HB 1414 Indiana House · 2026 Regular Session

Forest management.

Summary

Requires the department of natural resources (department) to establish recreational fees for the access and use of state forest land. Provides that the department shall ensure that at all times: (1) 10% of state forest land consists of forests that are 100 years or older; and (2) 10% of state forest land consists of forests that are 20 years or younger. Provides that money in the state forestry fund does not revert to the state general fund. Establishes various restrictions on landowner liability to recreational users.

Issues: ✓ Environment

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 8, 2026 Last action Jan 27, 2026

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What changed between versions

Introduced House Bill (H) → House Bill (H) · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was updated from its introduced version to its amended version after passing committee. The primary substantive change is the addition of liability protections for landowners, which were not present in the original draft. The bill also updated its citation references to reflect new code sections and added procedural details regarding its legislative history.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include specific liability limitations for recreational users on private and public land, whereas the original version focused solely on state forest management and funding.

DEFINITION

Added new legal definitions for 'governmental entity', 'monetary consideration', and 'owner' to clarify who is protected under the new liability rules.

REQUIREMENT

Inserted a new section establishing that landowners are not liable for injuries to recreational users unless the injury was caused by the owner's malicious or illegal acts.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill's title and digest to reflect the new liability provisions and corrected the statutory citations from IC 14-23 to IC 14-22.

TIMELINE

Added specific dates and committee actions (January 22, 2026) showing the bill was amended and referred to the Ways and Means committee.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jan 22, 2026

Committee

Recommitted to Committee on Ways and Means pursuant to House Rule 126.3

lower

Jan 22, 2026

Lower · Passed

Committee report: amend do pass, adopted

lower

1 primary · 3 co-sponsors