The 2026 legislative session came to a close last month, and several new laws will soon take effect, impacting Hoosiers across the state. House Republicans focused on lowering costs for families, cutting government bureaucracy, strengthening protections for youth and continuing to prioritize public safety.
Lowering costs for Hoosiers means making housing and energy more affordable. House Enrolled Act 1001 expands Indiana’s housing supply by rolling back costly regulations that can slow development and drive up the price of home ownership. House Enrolled Act 1002 helps ensure energy remains affordable and reliable by establishing performance-based accountability for utilities.
Another top priority was streamlining government and reducing bureaucracy. We passed House Enrolled Act 1003 to reduce the size of government by combining, eliminating or streamlining dozens of redundant or inactive boards and commissions, The goal of House Enrolled Act 1004 was to cut red tape in education by eliminating outdated regulations and give K-12 schools more flexibility to focus resources on educating our students.
Educating our children and ensuring families have access to child care are also imperative. I supported House Enrolled Act 1177, which expands the state's employer child care tax credit for businesses providing child care options for their employees. House Enrolled Act 1408 establishes stronger safeguards for adolescents on social media, including requiring parental consent for minors, improving parents' ability to monitor activity and restricting certain addictive features.
Additionally, we took steps to further protect crime victims and support volunteer firefighters. House Enrolled Act 1250 boosts safety by requiring the Indiana Department of Correction to provide more advance notice to victims and local law enforcement when a serious violent felon is scheduled for release. As more than 70% of fire departments across Indiana are staffed by volunteers, to strengthen support for them, House Enrolled Act 1048 increases the annual clothing and automobile allowance for volunteer fire department members from $100 to $250.
While it didn't get across the finish line, I was proud to author House Bill 1204, which aimed to bolster public safety funding and support state park counties. The goal was to help counties that host state parks, recreation areas, lakes and reservoirs pay for public safety and needed improvements by adding a $1 fee to park entry.
I'm honored to continue to represent you and be your voice at the Statehouse. While the legislative session has concluded, my office remains available to help you navigate state government and hear your thoughts, questions or concerns. My office can be reached at in.gov/h62 or by calling 317-232-9978. To learn more about these new laws and others signed by the governor, click here.
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State Rep. Dave Hall (R-Norman) represents House District 62,
which includes all of Brown County, and portions of Monroe and Jackson counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
