Senate by a 44-5 vote on Jan. 27. It now heads to the House.

Senate Bill 475: Physician noncompetes

Lead author: Sen. Justin Busch, R-Fort Wayne

What it does: Lawmakers tried in 2023 to outlaw noncompete agreements for Indiana doctors — contracts that prevent doctors from taking jobs at competing hospitals within a certain radius. The compromise that year was to only apply this to family doctors. This year, Senate Bill 475 attempts the ban for all physicians, again, hoping it will encourage competition and reduce prices in the health care market.

Status: Passed the Senate by a 47-2 vote on Jan. 28. The bill now heads to the House.

House Bill 1201: Chronic absenteeism

Lead author: Rep. Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis

What it does: The bill prohibits a public school from expelling or suspending a student because they are chronically absent or habitually truant and expands the number of days for a school to hold an attendance conference about a student’s absences from five days to 10. It also requires the Department of Education to establish best practices for student discipline on chronic absenteeism.

Status: Passed the House unanimously on Jan 30. A bill that similarly addresses absenteeism, Senate Bill 482, passed the Senate unanimously on Feb. 4.

Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at brittany.carloni@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter/X @CarloniBrittany.

Contact senior government accountability reporter Hayleigh Colombo at hcolombo@indystar.com or follow her on X at @hayleighcolombo.

Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@indystar.com or follow her on Twitter @kayla_dwyer17.

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Indiana

Is Darryn Peterson Trying to Avoid Indiana?

Published

4 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Is Darryn Peterson Trying to Avoid Indiana?

The Indiana Pacers are hoping to retain their 2026 first-round pick, which is protected 1-4 and 10-30. If the selection lands between 5 and 9, it conveys to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the Ivica Zubac–Bennedict Mathurin trade.

At the top of the 2026 NBA Draft class, three names are consistently labeled as generational talents: AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer and Darryn Peterson.

Indiana would welcome any of the three. The bigger question is whether that feeling would be mutual.

On a recent episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, Simmons was joined by draft analysts Tate Frazier and J. Kyle Mann. During the discussion, Mann shared an interesting note about Peterson.

“I’ve gotten the impression from talking to people close to Darryn,” Mann said, “that Darryn is more likely to say, I’m interested in being the full on brain of this team. I don’t really want to play with another superstar, I want to be the center of the universe.”
J. Kyle Mann on The Bill Simmons Podcast
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If that perception holds weight, it creates an intriguing dynamic.

The Pacers were one game away from an NBA championship last season and already feature two established stars in Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam. Indiana is not a franchise searching for a singular identity, it already has one.

To be clear, Mann’s comments reflect conversations and impressions, not a public statement from Peterson himself. Still, the fit is worth examining. Indiana’s backcourt rotation already includes Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith and T.J. McConnell. If Peterson were the pick, the Pacers would find ways to get him on the floor. He is that talented. But Indiana could not offer him an immediate “face of the franchise” role the way a Brooklyn, Sacramento or Washington might.

Mann also offered insight into how Dybantsa may view a situation like Indiana’s.

“AJ, people that know them both have told me that AJ is probably more likely to fit in with an Indiana,” Mann said. “Which is interesting because AJ likes to have the ball. Is he willing to be quick off of the ball with Haliburton? I just think that’s an interesting wrinkle in this.”
J. Kyle Mann on The Bill Simmons Podcast

The contrast is fascinating.

Hearing that Dybantsa would fit in more than Peterson is intriguing. Play style wise, I would lean more towards Peterson’s fitting how Indiana likes to play, especially with how Dybantsa has been utilized at BYU.

Jan 24, 2026; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson (22) looks to pass against BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa (3) during the first half at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

If we’re talking locker room fit, I think Dybantsa would embody what a Pacer is all about. Comes from a small market. Wants to win and doesn’t need the big city to do it in. He’s confident but won’t let his ego interfere with the success of the team. Just a levelheaded kid with a desire to be great, and would have one of the best playmaking point guards alongside him to help maximize his talent.

These two are the most polarizing and often mentioned names amongst NBA draft circles when looking at the top two in the class. If the comments made by Mann come to be true, the Pacers would be better off drafting the uber talented 6-9 forward, Dybantsa, than drafting a 6-6 elite shooting guard who would rather be “the guy” than a guy.

You can follow me on X @AlexGoldenNBA and listen to my daily podcast, Setting The Pace, wherever you get your podcasts.

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Indiana

Mother demands justice after woman killed in wrong-way crash on I-65 in Northwest Indiana

Published

16 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Mother demands justice after woman killed in wrong-way crash on I-65 in Northwest Indiana

HOBART, Ind. (WLS) — A wrong-way crash left one woman dead and two others seriously injured in Northwest Indiana earlier this week, police said.

The mother of the 20-year-old who was killed spoke exclusively with ABC7 Chicago as she is demanding justice.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

Just before 2 a.m. Saturday, the Hobart Fire Department responded to the horrific crash on Interstate 65 involving two vehicles, north of 61st Avenue near Merrillville, Indiana.

Rylee Hanson, 20, was killed in what investigators says was a head-on collision with a wrong-way vehicle in the northbound lanes.

“I had Rylee when I was 20 and she made me who I am,” mother Karen Hanson said. “She made me want to be a better person and she made me strive, to reach goals, so I could set examples for kids… She was half of my life. I don’t know how to be me without her.”

Her family says Rylee was a ray of light who graduated from Kankakee Valley High School in Demotte, Indiana where she earned her EMT certification from Ivy Tech Community College. She was headed to criminology studies at Indiana University.

Her parents are appalled nobody has been charged in the crash.

“We want to see change with how drinking is handled,” Karen Hanson said. “There’s gotta be a better way for how people drink or get served or more punishment for impaired drivers out on the road where they’re not getting so many chances.”

Troopers said they believed that the driver of the car going the wrong way was impaired at the time.

“We are going to make her as proud as she made us,” Karen Hanson said. “Because she did… there are no words to tell you about the pain. It is indescribable.”

The investigation is still ongoing. Anyone with footage of the crash, or of the vehicles prior to the crash, has been asked to contact Indiana State Police.

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Indiana

What Should Indiana Pacers Do With Open Roster Spot?

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

What Should Indiana Pacers Do With Open Roster Spot?

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – JANUARY 10: Quenton Jackson #29 of the Indiana Pacers drives to the basket against the Miami Heat at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on January 10, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

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BROOKLYN – With the trade deadline having passed, the Indiana Pacers don’t have a full roster. The team has three two-way contract players, but only 14 guys on standard contracts, just under the maximum of 15.

As of this writing, the Pacers total team spending this season is about $730k less than the NBA’s luxury tax threshold for the 2025-26 season. That means the team has enough wiggle room under that spending line to add a 15th player without becoming a taxpaying team. Given the team’s poor record, the luxury tax line should be an upper spending limit for the franchise this league year, but Indiana can now fill its roster without crossing that barrier.

More specifically, the team can fill their open roster spot at any point between now and the end of the season with a deal that starts under $730k, either via a minimum-salary deal or by dipping into their Mid-Level Salary Exception. And they should add someone – having a full roster and using every available resource is smart business.

“We’ve got to be mindful of the tax as we go through things, but there’s a timing and sequence that gives us the possibility to do something there,” Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan said of the Pacers open spot on the roster.

What considerations do the Pacers have for their open roster spot?

But there are other considerations for the Pacers, particularly on the calendar, when it comes to making transactions. And those considerations will all come to a head in the next week as the team figures out the back of its roster.

March 1 is the first date of significance. That is the last day for what is colloquially known as the buyout market. Often, between the trade deadline and March 1, teams and players determine that their contractual obligation to each other doesn’t make much sense for the rest of the season.

In order to make splitting up a win-win move, the team and player will agree to a buyout, meaning the team will waive a player in exchange for getting some guaranteed salary removed from their contract. Almost always, the player makes up the amount given up in the buyout by signing with another team. So the player doesn’t lose money and their old team can proceed with a roster spot, of which they can use for something they deem more appropriate.

March 1 is viewed as the end of the buyout market because it is the last day a player can be waived, then later sign with another team and still be eligible for the playoffs. If a player is released after that date, they lose postseason eligibility.

For the Pacers, it may be worth seeing if a player that they want becomes available between now and March 1. Jeremy Sochan, for example, was waived by the San Antonio Spurs before signing with the New York Knicks earlier this month. While Indiana may not have wanted Sochan, he is a young and skilled player. More talent of note may hit free agency in the coming week.

The second date the Pacers will be cognizant of is March 4. That’s the final day that NBA teams can sign players to two-way contracts this season, which adds an additional wrinkle to the Pacers plans.

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – OCTOBER 13: Jalen Slawson #18 of the Indiana Pacers drives to the basket against the San Antonio Spurs during the preseason game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on October 13, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

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While the Pacers don’t currently have an open two-way contract slot, they could if they opted to promote one of their current players on a two-way deal to a standard contract. And one candidate stands out for that type of transaction for multiple reasons: Quenton Jackson.

Contractual factors play a part in Jackson being by far the most likely Pacers two-way player to have his deal converted to a standard contract. Jackson is currently on a one-year deal, meaning he will be a free agent in the offseason. That is not true of Indiana’s other two-way contract players – both Ethan Thompson and Taelon Peter are signed to two-year, two-way contracts.

Jackson has reached four years of service in the NBA, meaning he isn’t eligible for a two-way deal next season. If the Pacers want to keep him beyond the current campaign, they’d need to sign him to a standard contract anyway.

And that brings the team to the main reason they may want to convert Jackson to a standard contract and retain him beyond this season: he’s a talented player. Ever since stepping into a bigger role in late 2024, the athletic guard has proven that he can contribute and give the blue and gold rotation-level minutes in a pinch. He is averaging 9.1 points and 2.1 assists per game this season – both numbers are career-best marks.

He has played in 60 games for the Pacers across the last three seasons, all of which have come on different two-way deals. In 27 outings for the Pacers G League affiliate team, Jackson has averaged 22.1 points and 5.7 assists per game.

Converting Jackson to a standard deal, and perhaps a multi-year one, would fill the Pacers final open roster spot and free up a two-way contract slot. It could also allow the team to keep Jackson as a depth piece beyond this season. Jackson is skilled and athletic, and he fits Indiana’s style well.

“[Jackson is] definitely a real possibility. Quenton’s been awesome. He was fantastic last night, and he’s a big part of our culture in our locker room,” Buchanan said of Jackson perhaps getting the team’s final roster spot.

If that is the route the Pacers decide to take, they would then be able to sign a player to a two-way contract. That sequence of transactions is how they landed Jackson in the first place back in 2024. There are endless candidates for a two-way deal, but if the Pacers look to add a wing after losing Johnny Furphy to injury, Jalen Slawson may be a good fit. He is in the Pacers program via their G League affiliate and played for Indiana during the 2025 preseason.

Because the Pacers can’t sign a two-way contract player after March 4, if they decide to convert Jackson they would almost certainly do so before that date so they can backfill his two-way spot. Between that and the buyout market, the Pacers could fill out their roster within the next week or so. A young player or a familiar face makes too much sense.

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