The Senate Family and Children Services Committee heard HB 1257 on child services matters sponsored by Sen. Donato and Sen. Johnson and authored by Rep. McGuire. The bill:
- 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 (DCS) concerning child fatalities in Indiana that are the result of child abuse or neglect.
- 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.
The Committee amended the bill by consent to incorporate HB 1264 on child fatality information into the bill which:
- Amends the child fatality annual report to include near fatalities and various new details regarding a child fatality or near fatality.
- Provides that the department shall promptly disclose to the public certain information regarding child fatalities or near fatalities.
- Provides that, upon request, the department may provide additional information regarding cases of child fatalities or near fatalities subject to certain requirements.
Champions for Children Indiana and several members of the public testified in support of the bill. The amended bill passed 9-0.
Read the bill at: https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2026/bills/house/1257