All Roll Calls
Yes: 183 • No: 0
IndianaSB 171Second Regular Session 124th General Assembly (2026)Senate
Family and children matters.
Sponsored By: Tyler Johnson (Republican)
Became Law
family and children servicesthe housejudiciary
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
6 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 1 costs, 3 mixed.
Clear rule on ending parental rights
If the court finds the termination petition’s claims are true, it must end the parent‑child relationship. If not, it must dismiss the case and write findings that explain why.
Adoption notice and consent rules updated
The law expands who must get notice in adoption cases, including birth parents, putative fathers, some grandparents, child services, and courts in related cases. You must file proof of notice before the court sets a final hearing. If someone who was entitled to notice did not get it, they can ask the court to set aside the adoption within 45 days. Parents can sign consent after birth before a judge, lawyer, notary, or authorized agency, including by video. A mother cannot consent before birth; a father may consent before birth only by written, notarized, irrevocable consent that waives notice. You generally cannot sign a second consent unless the first plan is canceled, denied, dismissed, or properly withdrawn; for a child who is a DCS ward, DCS may sign more than one consent if it helps the child, and parents may re‑consent if the first plan fails or is not in the child’s best interest.
Relatives first and safer child placements
When a child is removed, the state first looks to place with a suitable relative or a de facto custodian. Caseworkers must try to find adult relatives and siblings and consider many best‑interest factors like permanence, school, distance, caregiver strengths, and sibling contact. Before kin placement, child services does a home visit and runs criminal history checks on people in the home. The state cannot place a child in a home with a resident who has a substantiated abuse finding or a disqualifying conviction; in limited cases, a court may still approve if the offense was not within five years, is not relevant now, and the placement is in the child’s best interest. A caregiver who has cared for the child for 12 months is presumed to have a significant bond, and courts should choose the least restrictive, family‑like setting while weighing sibling separation.
Stronger notice before moving a child
If a child has lived in the same foster or relative home for 12 months, any party who wants to change placement must file a motion. The filer must notify affected people. They have 15 days to object in writing and get a hearing. If a parent, guardian ad litem, or CASA seeks the change, they must tell child services, and child services must notify the caregiver with the 15‑day objection notice. A caregiver may waive contest and hearing rights in writing.
Postadoption contact and privacy rules
Courts can allow postadoption contact starting at 12 months old when there is a strong bond and all required consents and filings are in place. For babies under 12 months, adoptive parents and a birth parent may agree to non‑court contact like photos and updates; no visits and not enforceable. Adoption papers and records stay confidential and can be shared only as state law allows.
Written findings and discharge when goals met
When entering a dispositional decree, the court must write findings that explain the facts and best‑interest reasons. When the decree’s goals are met, the court must discharge the child and the parent, guardian, or custodian. Pending adoptions do not count as meeting goals when a placement stay applies.
Sponsors & Cosponsors
Sponsor
Tyler Johnson
Republican • Senate
Cosponsors
Greg Walker
Republican • Senate
J.D. Ford
Democratic • Senate
Julie McGuire
Republican • House
Liz Brown
Republican • Senate
Lonnie Randolph
Democratic • Senate
Lori Goss-Reaves
Republican • House
Robert Morris
Republican • House
Stacey Donato
Republican • Senate
Roll Call Votes
Senate vote • 2/25/2026
Roll Call 279 on SB0171.04.COMH.CON01
Yes: 46 • No: 0 • Other: 3
House vote • 2/19/2026
Roll Call 290 on SB0171.04.COMH
Yes: 94 • No: 0 • Other: 1
Senate vote • 1/22/2026
Roll Call 54 on SB0171.03.ENGS
Yes: 43 • No: 0 • Other: 4
Actions Timeline
Public Law 116
3/5/2026SenateSigned by the Governor
3/5/2026SenateSigned by the President Pro Tempore
2/27/2026SenateSigned by the President of the Senate
2/27/2026SenateSigned by the Speaker
2/27/2026HouseSenate concurred with House amendments; Roll Call 279: yeas 46, nays 0
2/25/2026SenateMotion to concur filed
2/23/2026SenateReturned to the Senate with amendments
2/20/2026HouseRepresentative Morris added as cosponsor
2/19/2026HouseRepresentative Goss-Reaves added as cosponsor
2/19/2026HouseThird reading: passed; Roll Call 290: yeas 94, nays 0
2/19/2026HouseSecond reading: ordered engrossed
2/18/2026HouseCommittee report: amend do pass, adopted
2/16/2026HouseFirst reading: referred to Committee on Judiciary
1/28/2026HouseReferred to the House
1/23/2026SenateThird reading: passed; Roll Call 54: yeas 43, nays 0
1/22/2026SenateHouse sponsor: Representative McGuire
1/22/2026SenateSecond reading: amended, ordered engrossed
1/20/2026SenateAmendment #1 (Johnson T) prevailed; voice vote
1/20/2026SenateSenator Randolph added as coauthor
1/20/2026SenateSenator Brown L added as third author
1/13/2026SenateSenator Walker G added as second author
1/13/2026SenateSenators Ford J.D., Donato added as coauthors
1/13/2026SenateCommittee report: amend do pass, adopted
1/12/2026SenateFirst reading: referred to Committee on Family and Children Services
1/5/2026Senate
Bill Text
Engrossed Senate Bill (H)
Enrolled Senate Bill (S)
Introduced Senate Bill (S)
Senate Bill (S)