# Indiana SB 162: Department of workforce development. Indiana SB 162, Department of workforce development., is a Second Regular Session 124th General Assembly (2026) Senate bill sponsored by Linda Rogers (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-03-05 (Signed by the Governor); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB162-2026 - 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 162 - State: Indiana - Session: Second Regular Session 124th General Assembly (2026) - Title: Department of workforce development. - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-01-05 - Last action: 2026-03-05, Signed by the Governor - Sponsor: Linda Rogers (Republican) - Cosponsors: 8 - Subjects: pensions and labor, the house, employment - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 3 (191 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 9 ## Summary Removes vacation pay and sick pay from the definition of "deductible income". Amends the definition of "suitable work" to apply solely to extended benefit claims. Amends the definition of "employment" with respect to certain religious, charitable, or educational organizations. Provides that the department of workforce development may make certain direct deposit disbursements under limited circumstances. Provides that the date a determination of eligibility is sent is prima facie evidence of proper service. Codifies certain administrative rules with respect to benefit payments, the filing of claims, and notice. Removes outdated or expired provisions. Removes references to dependents' allowances for purposes of calculating extended benefits. Provides that an individual who files a disaster unemployment assistance claim may be eligible for additional benefits under certain circumstances. Makes conforming changes. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Broader unemployment coverage for nonprofit workers: benefit, medium. Beginning July 1, 2026, certain religious, charitable, educational, and similar organizations can count workers outside Indiana toward unemployment coverage. The test requires four or more workers for part of a day in each of 20 different weeks. Those weeks must fall in the current or preceding cal… - Extra unemployment weeks after major disasters: benefit, medium. Beginning July 1, 2026, qualifying workers can receive 13 additional weeks of unemployment benefits after a major disaster. They must have established a federal disaster assistance claim or a state unemployment claim directly caused by the disaster. Regular and disaster benefits must be exhausted o… - Sick and vacation pay protect benefits: benefit, medium. Beginning July 1, 2026, sick pay and vacation pay do not reduce weekly unemployment benefits. This lets claimants keep more benefits in weeks when they receive either type of pay. - Families can claim unpaid unemployment benefits: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, an estate’s executor or administrator can receive unemployment benefits owed to someone who died. Eligible next of kin can receive payment when no executor exists and no administrator has been or likely will be appointed. Applications must be written on the required form wit… - Limits on workers’ unemployment benefit totals: cost, medium. Beginning July 1, 2026, extra payments needed to reach the minimum weekly benefit do not raise a claimant’s total benefit limit. Partial unemployment benefits equal the statutory minimum minus income counted against benefits. After specified penalty suspensions end, the claimant’s actual calculated… - Repeat claimants face work requirements: cost, medium. Workers who received unemployment benefits in the immediately preceding benefit year must pass a work-and-earnings test for a new year. Since the start of that prior year, they must have worked in covered employment during at least eight weeks. They must also have earned at least eight times their… - Tighter unemployment claim and banking rules: cost, medium. Beginning July 1, 2026, claimants must provide a Social Security number before the workforce agency determines their benefit amount. During the benefit period, they cannot cancel, withdraw, or change the filing date of valid initial, reopened, or additional claims. Exceptions cover agency staff err… - Employers face unemployment penalties and reporting: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, late required unemployment reports or payments trigger a 2-percentage-point rate increase, subject to statutory exceptions. The deadline is 31 days after the rate computation date or 10 days after a later written delinquency notice. Rates cannot exceed 12%, and the agency ca… - Job standards shape extended unemployment eligibility: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, suitable-work rules apply to extended unemployment claims and depend on the agency’s job-prospect classification. Claimants with good job prospects face the referenced state-law standard; others must be physically and mentally able to perform the work. Exclusions protect aga… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Linda Rogers (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Becky Cash (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Blake Doriot (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: David Niezgodski (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Heath VanNatter (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Jake Teshka (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Lonnie Randolph (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Rodney Pol (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Victoria Garcia Wilburn (Democratic), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-02-25 | Senate | Senate concurred with House amendments | pass | 48 | 0 | | | 2026-02-24 | House | Third reading: passed | pass | 97 | 0 | | | 2026-01-20 | Senate | Third reading: passed | pass | 46 | 0 | | ## Actions (28) - 2026-03-05: Signed by the Governor (Senate) - 2026-03-05: Public Law 113 (Senate) - 2026-02-27: Signed by the President of the Senate (Senate) - 2026-02-27: Signed by the Speaker (House) - 2026-02-27: Signed by the President Pro Tempore (Senate) - 2026-02-25: Senate concurred with House amendments; Roll Call 294: yeas 48, nays 0 (Senate) - 2026-02-25: Motion to concur filed (Senate) - 2026-02-25: Returned to the Senate with amendments (House) - 2026-02-24: Third reading: passed; Roll Call 343: yeas 97, nays 0 (House) - 2026-02-23: Second reading: ordered engrossed (House) - 2026-02-18: Committee report: amend do pass, adopted (House) - 2026-02-12: Recommitted to Committee on Ways and Means pursuant to House Rule 126.3 (House) - 2026-02-12: Representative Cash added as cosponsor (House) - 2026-02-12: Committee report: amend do pass, adopted (House) - 2026-01-28: First reading: referred to Committee on Employment, Labor and Pensions (House) - 2026-01-22: Referred to the House (Senate) - 2026-01-20: Cosponsors: Representatives VanNatter, Garcia Wilburn (Senate) - 2026-01-20: House sponsor: Representative Teshka (Senate) - 2026-01-20: Senator Pol added as coauthor (Senate) - 2026-01-20: Third reading: passed; Roll Call 38: yeas 46, nays 0 (Senate) - 2026-01-15: Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed (Senate) - 2026-01-15: Senator Randolph added as coauthor (Senate) - 2026-01-15: Amendment #1 (Rogers) prevailed; voice vote (Senate) - 2026-01-08: Committee report: amend do pass, adopted (Senate) - 2026-01-08: Senator Niezgodski added as coauthor (Senate) - 2026-01-05: Senator Doriot added as second author (Senate) - 2026-01-05: First reading: referred to Committee on Pensions and Labor (Senate) - 2026-01-05: Authored by Senator Rogers (Senate) ## Bill text - Engrossed Senate Bill (H): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0162/versions/SB0162.03.ENGS?format=pdf) - Enrolled Senate Bill (S): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0162/versions/SB0162.06.ENRH?format=pdf) - Introduced Senate Bill (S): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0162/versions/SB0162.01.INTR?format=pdf) - Senate Bill (H): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0162/versions/SB0162.04.COMH?format=pdf) - Senate Bill (S): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0162/versions/SB0162.02.COMS?format=pdf), [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0162/versions/SB0162.05.COMH?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/SB0162/versions/SB0162.03.ENGS?format=pdf) - [Enrolled Senate Bill (S) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0162/versions/SB0162.06.ENRH?format=pdf) - [Introduced Senate Bill (S) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0162/versions/SB0162.01.INTR?format=pdf) - [Senate Bill (H) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0162/versions/SB0162.04.COMH?format=pdf) - [Senate Bill (S) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0162/versions/SB0162.02.COMS?format=pdf) - [Senate Bill (S) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0162/versions/SB0162.05.COMH?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) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB162-2026 (as of 2026-11-01).