The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Indiana Bill Allows Municipalities to Petition Courts for Removal of City or Town Fiscal Officers Under Specific Conditions
Last action · February 2, 2026: First reading: referred to Committee on Local GovernmentSponsors: Ben Smaltz and 3 others
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What This Bill Proposed
Indiana House Bill 1381 allows city and town legislative bodies to petition a court to remove a municipal for charging illegal fees, failing to perform duties, missing office presence requirements, or skipping four consecutive legislative meetings, starting July 1, 2026.
Local governments gain a direct legal mechanism to remove elected or appointed s for non-performance or absenteeism, while affected officers face mandatory removal, repayment of compensation received during the lawsuit, and a $500 penalty if the court sustains the charges.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
city or town fiscal officers
Fiscal officers face potential removal, financial penalties, and repayment of compensation if found in violation of office presence, meeting attendance, or official duties.
legislative body of a city or town
Municipal legislative bodies gain the authority to hold public hearings, adopt resolutions, establish office presence policies, and petition courts to remove fiscal officers.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which municipalities are covered under this new chapter?
What defenses does a fiscal officer have against removal for office absence?
What financial penalties apply if a fiscal officer is removed?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · passed the House · in Senate committee.
Procedural history
11 actions- Feb 2, 2026SenateIntroducedFirst reading: referred to Committee on Local Government
- Jan 29, 2026HouseReferred to the Senate
- Jan 28, 2026HouseRepresentative Abbott added as coauthor
- Jan 28, 2026HouseSenate sponsor: Senator Glick
- Jan 28, 2026HouseFloorThird reading: passed; Roll Call 113: yeas 96, nays 0
- Jan 27, 2026HouseRepresentative Wesco added as coauthor
Show 5 earlier actions
- Jan 22, 2026HouseAmendment #1 (Johnson B) prevailed; voice vote
- Jan 22, 2026HouseFloorSecond reading: amended, ordered engrossed
- Jan 20, 2026HouseFloorCommittee report: do pass, adopted
- Jan 8, 2026HouseIntroducedFirst reading: referred to Committee on Local Government
- Jan 8, 2026HouseAuthored by Representative Smaltz
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Standardized Removal Framework for Local Fiscal Officers
The bill creates a dedicated chapter (IC 36-1-34.1) outlining specific procedural safeguards, public hearings, and resolution standards for removing municipal fiscal officers.
Connected Entities
Sources
iga.in.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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