SB 161 Indiana Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Education matters.

Summary

Requires the Indiana department of education to elect to participate as a covered state in the federal tax credit scholarship program for elementary and secondary education under Section 25F of the Internal Revenue Code (enacted in Public Law 119-21, commonly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025). Makes conforming changes to the school scholarship tax credit in current law. Requires the governor and the department of workforce development, in consultation with the commission for higher education, to: (1) establish a process to identify eligible workforce training programs; (2) establish a process for institutions and programs to apply for recognition as an eligible workforce training program; (3) coordinate certain workforce training matters; and (4) require eligible workforce training programs to provide certain datasets to the department. Provides that the department of workforce development must maintain alignment with federal rules governing workforce Pell grants.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Jan 2026

House Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 5, 2026 Last action Feb 12, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

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

MINOR

The bill was updated from a Senate version to a House-engrossed version, incorporating changes required for the bill to pass both chambers. The most significant substantive change is the addition of House sponsors to the bill's header, reflecting the collaborative effort between the Senate and House. Additionally, the timeline for the bill's history was updated to reflect the House's actions, including its passage in late January and subsequent referral to the Ways and Means committee in February. The text of the law itself appears to remain consistent, with only minor formatting adjustments and the inclusion of the House's specific procedural history.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's applicability remains unchanged; the differences are procedural, reflecting the bill's journey through the legislative process and the addition of House sponsors.

TIMELINE

Added House action history, including the bill's reading, amendment, and passage in the House in late January 2026, and its referral to the Committee on Ways and Means in February 2026.

SCOPE

Added the names of House sponsors (Behning, McGuire, Davis) to the bill header, indicating bipartisan or bicameral support.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill's title and digest dates to reflect the House engrossed version (February 12, 2026) and changed the bill identifier from 'SB' to 'ES' (Engrossed Senate Bill).

Floor votes · Senate Jan 26, 2026

How they voted

42–2

Passed · 4 other

Total votes 48

Jan 26, 2026

D Democratic9

5 Yea 2 Nay 2

55% Yea

R Republican39

37 Yea 2

94% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Feb 12, 2026

Committee

Recommitted to Committee on Ways and Means pursuant to House Rule 126.3

lower

Feb 12, 2026

Lower · Passed

Committee report: amend do pass, adopted

lower

Jan 26, 2026

Upper · Passed

Third reading: passed; Roll Call 74: yeas 42, nays 2

upper

Jan 22, 2026

Upper · Passed

Amendment #1 (Raatz) prevailed; voice vote

upper

Jan 20, 2026

Upper · Passed

Committee report: do pass, adopted

upper

Jan 15, 2026

Upper · Passed

Committee report: amend do pass adopted; reassigned to Committee on Tax and Fiscal Policy

upper

4 primary · 2 co-sponsors