# Indiana HB 1257: Child services matters. Indiana HB 1257, Child services matters., is a Second Regular Session 124th General Assembly (2026) House bill sponsored by Julie McGuire (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-03-04 (Public Law 84) (as of 2026-11-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-HB1257-2026 - 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 1257 - State: Indiana - Session: Second Regular Session 124th General Assembly (2026) - Title: Child services matters. - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2026-01-05 - Last action: 2026-03-04, Public Law 84 - Sponsor: Julie McGuire (Republican) - Cosponsors: 10 - Subjects: family, the senate, family and children services - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 3 (225 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 7 ## Summary 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 (department) concerning child fatalities or near fatalities in Indiana that are the result of child abuse or neglect. Requires the department to promptly disclose to the public certain information regarding child fatalities or near fatalities. Allows the department, upon request, to provide additional information regarding cases of child fatalities or near fatalities subject to certain requirements. 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. Makes technical and conforming changes. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Younger children qualify for postadoption contact: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, the minimum age for court-approved postadoption contact falls from 2 years to 12 months. The child must have a significant emotional attachment to the birth parent, and contact must serve the child's best interests. Each adoptive parent must consent, and the adoptive and bir… - Child abuse hotline recordings stay private: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, recordings of Indiana child abuse hotline calls remain confidential. Release generally requires a court order, with exceptions under the child-fatality disclosure rules. A prosecutor can also obtain a recording involved in that prosecutor's complaint through a written reques… - Shorter service limits for reuniting families: cost, high. For child-in-need-of-services petitions filed July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026, reunification services have a 15-month limit from filing. Petitions filed beginning July 1, 2026, have a 12-month limit. The limits cover parents, guardians, and custodians assigned services by the court or department, even w… - Clearer family timelines and required backup plans: mixed, high. Beginning July 1, 2026, courts must set projected return-home dates for children removed in child-in-need-of-services cases. They must also set projected dates for adoption placement, emancipation, or legal guardianship. Written findings must state remaining reunification-service time when court-or… - More official access to child welfare records: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, providers authorized to care for, treat, or supervise children can access needed unredacted child welfare records. Access must help assess the child, provider, or services for suitability before care begins. The Attorney General's Office and prosecutors can access records fo… - More public information on child deaths: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Indiana's Department of Child Services must promptly share information about abuse- or neglect-related child deaths and near deaths. Federal limits apply, and the department must protect reporters' and potential child victims' identities. After an arrest, public arrest and c… - Some abuse reports skip department assessments: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Indiana's Department of Child Services can skip assessing a report it screens out and refers to law enforcement. Both screening out and referral are required for this exception. The rule does not require the person who reported the concern to take another step. ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Julie McGuire (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Carolyn Jackson (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Daryl Schmitt (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Fady Qaddoura (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Greg Walker (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: J.D. Ford (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Linda Rogers (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Lori Goss-Reaves (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Robert Morris (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Stacey Donato (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Tyler Johnson (Republican), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-02-26 | House | House concurred with Senate amendments | pass | 84 | 0 | | | 2026-02-24 | Senate | Third reading: passed | pass | 48 | 0 | | | 2026-01-28 | House | Third reading: passed | pass | 93 | 0 | | ## Actions (26) - 2026-03-04: Public Law 84 (House) - 2026-03-04: Signed by the Governor (House) - 2026-02-27: Signed by the President of the Senate (Senate) - 2026-02-27: Signed by the President Pro Tempore (Senate) - 2026-02-26: Signed by the Speaker (House) - 2026-02-26: House concurred with Senate amendments; Roll Call 390: yeas 84, nays 0 (House) - 2026-02-25: Motion to concur filed (House) - 2026-02-24: Third reading: passed; Roll Call 243: yeas 48, nays 0 (Senate) - 2026-02-24: Returned to the House with amendments (Senate) - 2026-02-16: Second reading: ordered engrossed (Senate) - 2026-02-16: Senators Ford J.D., Qaddoura, Rogers added as cosponsors (Senate) - 2026-02-10: Senators Schmitt, Walker G added as cosponsors (Senate) - 2026-02-09: Committee report: amend do pass, adopted (Senate) - 2026-02-02: First reading: referred to Committee on Family and Children Services (Senate) - 2026-01-29: Referred to the Senate (House) - 2026-01-28: Third reading: passed; Roll Call 132: yeas 93, nays 0 (House) - 2026-01-28: Senate sponsors: Senators Donato, Johnson T (House) - 2026-01-27: Second reading: ordered engrossed (House) - 2026-01-22: Representative DeVon removed as coauthor (House) - 2026-01-22: Representative Goss-Reaves added as coauthor (House) - 2026-01-22: Committee report: amend do pass, adopted (House) - 2026-01-13: Representative Morris added as coauthor (House) - 2026-01-12: Representative Jackson C added as coauthor (House) - 2026-01-05: Coauthored by Representative DeVon (House) - 2026-01-05: First reading: referred to Committee on Family, Children and Human Affairs (House) - 2026-01-05: Authored by Representative McGuire (House) ## Bill text - Enrolled House Bill (H): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/HB1257/versions/HB1257.04.ENRS?format=pdf) - House Bill (H): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/HB1257/versions/HB1257.03.COMS?format=pdf) - House Bill (S): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/HB1257/versions/HB1257.02.COMH?format=pdf) - Introduced House Bill (H): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/HB1257/versions/HB1257.01.INTR?format=pdf) ## Related bills - HB 1266: Department of education and education matters. (signed) - HB 1277: Health and human services 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 - [Enrolled House Bill (H) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/HB1257/versions/HB1257.04.ENRS?format=pdf) - [House Bill (H) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/HB1257/versions/HB1257.03.COMS?format=pdf) - [House Bill (S) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/HB1257/versions/HB1257.02.COMH?format=pdf) - [Introduced House Bill (H) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/HB1257/versions/HB1257.01.INTR?format=pdf) ## Related - [HB 1266: Department of education and education matters.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-HB1266-2026) - [HB 1277: Health and human services matters.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-HB1277-2026) - [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-HB1257-2026 (as of 2026-11-01).