Braun has already signed 101 pieces of legislation so far this year — 57 this week as of Thursday morning — ranging from Republican priority bills on utility regulation to a $1 billion stadium package for the Chicago Bears.
Friday is set to be the final day of the 2026 Indiana legislative session as lawmakers scramble to work out the final details on a number of bills.
House Bill 1002 requires the state’s investor-owned utilities to start low-income-customer assistance programs, bans service shutoffs in the summer and moves all customers to “levelized” billing plans.
Indiana lawmakers are considering legislation to lower housing costs by removing restrictions from the permitting process. Local governments worry the measure takes decision-making power away.
A number of bills this session are focused on the Indiana Economic Development Corp., but most of them have yet to receive a committee hearing.
Senate Bill 27 marks the Indiana Legislature’s first formal overture to the Bears organization, which has expressed an interest in leaving Illinois and has sent representatives to tour potential stadium sites in northwest Indiana.
The governor also celebrated data center development, but he said tech companies should pay for 100% of their power needs.
Rep. Andrew Ireland said he authored the bill because he’s concerned about school districts hiring lobbyists with money that could be going toward the classroom.
House Republicans are emphasizing affordability through deregulation in their legislative priorities. The measures center on local zoning laws for housing, new methods of utility ratemaking and cutting down on code in education.
The proposed legislation would allow Indiana municipalities to collect more income taxes, in most cases, and would remove requirements that income tax rates be voted on each year.
On Tuesday, Braun signed an executive order to reconstitute the Indiana Workforce Development Board, which was dissolved earlier this year.
Groups including the Corydon Group, the Indiana Motor Truck Association, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and the Indiana Manufacturers Association are banding together to advocate for pro-business reforms.
Senate Bill 110 would revert the board’s makeup to what it looked like before the 2025 legislative session, with five governor-appointed members, three alumni-elected members and one student representative.
In an interview Tuesday, Braun talked about the possible ramification’s of Indiana’s redistricting decision, how he plans to work with lawmakers moving forward and other priorities ahead of the remainder of the legislative session.
No legislation seeking to put a casino in Indianapolis has been introduced this session so far, but Sen. Aaron Freeman, R-Indianapolis, said he will carry a bill to that effect.
The start of the 2026 legislative session comes after months of political pressure from the White House for GOP-controlled states to reconfigure maps to favor Republicans ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
Just hours before the House was set to convene and discuss mid-decade redistricting, the chamber released a draft of how Indiana’s Republican supermajority may change the state’s congressional districts.
After months of speculation and pressure from the Trump administration, Indiana Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray announced Friday that his chamber will not meet in December to consider redrawing the state’s Congressional maps.
Energy startup First American Nuclear plans to spend $4 billion and create 5,000 jobs in Indiana in the coming decade as it pursues building a nuclear plant powered by small modular reactors.
Indiana lawmakers will take up redistricting discussions next month, Statehouse leaders announced Monday.