IndianaHB 1358Second Regular Session 124th General Assembly (2026)House

Indiana department of health.

Sponsored By: Brad Barrett (Republican)

Signed by Governor

Summary

Changes the statewide standing order for the dispensing of a smoking cessation product to a tobacco, vaping, or nicotine cessation product. Amends the date by which a hospital must submit the hospital's fiscal report and patient information report to the state department. Removes a requirement that a home health aide competency evaluation program include at least 75 hours of training and 16 hours of classroom training before supervised practical training. Adds Parkinson's disease to the definition of "chronic disease" for provisions concerning the chronic disease registry. Requires: (1) the state department to maintain a trauma registry; and (2) certain health care facilities to submit data to the registry. Establishes requirements for the handling and transporting of infectious waste. Sets forth factors the state department must consider in determining the nature of and civil penalty for a violation of infectious waste requirements. Expands provisions concerning epinephrine, including provisions allowing a pharmacist to dispense and an entity to prescribe epinephrine rather than auto-injectable epinephrine. Removes the expiration of provisions concerning lead screening for children. Requires a registered manufacturer, processor, repackager, or wholesale distributor of food, drugs, or cosmetics to comply with federal regulations concerning good manufacturing practices. Allows the state health commissioner to enter and inspect the premises of the manufacturer, processor, repackager, or wholesale distributor. Permits a local health department to conduct inspections of certain manufacturers, processors, repackagers, or wholesale distributors. Amends the information a local child fatality review team and the statewide child fatality review committee may review in conducting a child fatality review. Allows a suicide and overdose fatality review team and a fetal-infant mortality review team to provide records to the state department. Requires the state department to maintain the confidentiality of these records. Requires a medical school to: (1) include nutrition education in the school's curriculum; and (2) require students to complete a rural health rotation. Voids administrative rules concerning infectious waste and the state trauma registry.

public healththe senatehealth and provider servicesappropriations

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

13 provisions identified: 7 benefits, 0 costs, 6 mixed.

Lead screening continues for young children

The law removes the December 31, 2026, expiration date for state lead-screening guidance and provider duties. Providers treating children under six must check whether they have already been screened. They must offer screening to untested children ages nine months through 71 months, but parents do not have to accept. Beginning July 1, 2026, the health department must post county-level lead data online instead of reporting annually to lawmakers. Data covers children under seven, including testing, results at or above 10 μg/dL, confirmed cases, housing risks, and hazard-removal timelines.

Emergency epinephrine access covers more forms

The law expands dispensing, storage, use, and liability protections from auto-injectors to epinephrine more generally. Standing-order recipients must finish an approved course and show a completion certificate. Pharmacists must give device-specific instructions and direct recipients to summon emergency medical services immediately before or after use. Organizations need a prescription to store supplies, must restrict access to their personnel, and must receive supplies with at least 12 months before expiration. Civil protections cover good-faith use consistent with training and orders, but exclude gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct.

Pharmacists can offer nicotine quitting products

Beginning July 1, 2026, authorized state health prescribers can issue orders or protocols for tobacco, vaping, or nicotine cessation products. These let pharmacists administer or dispense products to eligible patients. Each order must state its purpose, eligible patients, service area, procedures, and renewal timeline. Pharmacists must tell patients they need a follow-up consultation with their licensed prescriber.

Death reviews share records with privacy

Beginning July 1, 2026, child death review teams can examine emergency medical and fire department run reports. Local fetal-infant and suicide or overdose review teams can share their records with the state health department. The department must keep the shared data confidential. The department must also post maternal death review summaries, care-system recommendations, and legislative recommendations online without identifying the people reviewed.

Residents can email health project comments

Beginning July 1, 2026, residents can mail or email comments on certificate-of-need applications accepted for review. The health department must provide submission information on its website. Comments must be submitted by October 15 of the review period.

State disease registry adds Parkinson's disease

Beginning July 1, 2026, Indiana adds Parkinson's disease to the conditions covered by its chronic disease registry. This expands the registry's coverage but does not create a patient payment or a right to individual services.

Home health aide training rules ease

Beginning September 1, 2025, state law removes the separate 75-hour minimum for home health aide competency programs. It also removes the separate requirement for 16 classroom hours before supervised practical training. Programs must still follow federal standards under 42 CFR 484.80 and cover the topics required by state law.

Waste handlers face stronger safety requirements

Beginning July 1, 2026, infectious-waste generators remain responsible for containment, labeling, treatment, transport, and disposal, even when hiring services. Covered waste needs secure, suitable containers with biohazard labels and treatment before unsecured storage or final disposal. Storage areas must restrict public access, prevent pest and weather damage, and limit decay; reusable containers need disinfection unless protective liners are removed. Covered handlers must keep written procedures, document training before likely exposure, and provide records for inspection. Penalties can reach $1,000 per violation per day, with required consideration of harm, severity, responsibility, past violations, cooperation, obstruction, and fraud.

Waste transport gains options and safeguards

Beginning July 1, 2026, lawful, properly installed sanitary sewers and septic systems qualify as infectious-waste treatment methods. Waste must be treated before compaction, and transporters must protect workers and the public. Off-site shipments need labels and forms identifying applicable facilities, contacts, waste, treatment methods, and the responsible transporter. The health department must allow labels without facility names when the label information still readily identifies those facilities. Department rulemaking requires advisory committee consultation and consideration of specified agency guidance.

Hospitals must follow updated design standards

Beginning July 1, 2026, hospital and outpatient surgery-center licensing uses updated Facility Guidelines Institute and specified fire-safety codes. The health department must publish code versions and give notice before enforcing new versions. Enforcement starts no earlier than 270 days and no later than 360 days after notice, giving facilities transition time. Separate plan-review rules address submissions before and after July 1, 2025, and four listed administrative rules become void.

Trauma providers face statewide reporting rules

Beginning July 1, 2026, Indiana creates a confidential trauma registry linking injury, treatment, outcome, access, and cost data. Covered hospitals, trauma centers, rehabilitation hospitals, and patient-transporting emergency medical services must submit standardized electronic data that limits duplicate records. Admission deadlines are January–March: June 30; April–June: September 30; July–September: January 15; October–December: May 1. Ambulance providers report by the 15th day of the incident month; state agencies provide relevant data when requested. The emergency-services definition includes qualifying ambulance transports and mobile integrated healthcare, while the hospital definition excludes long-term acute care hospitals, hospitals without emergency services, and rehabilitation facilities; rehabilitation hospitals have a separate reporting duty. Missing reports can lead to loss of trauma-center status or department programs, grants, and funding. Registry information is confidential, with release limited to non-identifying statistics or disclosures otherwise allowed by state law.

Medical students must study rural health

By July 1, 2030, qualifying Indiana medical schools must include nutrition education in their courses. They must also require medical students to complete a rural health rotation. The rule applies to Indiana institutions offering graduate or postgraduate degrees in medicine.

Food businesses face stronger safety oversight

Covered Indiana food, drug, and cosmetics manufacturers, processors, repackagers, and wholesale distributors must register before operating and re-register after ownership changes. Registered food businesses must follow federal manufacturing, hazard-analysis, and preventive-control standards. Beginning July 1, 2026, state health officials can inspect registered businesses during business hours. Local health departments, including the health and hospital corporation, can conduct authorized inspections; food-business authority includes businesses with wholesale sales below 25% of gross annual Indiana food sales. The state can also inspect those businesses and end registrations for violations, subject to Indiana's administrative procedures.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsor

  • Brad Barrett

    Republican • House

Cosponsors

  • Ed Charbonneau

    Republican • Senate

  • Gregory Porter

    Democratic • House

  • James Tomes

    Republican • Senate

  • Joanna King

    Republican • House

  • Justin Busch

    Republican • Senate

  • Lonnie Randolph

    Democratic • Senate

  • Lori Goss-Reaves

    Republican • House

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 231 • No: 4

House vote • 2/25/2026

House concurred with Senate amendments

Yes: 96 • No: 0

Senate vote • 2/17/2026

Third reading: passed

Yes: 40 • No: 4

House vote • 1/28/2026

Third reading: passed

Yes: 95 • No: 0

Actions Timeline

  1. Public Law 96

    3/4/2026House
  2. Signed by the Governor

    3/4/2026House
  3. Signed by the President of the Senate

    2/27/2026Senate
  4. Signed by the President Pro Tempore

    2/27/2026Senate
  5. Signed by the Speaker

    2/26/2026House
  6. House concurred with Senate amendments; Roll Call 380: yeas 96, nays 0

    2/25/2026House
  7. Motion to concur filed

    2/25/2026House
  8. Returned to the House with amendments

    2/18/2026Senate
  9. Third reading: passed; Roll Call 193: yeas 40, nays 4

    2/17/2026Senate
  10. Senator Randolph added as cosponsor

    2/16/2026Senate
  11. Second reading: ordered engrossed

    2/16/2026Senate
  12. Committee report: amend do pass, adopted

    2/12/2026Senate
  13. Senator Tomes added as cosponsor

    2/10/2026Senate
  14. Committee report: amend do pass adopted; reassigned to Committee on Appropriations

    2/5/2026Senate
  15. First reading: referred to Committee on Health and Provider Services

    2/2/2026Senate
  16. Referred to the Senate

    1/29/2026House
  17. Senate sponsors: Senators Charbonneau, Busch

    1/28/2026House
  18. Third reading: passed; Roll Call 116: yeas 95, nays 0

    1/28/2026House
  19. Representatives King, Goss-Reaves, Porter added as coauthors

    1/22/2026House
  20. Second reading: ordered engrossed

    1/22/2026House
  21. Committee report: amend do pass, adopted

    1/20/2026House
  22. Authored by Representative Barrett

    1/8/2026House
  23. First reading: referred to Committee on Public Health

    1/8/2026House

Bill Text

  • Enrolled House Bill (H)

  • House Bill (H)

  • House Bill (S)

  • Introduced House Bill (H)

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