STATEHOUSE (April 23, 2026) – The governor recently ceremonially signed into law legislation authored by State Rep. Bob Behning (R-Indianapolis) that reduces Indiana's K-12 regulations by thousands of words, a House Republican priority effort that started last year.
House Enrolled Act 1004 removes restrictive, redundant and unnecessary statutory requirements across state and local education entities, and cleans up conflicting definitions, confusing compliance requirements, and unused programs and funds throughout Indiana code. Behning said the goal is to reduce the number of regulations schools must navigate so they can focus more on educating our children.
"Our education regulations became so bloated that it was negatively impacting schools' ability to focus on the primary objective of teaching their students," said Behning, chair of the House Education Committee. "I've spent the last couple of years working with stakeholders from across the state to modernize these statutes, so educators spend less time on paperwork and more on educating the next generation of Hoosiers."
Last year, Behning authored a law that removed outdated and duplicate text in Indiana's education statutes to give schools more control over local decisions. That law decreased Indiana's education regulations by more than 35,000 words. With HEA 1004 this year, thousands of additional words were removed from code.
Additionally, under the new law the Indiana State Board of Education will coordinate with other state agencies on establishing a long-term plan for career and technical education, including future employment opportunities and labor force demand, analyzing technological and economic changes and providing recommendations to improve program access. This follows House Republicans passing a law in 2023 that Behning co-authored to establish new high school diploma options giving students more flexibility in their education, as well as scholarships for high school students who want to pursue work-based learning and credentials.
To learn more about other new laws passed during the 2026 legislative session, visit iga.in.gov.
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State Rep. Bob Behning (R-Indianapolis) represents House District 91,
which includes a portion of Marion County.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
PHOTO CAPTION: State Rep. Bob Behning (R-Indianapolis) (second from right) joins Gov. Mike Braun (seated) for a ceremonial signing of Behning's legislation to reduce Indiana's K-12 regulations on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at the Statehouse. Also pictured are bill sponsors Sen. Jeff Raatz (R-Richmond) (far left) and Linda Rogers (R-Granger) (second from left) and bill co-author Hunter Smith (R-Zionsville) (standing behind Braun).
