The House Committee on Local Government heard HB 1161 on local government matters authored by Rep. Lawson. The bill in relevant part provides that members appointed to county public defender boards and community corrections advisory boards serve at the pleasure of the members appointing authority. The bill also provides that each county executive, excluding a county containing a consolidated city and certain employees, shall adopt and maintain a written personnel policy, employee handbook, or equivalent document establishing minimum standards for county employee conduct, performance, and workplace expectations.
The Committee amended the bill by consent to add a new chapter to IC 36-2-21 regarding county personnel policy and evaluation standards to make it clear that the standards do not apply to employees of a court, a judicial officer, a probation department, a prosecutor’s office, a public defender office, or a community corrections program.
Johnson County Commissioners, Indiana Parks and Recreation Association, Allen County Board of Commissioners, Indiana County Commissioners, Grant County Commissioners, Accelerate Indiana Municipalities, and Americans for Prosperity testified in support of the bill. Hendricks County Council expressed reservations but did not oppose the bill.
The amended bill passed 11-0.
Read the bill at: https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2026/bills/house/1161