the following juvenile law bills passed out of their originating house:
SB 171 Family and children matters
- Previous blog post: https://legislativeupdate.courts.in.gov/2026/01/16/family-and-children-matters/
- Floor amendments: Requires any party seeking a change in placement for certain children to file a motion with the court, provide notice to all persons affected, and inform all persons affected of the right to file a written objection within 15 days. (Current law only allows the department to file the motion for a change of placement.) Allows a court to rule on a party’s motion for the change in placement without delay if exigent circumstances are alleged in the party’s motion. Provides that, if a motion for temporary custody of a child has been filed by a petitioner for adoption, a court shall not change the child’s placement until the motion for temporary custody has been ruled on. Allows for a petitioner for adoption to file a petition for temporary custody of a child sought to be adopted, and allows a court to grant the petition for temporary custody if the court makes certain findings. Provides that if the court declines to enter an ex-parte order granting the petitioner temporary custody, the court shall set the matter for a hearing not more than 15 days after the petitioner files the petition for temporary custody.
- House sponsor: McGuire
- Read the current bill: https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2026/bills/senate/171/
HB 1035 Permissible unsupervised activity
- Previous blog post: https://legislativeupdate.courts.in.gov/2026/01/16/permissible-unsupervised-activity/
- Senate sponsor: Carrasco
- Read the current bill: https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2026/bills/house/1035/
HB 1036 Children in need of services
- Previous blog post: https://legislativeupdate.courts.in.gov/2026/01/30/children-in-need-of-services-9/
- Senate sponsor: Rogers, Pol
- Read the current bill: https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2026/bills/house/1036/
HB 1092 Department of child services
- Previous blog post: https://legislativeupdate.courts.in.gov/2026/01/23/department-of-child-services-18/
- Floor amendments: Removes the:
- Changes to the adoption code to facilitate communication between a probate court and a juvenile court when the subject of an adoption petition is also the subject of a pending child in need of services (CHINS) petition.
- Requirement that the clerk forward a copy of an adoption petition to the department.
- Requirement that the department provide notice of the adoption proceeding to the court in the CHINS proceeding.
- Provision that allowed adoption records to be open to inspection by the juvenile court.
- Requirement that a probate court in an adoption proceeding take certain actions if allegations in the petition for adoption or evidence produced at the adoption proceeding indicates that the child for whom the adoption decree is requested meets the definition of a child adjudicated or alleged to be a CHINS.
- Senate sponsor: Walker
- Read the current bill: https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2026/bills/house/1092/
HB 1249 Juvenile court jurisdiction
- Previous blog post: https://legislativeupdate.courts.in.gov/2026/01/16/juvenile-court-jurisdiction-4/
- Senate sponsor: Freeman
- Read the current bill: https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2026/bills/house/1249/
HB 1257 Child services matters
- Previous blog post: https://legislativeupdate.courts.in.gov/2026/01/23/child-services-matters/
- Senate sponsor: Donato, Johnson
- Read the current bill: https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2026/bills/house/1257/
HB 1389 Adoption and foster care matters
- Previous blog post: https://legislativeupdate.courts.in.gov/2026/01/30/adoption-and-foster-care-matters/
- Senate sponsor: Johnson
- Read the current bill: https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2026/bills/house/1389/
The following bill died in its originating house: