# Indiana SB 249: State chemist. Indiana SB 249, State chemist., is a Second Regular Session 124th General Assembly (2026) Senate bill sponsored by Jean Leising (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-02-24 (Signed by the Governor) (as of 2026-11-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB249-2026 - 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 249 - State: Indiana - Session: Second Regular Session 124th General Assembly (2026) - Title: State chemist. - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-01-08 - Last action: 2026-02-24, Signed by the Governor - Sponsor: Jean Leising (Republican) - Cosponsors: 4 - Subjects: agriculture, the house, agriculture and rural development - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 2 (142 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 11 ## Summary Codifies animal food administrative rules. Defines or amends certain terms. Codifies certain requirements and processes for commercial feed and pet food with respect to: (1) label format; (2) label information; (3) express guarantees; (4) suitability; (5) ingredients; (6) directions for use and precautionary statements; (7) nonprotein nitrogen; (8) drug and feed additives; (9) adulterants; (10) good manufacturing practices; (11) payment of inspection fees; (12) interstate exclusion; and (13) commercial feed licenses. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Clearer ingredient lists for pet owners: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, pet food ingredient lists must use recognized or common names, ordered from most to least by weight. Ingredients must appear together in the same type size, without brand names or quality grades. Meat and meat byproducts must name their animal source, except those from cattl… - Clearer labels for commercial feed buyers: benefit, low. Indiana requires commercial feed names to match their use, and highlighted ingredients must have stated amounts. Most labels must list ingredients, nutrition guarantees, directions, warnings, the maker's address, and package quantity. Beginning July 1, 2026, guarantees follow set units and formats,… - Limits on nitrogen substitutes in feed: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, specified nonprotein nitrogen ingredients can count as protein only in feed for ruminants, such as cattle. In other animals' feed, they can supply other nutrients, but their equivalent crude protein cannot exceed 1.25% of the daily ration. Those labels must identify the ingr… - Pet nutrition claims need stronger support: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, pet food nutrition claims need recognized nutrient profiles, feeding tests, validated product-family procedures, or applicable scientific support. Limited-purpose claims must state their limits; comparisons with recognized nutrient profiles count as guarantees and require me… - Safer additives in animal feed: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, feed with drugs or listed additives needs understandable safe-use directions, precautions, and required federal label information. Special-diet and supplement feeds also need directions and precautions for safe, effective use. Officials can require evidence supporting the la… - Standard calorie labels for pet owners: benefit, low. Dog and cat food calorie statements remain optional unless another rule requires them. Statements must appear separately under “Calorie Content,” showing metabolizable energy in kilocalories per kilogram as sold; household measures are optional. Makers can use the modified Atwater formula or a reco… - Stronger checks on feed nutrition claims: benefit, low. Indiana's State Chemist can request labels after complaints, testing problems, label violations, or applications from makers with unobserved labeling practices. Beginning July 1, 2026, feed makers must accurately label nutrition; customer-formula feed is exempt. When officials reasonably doubt nutr… - Indiana removes older feed rule requirements: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Indiana voids feed rules 355 IAC 6-1 and 355 IAC 6-2 and requires their removal. The repeal provision expires July 1, 2027, but does not say the rules return. The law also removes a specified State Chemist duty to adopt medicated-feed manufacturing rules. Drug-containing fee… - Pet food guarantees gain clearer limits: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, pet food nutrition guarantees must follow set formats and cannot use sliding ranges like “15–18%.” Mineral and vitamin supplements must guarantee minimum levels for all such nutrients supplied by sources listed in their ingredients. Protein, fat, and fiber guarantees can be… - Some feed businesses get labeling exemptions: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, listed raw materials, including hay and raw meat, fall outside commercial-feed rules when unground and unmixed. Exclusions also cover listed chemicals, loose salt, and unmanipulated human-food processing byproducts with more than 90% moisture. Qualifying feeds can omit guara… - Weed seed safeguards for feed buyers: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, makers must grind and treat screenings and grain or seed byproducts containing weed seeds. Finished products can contain no viable prohibited noxious weed seeds, at most 50 restricted seeds per pound, and 100 other seeds per pound. Whole-seed wild-bird mixes can omit protein… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Jean Leising (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Kendell Culp (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Mike Aylesworth (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Scott Alexander (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Susan Glick (Republican), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-02-10 | House | Third reading: passed | pass | 96 | 0 | | | 2026-01-20 | Senate | Third reading: passed | pass | 46 | 0 | | ## Actions (21) - 2026-02-24: Signed by the Governor (Senate) - 2026-02-24: Public Law 16 (Senate) - 2026-02-19: Signed by the President of the Senate (Senate) - 2026-02-18: Signed by the Speaker (House) - 2026-02-12: Signed by the President Pro Tempore (Senate) - 2026-02-11: Returned to the Senate without amendments (House) - 2026-02-10: Third reading: passed; Roll Call 231: yeas 96, nays 0 (House) - 2026-02-09: Second reading: ordered engrossed (House) - 2026-02-05: Committee report: do pass, adopted (House) - 2026-01-28: First reading: referred to Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (House) - 2026-01-22: Referred to the House (Senate) - 2026-01-21: Cosponsor: Representative Aylesworth (Senate) - 2026-01-21: House sponsor: Representative Culp (Senate) - 2026-01-20: Third reading: passed; Roll Call 40: yeas 46, nays 0 (Senate) - 2026-01-15: Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed (Senate) - 2026-01-15: Amendment #1 (Leising) prevailed; voice vote (Senate) - 2026-01-15: Senator Alexander added as third author (Senate) - 2026-01-15: Senator Glick added as second author (Senate) - 2026-01-13: Committee report: do pass, adopted (Senate) - 2026-01-08: First reading: referred to Committee on Agriculture (Senate) - 2026-01-08: Authored by Senator Leising (Senate) ## Bill text - Engrossed Senate Bill (H): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0249/versions/SB0249.03.ENGS?format=pdf) - Enrolled Senate Bill (S): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0249/versions/SB0249.05.ENRH?format=pdf) - Introduced Senate Bill (S): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0249/versions/SB0249.01.INTR?format=pdf) - Senate Bill (S): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0249/versions/SB0249.02.COMS?format=pdf), [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0249/versions/SB0249.04.COMH?format=pdf) ## Related bills - SB 239: Various education matters. (signed) - SB 204: Various education matters. (signed) - SB 179: Indiana department of transportation. (signed) - SB 185: Alcohol and tobacco matters. (signed) - SB 80: Code publication. (signed) - HB 1424: Farm and homestead food sales. (signed) ## Sources - [Engrossed Senate Bill (H) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0249/versions/SB0249.03.ENGS?format=pdf) - [Enrolled Senate Bill (S) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0249/versions/SB0249.05.ENRH?format=pdf) - [Introduced Senate Bill (S) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0249/versions/SB0249.01.INTR?format=pdf) - [Senate Bill (S) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0249/versions/SB0249.02.COMS?format=pdf) - [Senate Bill (S) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0249/versions/SB0249.04.COMH?format=pdf) ## Related - [SB 239: Various education matters.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB239-2026) - [SB 204: Various education matters.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB204-2026) - [SB 179: Indiana department of transportation.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB179-2026) - [SB 185: Alcohol and tobacco matters.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB185-2026) - [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) - [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-SB249-2026 (as of 2026-11-01).