HB 1257 Indiana House · 2026 Regular Session

Child services matters.

Summary
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.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Feb 2026
House Passage
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Feb 2026
Signed into Law
Mar 2026
Introduced Jan 5, 2026 Signed Mar 4, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

House Bill (S) House Bill (H) · 3 edits
MINOR
The bill was updated to include 'near fatalities' alongside 'fatalities' in its scope, requiring the department to promptly disclose information about both to the public. The text also reflects the bill's progression through the legislative process, including Senate sponsorship and final passage.
Scope change
The bill's scope was expanded to cover child near fatalities in addition to child fatalities.
REQUIREMENT

The requirement for the department to disclose information now applies to both child fatalities and near fatalities, ensuring public transparency for cases that almost resulted in death.

TIMELINE

The bill was amended and passed by the Senate on February 9, 2026, and engrossed on February 10, 2026, updating the official legislative history and dates.

TECHNICAL

Senate sponsors (Donato and Johnson T) were added to the bill's header, and the bill number was updated from HB to EH to reflect its status as an engrossed House bill.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 24, 2026 · House Jan 28, 2026

How they voted

470
Passed · 2 other
Total votes 49
Feb 24, 2026
D Democratic9
8 Yea 1
88% Yea
R Republican40
39 Yea 1
97% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
26
Key actions
9
Committee
2
Mar 4, 2026
Signed into law
Signed by the Governor
executive
Feb 27, 2026
Upper · Passed
Signed by the President of the Senate
upper
Feb 27, 2026
Upper · Passed
Signed by the President Pro Tempore
upper
Feb 26, 2026
Lower · Passed
Signed by the Speaker
lower
Feb 26, 2026
Lower · Passed
House concurred with Senate amendments; Roll Call 390: yeas 84, nays 0
lower
Feb 24, 2026
Upper · Passed
Third reading: passed; Roll Call 243: yeas 48, nays 0
upper
Feb 9, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee report: amend do pass, adopted
upper
Jan 28, 2026
Lower · Passed
Third reading: passed; Roll Call 132: yeas 93, nays 0
lower
Jan 22, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee report: amend do pass, adopted
lower
3 primary · 8 co-sponsors

Sponsors