HB 1342: County commissioner districts. - Indiana

House Bill (H) → House Bill (S) · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to move the public hearing requirement for new district boundaries from an unspecified time to a 'regular meeting,' ensuring the process occurs during standard legislative sessions. The document was also updated to reflect Senate sponsorship and the bill's progression through the Senate, changing its status from a House Bill to an Engrossed version.

Scope change

The bill's substantive scope regarding district creation remains unchanged, but the procedural requirement for public hearings is now explicitly tied to regular meetings.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the requirement for holding a public hearing to occur 'during a regular meeting' instead of an unspecified time before the ordinance is adopted.

TIMELINE

Added Senate action history and sponsorship details, indicating the bill has passed both the House and Senate.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill number designation from HB to EH (Engrossed House) and changed the date from January 22, 2026, to February 17, 2026.

Enrolled House Bill (H) → House Bill (H) · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill transitions from a House Bill to an Enrolled Act, indicating it has passed both legislative chambers and is ready for the Governor's signature. The substantive content remains focused on updating election laws, specifically regarding committee reporting requirements and redistricting commission composition.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains unchanged as it pertains to Indiana election procedures and legislative committee operations.

TECHNICAL

The document structure changed from a draft House Bill to an official Enrolled Act, including updated headers, dates, and the addition of a legislative digest summarizing the bill's purpose.

The text of the bill itself appears to be identical in substance, with the primary differences being formatting, line numbers, and the inclusion of official legislative metadata in the enrolled version.

Engrossed House Bill (H) → Enrolled House Bill (H) · 1 edit · Mar 4, 2026

MINOR

The document changed from an 'Engrossed House Bill' to an 'Enrolled House Bill', indicating the legislation has been fully approved by both the House and Senate and is ready to be signed by the Governor. The substantive text of the bill remains unchanged, focusing on urging the legislative council to study county redistricting processes and committee reporting requirements.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; the text of the enacted law is identical to the previous version.

TECHNICAL

The document header and metadata were updated to reflect the final 'Enrolled' status, including the addition of signatures from the Speaker, Senate President, and Governor, and the removal of committee report details and sponsor names.

Engrossed House Bill (S) → Engrossed House Bill (H) · 4 edits · Feb 25, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was amended to shift its primary focus from mandating county redistricting to urging the legislative council to study the process. Additionally, a section regarding the Little Calumet River commission was expanded to include specific professional background requirements for members.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed from requiring immediate action on county district boundaries to recommending a study on how those boundaries should be established.

REQUIREMENT

The requirement for the county executive to adopt district boundaries was removed and replaced with a directive to study whether such a process should be implemented.

The bill now urges the legislative council to assign a study committee to investigate the establishment and revision of districts.

Membership requirements for the Little Calumet River commission were expanded to require members to have backgrounds in construction, project management, or flood control.

Additional appointment rules were added for the Little Calumet River commission, specifying nominations by mayors of Hammond and Gary.

Introduced House Bill (H) → Engrossed House Bill (S) · 4 edits · Feb 25, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was significantly amended to change its effective date from January 1, 2027, to July 1, 2026, and to update the deadline for redrawing county commissioner districts from December 31, 2027, to December 31, 2030. The digest was also updated to reflect new legal citations and to clarify that the county executive must adopt an ordinance dividing the county into three districts after the 2030 deadline.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include specific exceptions for various state boards and commissions that are exempt from certain redistricting requirements, and the timeline for implementation was extended by several years.

TIMELINE

The effective date of the bill was moved forward to July 1, 2026, and the deadline for redrawing county districts was extended to December 31, 2030.

REQUIREMENT

New requirements were added mandating that the county executive publish proposed district boundaries and hold a public hearing before adopting an ordinance.

ELIGIBILITY

A list of specific state boards and commissions (such as the governor's workforce cabinet and education boards) was added as exceptions to the redistricting rules.

TECHNICAL

The legal citations in the digest were updated to reflect the new code sections and the bill's revised status.

County commissioner districts.

What changed between versions

How they voted

Actions timeline

Sponsors