Legislation

SB 182 targets the transgender community in Indiana in a number of ways. It would impose rigid definitions of “male” and “female” based on reproductive systems – without regard to gender identity. It also prevents Hoosiers from being able to change the sex listed on their birth certificates, unless they have “a medically verifiable disorder of sex development.”

SB 236 would expand Indiana’s abortion ban by cracking down on abortion-inducing drugs and creating a lawsuit-driven enforcement scheme targeting these medications and those accused of distributing them from outside the state. The bill adds a new chapter to the abortion ban that broadly prohibits manufacturing, distributing, possessing, prescribing, mailing, transporting, delivering, or otherwise providing abortion-inducing drugs to or from anyone in Indiana outside of the state’s narrow exceptions. It specifically covers common abortion-inducing drugs (e.g., mifepristone and misoprostol) as well as off-label use.

This bill would require schools across the state of Indiana to hang the Ten Commandments in every library and classroom.

These bills would make it a crime to camp, sleep, or shelter on public property. They specify that law enforcement officers give anyone who violates this law a warning and offer to transport them to receive services or stay in a shelter. If the person does not move in a specified timeframe, they can be charged with a Class C misdemeanor (48 hours in the case of SB 285, 24 hours in HB 1431).

This bill would create sweeping restrictions against people from countries that have been deemed as “foreign adversaries” by the federal government (including China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia), as well as any other country designated as a threat to critical infrastructure by the governor.

Each of these bills would require social media companies to get parental consent for minors under a certain age to use social media. The age cutoffs differ (age 16 for one, age 14 for the others. And one bill would not allow users under 14, regardless of parental consent). Each of these bills contain age verification requirements. SB 199 and HB 1178 would require ALL social media users to verify their age. And HB 1178 would require social media platforms to regularly estimate whether Indiana users are at least 14 years old based on how much time the user spends on the platform. If the company isn’t confident enough, it must treat the user as a minor. HB 1178 would also require social media companies to keep proof of parental consent and disable certain features, including push notifications, reposts, likes, and reactions. SB 199 would establish a social media curfew for minors – from 10:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. While we understand the concerns around minor access to social media and mental health, we oppose these bills because they would violate the First Amendment rights of minors. To be clear, parents already have the right to decide whether their minor children can use social media. The government does not have that right. Some of the provisions in these bills go even further – violating the First Amendment rights of all Hoosiers by requiring them to hand over personal identifying information. No one should have to give up their privacy to participate online.

While this bill failed, similar language may reappear later this session as an amendment or be reintroduced in a future session. SB 138 would let public schools and charter schools hire, or approve as volunteers, school chaplains who meet specified education background requirements. Chaplains would provide secular guidance and support to students and staff. They could also provide nonsecular services with permission from the student and, in the case of minors, a parent. This bill would violate important separation of church and state constitutional protections. Chaplains are religious advisers by definition. School counselors are trained to provide secular support for students. Chaplains are not. Placing them in an official role inside public schools — whether paid or voluntary — creates an environment ripe for religious coercion and indoctrination, especially in a school setting where authority dynamics are unavoidable.

Together, these bills would expand immigration enforcement in Indiana by tightening “sanctuary” restrictions, mandating cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), blurring the lines of state and local enforcement, and escalating penalties for anyone who doesn’t comply. All three bills push public institutions (including law enforcement, local government, and public colleges) toward broader cooperation with federal immigration authorities, including treating ICE detainers like mandatory holds rather than requests. Even U.S. citizens who present a passport or birth certificate could face prolonged detention while their citizenship is verified if they are subject to a detainer request.

This bill would prevent the governor from ordering the Indiana National Guard to police communities in the state. It would protect the National Guard’s mission of responding to emergencies such as natural disasters, riots, and acts of terrorism.