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State Government / Indiana / Legislation / HB 1257

HB 1257Session 2026HouseBecame law

Child services matters.

Adds four members to the statewide child fatality review committee, one of whom is appointed by each of the following: (1) The speaker of the house of representatives. (2) The president pro tempore of the senate. (3) The minority leader of the house of representatives. (4) The minority leader of the senate. Provides that a court may grant postadoption contact privileges to the birth parent of a child if the child is at least one year of age (rather than two years of age, under current law). Adds information that must be included in the annual report of the department of child services (department) concerning child fatalities or near fatalities in Indiana that are the result of child abuse or neglect. Requires the department to promptly disclose to the public certain information regarding child fatalities or near fatalities. Allows the department, upon request, to provide additional information regarding cases of child fatalities or near fatalities subject to certain requirements. Provides that the obligation of the department to conduct a detailed assessment of a report of known or suspected child abuse or neglect does not apply if the report is screened out and referred to a law enforcement agency. Provides that the department: (1) shall disclose information regarding reported child abuse or neglect to a member of the United States Congress representing Indiana or a member of the Indiana general assembly (state legislator) upon request of the state legislator; (2) may release information to the news media to confirm, clarify, correct, or supplement information concerning reported child abuse or neglect that has been made public by a source other than the department; and (3) shall, upon request by the news media, report to the news media specified information regarding the death of a child whose death is suspected to be the result of child abuse or neglect. Provides that if the information disclosed or released by the department includes a record that is redacted to exclude specified information, the record is not confidential. Provides that the department may provide unredacted reports or material to: (1) a service provider that requires access to the unredacted reports or material to assess whether the service provider's services are suitable for the child; and (2) the attorney general or a prosecutor for purposes of a criminal investigation by the attorney general or prosecutor. Provides that the statutory limit on the department's provision of services to a parent, guardian, or custodian of a child who is the subject of a petition alleging the child to be a child in need of services (CHINS) applies: (1) regardless of whether the child has been removed from the home of the parent, guardian, or custodian; (2) regardless of whether the services are provided at the direction of a court or at the direction of the department; and (3) beginning on the date on which the CHINS petition is filed. Makes technical and conforming changes.

Latest development · Mar 4, 2026

Public Law 84

Your view
Source record ↗
Session
2026
Introduced
Jan 5, 2026
Latest passage
Feb 27, 2026
TopicsSponsorsActionsDiscussion

Topics and classification

Civixly topics

Justice & Public SafetyFamily & Social Services

Source subjects

AGENCIES; Department of Child Services (DCS)AGENCIES; Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA)CHILDREN AND MINORS; AdoptionCHILDREN AND MINORS; Children in Need of Services (CHINS)CHILDREN AND MINORS; Foster CareCOURTS; JudgesCOURTS; Supreme CourtDEATH AND DECEASED; Mortality ReportingGENERAL ASSEMBLY; GenerallyLOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS; ProsecutorsSOCIAL SERVICES; GenerallySTATE ELECTED OFFICIALS; Attorney GeneralTASK FORCES AND COMMITTEES; Generally

Document type

Bill

Sponsors

Primary sponsors are listed before cosponsors and other sponsoring entities.

Primary sponsorJulie McGuire
Primary sponsorStacey Donato
Primary sponsorTyler Johnson
coauthorCarolyn Jackson
cosponsorDaryl Schmitt
cosponsorFady Qaddoura
cosponsorGreg Walker
cosponsorJ.D. Ford
cosponsorLinda Rogers
coauthorLori Goss-Reaves
coauthorRobert Morris

Action timeline

Newest action first. Action language is supplied by the state source.

View full action timeline26 actions⌄
  1. Mar 4, 2026

    Public Law 84

    Became LawHouse
  2. Mar 4, 2026

    Signed by the Governor

    Executive SignatureOffice of the Governor
  3. Feb 27, 2026

    Signed by the President of the Senate

    PassageSenate
  4. Feb 27, 2026

    Signed by the President Pro Tempore

    PassageSenate
  5. Feb 26, 2026

    Signed by the Speaker

    PassageHouse
  6. Feb 26, 2026

    House concurred with Senate amendments; Roll Call 390: yeas 84, nays 0

    House
  7. Feb 25, 2026

    Motion to concur filed

    FilingHouse
  8. Feb 24, 2026

    Third reading: passed; Roll Call 243: yeas 48, nays 0

    PassageReading 3Reading 3Senate
  9. Feb 24, 2026

    Returned to the House with amendments

    ReceiptSenate
  10. Feb 16, 2026

    Second reading: ordered engrossed

    Reading 2Senate
  11. Feb 16, 2026

    Senators Ford J.D., Qaddoura, Rogers added as cosponsors

    Senate
  12. Feb 10, 2026

    Senators Schmitt, Walker G added as cosponsors

    Senate
  13. Feb 9, 2026

    Committee report: amend do pass, adopted

    Committee PassageSenate
  14. Feb 2, 2026

    First reading: referred to Committee on Family and Children Services

    Reading 1Referral CommitteeSenate
  15. Jan 29, 2026

    Referred to the Senate

    ReferralHouse
  16. Jan 28, 2026

    Third reading: passed; Roll Call 132: yeas 93, nays 0

    PassageReading 3Reading 3House
  17. Jan 28, 2026

    Senate sponsors: Senators Donato, Johnson T

    House
  18. Jan 27, 2026

    Second reading: ordered engrossed

    Reading 2House
  19. Jan 22, 2026

    Representative DeVon removed as coauthor

    House
  20. Jan 22, 2026

    Representative Goss-Reaves added as coauthor

    House
  21. Jan 22, 2026

    Committee report: amend do pass, adopted

    Committee PassageHouse
  22. Jan 13, 2026

    Representative Morris added as coauthor

    House
  23. Jan 12, 2026

    Representative Jackson C added as coauthor

    House
  24. Jan 5, 2026

    Coauthored by Representative DeVon

    House
  25. Jan 5, 2026

    First reading: referred to Committee on Family, Children and Human Affairs

    Reading 1Referral CommitteeHouse
  26. Jan 5, 2026

    Authored by Representative McGuire

    House

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State legislative data provided by Open States and linked legislature sources when available.

Civixly tracks state bill actions, passage dates, and sponsors. Member-level state roll-call histories are not included.

Source data last updated May 5, 2026.