# Indiana SB 161: Education matters.

Indiana SB 161, Education matters., is a Second Regular Session 124th General Assembly (2026) Senate bill sponsored by Jeff Raatz (Republican); status failed, last action 2026-02-12 (Representative Davis added as cosponsor); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB161-2026
- As of: 2026-11-01
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Indiana SB 161
- State: Indiana
- Session: Second Regular Session 124th General Assembly (2026)
- Title: Education matters.
- Status: failed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2026-01-05
- Last action: 2026-02-12, Representative Davis added as cosponsor
- Sponsor: Jeff Raatz (Republican)
- Cosponsors: 5
- Subjects: education and career development, tax and fiscal policy, the house, education
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 1 (42 yes, 2 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 0

## Summary

Requires the Indiana department of education to elect to participate as a covered state in the federal tax credit scholarship program for elementary and secondary education under Section 25F of the Internal Revenue Code (enacted in Public Law 119-21, commonly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025). Makes conforming changes to the school scholarship tax credit in current law. Requires the governor and the department of workforce development, in consultation with the commission for higher education, to: (1) establish a process to identify eligible workforce training programs; (2) establish a process for institutions and programs to apply for recognition as an eligible workforce training program; (3) coordinate certain workforce training matters; and (4) require eligible workforce training programs to provide certain datasets to the department. Provides that the department of workforce development must maintain alignment with federal rules governing workforce Pell grants.

## Bill overview

No economic impacts identified for this bill.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Jeff Raatz (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Chris Garten (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Julie McGuire (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Linda Rogers (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Michelle Davis (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Robert Behning (Republican), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-01-26 | Senate | Third reading: passed | pass | 42 | 2 |   |

## Actions (15)

- 2026-02-12: Representative Davis added as cosponsor (House)
- 2026-02-12: Recommitted to Committee on Ways and Means pursuant to House Rule 126.3 (House)
- 2026-02-12: Committee report: amend do pass, adopted (House)
- 2026-01-28: First reading: referred to Committee on Education (House)
- 2026-01-27: Referred to the House (Senate)
- 2026-01-26: Cosponsor: Representative McGuire (Senate)
- 2026-01-26: House sponsor: Representative Behning (Senate)
- 2026-01-26: Third reading: passed; Roll Call 74: yeas 42, nays 2 (Senate)
- 2026-01-22: Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed (Senate)
- 2026-01-22: Amendment #1 (Raatz) prevailed; voice vote (Senate)
- 2026-01-20: Committee report: do pass, adopted (Senate)
- 2026-01-15: Committee report: amend do pass adopted; reassigned to Committee on Tax and Fiscal Policy (Senate)
- 2026-01-12: Senator Garten added as third author (Senate)
- 2026-01-05: First reading: referred to Committee on Education and Career Development (Senate)
- 2026-01-05: Authored by Senators Raatz, Rogers (Senate)

## Bill text

- Engrossed Senate Bill (H): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0161/versions/SB0161.04.ENGS?format=pdf)
- Introduced Senate Bill (S): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0161/versions/SB0161.01.INTR?format=pdf)
- Senate Bill (H): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0161/versions/SB0161.05.COMH?format=pdf)
- Senate Bill (S): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0161/versions/SB0161.02.COMS?format=pdf), [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0161/versions/SB0161.03.COMS?format=pdf)

## Related bills

- SB 80: Code publication. (signed)
- HB 1424: Farm and homestead food sales. (signed)
- HB 1406: Tax and fiscal matters. (signed)
- 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)

## Sources
- [Engrossed Senate Bill (H) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0161/versions/SB0161.04.ENGS?format=pdf)
- [Introduced Senate Bill (S) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0161/versions/SB0161.01.INTR?format=pdf)
- [Senate Bill (H) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0161/versions/SB0161.05.COMH?format=pdf)
- [Senate Bill (S) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0161/versions/SB0161.02.COMS?format=pdf)
- [Senate Bill (S) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0161/versions/SB0161.03.COMS?format=pdf)

## Related
- [SB 80: Code publication.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB80-2026)
- [HB 1424: Farm and homestead food sales.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-HB1424-2026)
- [HB 1406: Tax and fiscal matters.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-HB1406-2026)
- [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)
- [Indiana bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/indiana/bills)
- [Indiana state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/indiana)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB161-2026 (as of 2026-11-01).