Indiana 2026 Regular Session Status: Enacted Bipartisan · 7 R · 2 D cosponsors

SB 171 — Family and children matters.

Last action — Signed by the Governor

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. ✓
    Passed Senate
  4. ✓
    Passed House
  5. ✓
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced January 05, 2026. Enacted.

Signed by Governor Mike Braun (Republican) on March 05, 2026.

Odds of enactment

High chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a high chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 78% · moderate confidence

  • Enacted

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 9 sponsors

    4 primary, 5 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (7 R · 2 D) — cross-party backing.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Summary

Requires the local office of the department of child services to provide notice of an adoption petition to the court in which a CHINS proceeding is open or pending. Provides that the consent to adoption may be executed or acknowledged at any time after the birth of the child in the presence of an attorney, in person, or by video conferencing. Provides that a court may grant postadoption contact privileges if the child is at least 12 months of age. (Current law requires the child to be at least two years of age.) Provides certain exceptions to confidentiality requirements. Requires the department of child services (department) to consider certain factors when evaluating an out-of-home placement for a child in a child in need of services (CHINS) case. Provides that a placement with whom a child has resided with for at least 12 months, consecutively or nonconsecutively, is presumed to be an individual who has a significant relationship with the child. Requires a court to write a formal order in certain circumstances and include specific information in the order. Provides that the objectives of the dispositional decree are not considered met solely because a court is prohibited from changing a child's placement under IC 31-34-23-6(g) and prohibits the court from considering certain information when deciding whether the objectives of the dispositional decree are met. Requires any party seeking a change in placement for certain children to file a motion with the court, provide notice to all persons affected, and inform all persons affected of the right to file a written objection within 15 days. (Current law only allows the department to file the motion for a change of placement.) Allows a court to rule on a party's motion for the change in placement without delay if exigent circumstances are alleged in the party's motion. Provides that, with certain exceptions, if a child is the subject of an adoption petition, the adoption petitioner is the child's current placement, and the adoption petitioner has been the child's placement for at least 12 months, the court shall not change the child's placement until the adoption petition has been ruled on. Provides that if the party seeking a change of placement is a parent, guardian ad litem, or a court appointed special advocate, the party must provide notice to the department of child services, and the department shall then provide notice of the motion to the child's out-of-home placement.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Signed by the Governor

  2. Public Law 116

  3. Signed by the President Pro Tempore

  4. Signed by the Speaker

  5. Signed by the President of the Senate

  6. Senate concurred with House amendments; Roll Call 279: yeas 46, nays 0

  7. Motion to concur filed

  8. Returned to the Senate with amendments

  9. Representative Morris added as cosponsor

  10. Representative Goss-Reaves added as cosponsor

  11. Third reading: passed; Roll Call 290: yeas 94, nays 0

  12. Second reading: ordered engrossed

  13. Committee report: amend do pass, adopted

  14. First reading: referred to Committee on Judiciary

  15. Referred to the House

  16. Third reading: passed; Roll Call 54: yeas 43, nays 0

  17. House sponsor: Representative McGuire

  18. Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed

  19. Amendment #1 (Johnson T) prevailed; voice vote

  20. Senator Randolph added as coauthor

  21. Senator Brown L added as third author

  22. Senator Walker G added as second author

  23. Senators Ford J.D., Donato added as coauthors

  24. Committee report: amend do pass, adopted

  25. Authored by Senator Johnson T

  26. First reading: referred to Committee on Family and Children Services

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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4 sponsors · 5 co-sponsors · 141 not signed on

Sponsors (4)

Co-sponsors (5)

Not signed on (141)

141 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 141 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

housing civil-rights labor
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does SB 171 do?
Requires the local office of the department of child services to provide notice of an adoption petition to the court in which a CHINS proceeding is open or pending. Provides that the consent to adoption may be executed or acknowledged at any time after the birth of the child in the presence of an attorney, in person, or by video conferencing. Provides that a court may grant postadoption contact privileges if the child is at least 12 months of age. (Current law requires the child to be at least two years of age.) Provides certain exceptions to confidentiality requirements. Requires the department of child services (department) to consider certain factors when evaluating an out-of-home placement for a child in a child in need of services (CHINS) case. Provides that a placement with whom a child has resided with for at least 12 months, consecutively or nonconsecutively, is presumed to be an individual who has a significant relationship with the child. Requires a court to write a formal order in certain circumstances and include specific information in the order. Provides that the objectives of the dispositional decree are not considered met solely because a court is prohibited from changing a child's placement under IC 31-34-23-6(g) and prohibits the court from considering certain information when deciding whether the objectives of the dispositional decree are met. Requires any party seeking a change in placement for certain children to file a motion with the court, provide notice to all persons affected, and inform all persons affected of the right to file a written objection within 15 days. (Current law only allows the department to file the motion for a change of placement.) Allows a court to rule on a party's motion for the change in placement without delay if exigent circumstances are alleged in the party's motion. Provides that, with certain exceptions, if a child is the subject of an adoption petition, the adoption petitioner is the child's current placement, and the adoption petitioner has been the child's placement for at least 12 months, the court shall not change the child's placement until the adoption petition has been ruled on. Provides that if the party seeking a change of placement is a parent, guardian ad litem, or a court appointed special advocate, the party must provide notice to the department of child services, and the department shall then provide notice of the motion to the child's out-of-home placement.
Who sponsors SB 171?
SB 171 is sponsored by Robert Morris (Republican), Lori Goss-Reaves (Republican), Julie McGuire (Republican), Lonnie Randolph (Democrat), Stacey Donato (Republican), J.D. Ford (Democrat), Liz Brown (Republican), Greg Walker (Republican), and Tyler Johnson (Republican).
What is the current status of SB 171?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced January 05, 2026. Enacted.
Where can I track SB 171?
Track SB 171 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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