# Indiana HB 1044: Insurance coverage for public safety employees. Indiana HB 1044, Insurance coverage for public safety employees., is a Second Regular Session 124th General Assembly (2026) House bill sponsored by Jim Pressel (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-02-26 (Public Law 38); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-HB1044-2026 - As of: 2026-11-01 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Indiana HB 1044 - State: Indiana - Session: Second Regular Session 124th General Assembly (2026) - Title: Insurance coverage for public safety employees. - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-12-02 - Last action: 2026-02-26, Public Law 38 - Sponsor: Jim Pressel (Republican) - Cosponsors: 9 - Subjects: insurance, the senate, insurance and financial institutions - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 3 (230 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 2 ## Summary Provides that a public safety employee who: (1) becomes disabled on or after January 1, 2020; (2) receives a Class 1 or a Class 2 impairment benefit; and (3) is eligible for group health insurance coverage for the public safety employee and the public safety employee's spouse or dependents; must pay no more than the amount that the public safety employee would have been required to pay if still serving as a current active public safety employee employed by the local unit public employer. Specifies that the public safety employee must file a written request for insurance coverage with the employer before June 1, 2026, or within 90 days after the public safety employee begins receiving disability benefits, whichever is later. Specifies that if a public safety agency closes, merges, or otherwise ceases to exist, the local unit public employer that caused the public safety agency to cease to exist, shall continue to provide certain insurance coverage. Provides that a surviving spouse or dependent of a public safety employee who dies in the line of duty must pay the same amount that the public safety employee would have been required to pay if still serving as a current active public safety employee employed by the local unit public employer for coverage selected by the surviving spouse or dependent under the group health insurance program. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Family health coverage for disabled safety workers: benefit, high. Eligible local public safety employees can choose health coverage for a spouse, dependents, or both. They must have become disabled on or after January 1, 2020, and receive Class 1 or Class 2 impairment benefits. Written requests are due by June 1, 2026, or within 90 days after disability benefits… - Health premium protections for safety workers’ survivors: benefit, medium. Eligible surviving spouses and dependents of local public safety employees can elect to keep group health coverage. They must file a written request within 90 days after the employee's death. Their payment cannot exceed what the employee paid toward the chosen coverage as an active employee. The em… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Jim Pressel (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Andrea Hunley (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Ethan Lawson (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Fady Qaddoura (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Kyle Walker (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Lonnie Randolph (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Lori Goss-Reaves (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Michael Crider (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Michelle Davis (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Shelli Yoder (Democratic), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-02-19 | House | House concurred with Senate amendments | pass | 93 | 0 | | | 2026-02-17 | Senate | Third reading: passed | pass | 45 | 0 | | | 2026-01-20 | House | Third reading: passed | pass | 92 | 0 | | ## Actions (26) - 2026-02-26: Public Law 38 (House) - 2026-02-26: Signed by the Governor (House) - 2026-02-25: Signed by the President of the Senate (Senate) - 2026-02-24: Signed by the President Pro Tempore (Senate) - 2026-02-23: Signed by the Speaker (House) - 2026-02-19: House concurred with Senate amendments; Roll Call 295: yeas 93, nays 0 (House) - 2026-02-19: Motion to concur filed (House) - 2026-02-18: Returned to the House with amendments (Senate) - 2026-02-17: Third reading: passed; Roll Call 176: yeas 45, nays 0 (Senate) - 2026-02-16: Amendment #1 (Walker K) prevailed; voice vote (Senate) - 2026-02-16: Senator Yoder added as cosponsor (Senate) - 2026-02-16: Senator Hunley added as cosponsor (Senate) - 2026-02-16: Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed (Senate) - 2026-02-12: Senator Randolph added as cosponsor (Senate) - 2026-02-12: Senator Qaddoura added as third sponsor (Senate) - 2026-02-12: Committee report: do pass, adopted (Senate) - 2026-01-26: First reading: referred to Committee on Insurance and Financial Institutions (Senate) - 2026-01-21: Referred to the Senate (House) - 2026-01-20: Third reading: passed; Roll Call 54: yeas 92, nays 0 (House) - 2026-01-20: Senate sponsors: Senators Walker K, Crider (House) - 2026-01-15: Second reading: ordered engrossed (House) - 2026-01-13: Committee report: do pass, adopted (House) - 2026-01-08: Representative Davis added as coauthor (House) - 2026-01-05: Representatives Lawson, Goss-Reaves added as coauthors (House) - 2025-12-02: First reading: referred to Committee on Insurance (House) - 2025-12-02: Authored by Representative Pressel (House) ## Bill text - Engrossed House Bill (H): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/HB1044/versions/HB1044.04.ENGS?format=pdf) - Enrolled House Bill (H): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/HB1044/versions/HB1044.05.ENRS?format=pdf) - House Bill (S): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/HB1044/versions/HB1044.02.COMH?format=pdf), [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/HB1044/versions/HB1044.03.COMS?format=pdf) - Introduced House Bill (H): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/HB1044/versions/HB1044.01.INTR?format=pdf) ## Related bills - HB 1277: Health and human services matters. (signed) - HB 1266: Department of education and education matters. (signed) - HB 1210: Department of local government finance. (signed) - HB 1249: Various criminal law matters. (signed) - HB 1200: Bureau of motor vehicles. (signed) - HB 1115: Homeowners association governance. (signed) ## Sources - [Engrossed House Bill (H) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/HB1044/versions/HB1044.04.ENGS?format=pdf) - [Enrolled House Bill (H) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/HB1044/versions/HB1044.05.ENRS?format=pdf) - [House Bill (S) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/HB1044/versions/HB1044.02.COMH?format=pdf) - [House Bill (S) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/HB1044/versions/HB1044.03.COMS?format=pdf) - [Introduced House Bill (H) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/HB1044/versions/HB1044.01.INTR?format=pdf) ## Related - [HB 1277: Health and human services matters.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-HB1277-2026) - [HB 1266: Department of education and education matters.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-HB1266-2026) - [HB 1210: Department of local government finance.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-HB1210-2026) - [HB 1249: Various criminal law matters.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-HB1249-2026) - [HB 1200: Bureau of motor vehicles.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-HB1200-2026) - [HB 1115: Homeowners association governance.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-HB1115-2026) - [Indiana bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/indiana/bills) - [Indiana state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/indiana) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-HB1044-2026 (as of 2026-11-01).