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SB 182INDIANASession 2026State Billdead
Did Not Advance

Indiana Senate Bill 182 Defines Sex in Statutes, Sets Restroom and Facility Rules, and Establishes Civil Penalties

Original title: Gender issues.

Last action · February 3, 2026: Representative Isa added as cosponsorSponsors: Liz Brown and 8 others

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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What This Bill Proposed

Indiana Senate Bill 182 establishes statutory definitions for female, male, gender, and sex, and requires public schools, state universities, and correctional facilities to restrict multiple-occupancy restrooms, changing areas, and sleeping quarters based on sex at birth, effective July 1, 2026. The measure permits civil actions against schools or state institutions that allow violations or fail to prohibit them. Additionally, it regulates birth certificate markers, amendments, and paternity additions.

Why it matters

Schools, state educational institutions, and the department of correction must alter facility designations, housing assignments, and student overnight sleeping arrangements, while individuals gain the right to file civil suits within two years for specified violations involving restroom or sleeping-quarter policies.

Background
  • Senate Bill 182 was introduced in the Indiana Senate during the 2026 legislative session and assigned to the Committee on Health and Provider Services. context
  • The bill addresses statutory definitions of sex and gender and regulates access to public school restrooms and correctional facility housing. context

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.

Directly affected

Public school and charter school students

Students must use multiple-occupancy restrooms, changing areas, and sleeping quarters corresponding strictly to their sex at birth.

Directly affected

State educational institution students

University and college students are subject to exclusive sex-based designations for multiple-occupancy facilities and campus housing sleeping quarters.

Directly affected

Department of Correction offenders

Directly affected

Local health officers

Local health officers are required to permanently record and mark an individual's sex as male or female from birth certificates.

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

What does the bill establish as the legal definitions of male and female?
The bill defines a female as an individual who naturally has, had, will have, or would have (except for anomalies or disruptions) a reproductive system that produces, transports, and utilizes eggs for fertilization, and a male as one with a system that produces, transports, and utilizes sperm.
How does the bill affect public school restrooms and changing areas?
Public schools, charter schools, and state educational institutions must designate each multiple-occupancy restroom or changing area for the exclusive use of either the male sex or the female sex based on sex at birth.
Are there any exceptions for sharing sleeping quarters with members of the opposite sex?
Yes, schools and state educational institutions cannot require students to share sleeping quarters with a member of the opposite sex unless that individual is a member of the student's family.
What legal recourse is available if a school violates these restroom or sleeping quarter rules?
An individual who encounters a violation or is directly or indirectly injured may bring a civil action against the school corporation or institution within two years of the violation to seek injunctive relief, declaratory judgment, costs, and attorney's fees.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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Where This Stands

This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · passed the Senate · in House committee.

Procedural history

16 actions
  1. Feb 3, 2026House
    Representative Isa added as cosponsor
  2. Feb 2, 2026House
    Representative Abbott added as cosponsor
  3. Jan 29, 2026HouseIntroduced
    First reading: referred to Committee on Public Health
  4. Jan 28, 2026Senate
    Referred to the House
  5. Jan 27, 2026Senate
    Senator Young M added as coauthor
  6. Jan 27, 2026Senate
    Cosponsor: Representative McGuire
Show 10 earlier actions
  1. Jan 27, 2026Senate
    House sponsor: Representative Carbaugh
  2. Jan 27, 2026SenateFloor
    Third reading: passed; Roll Call 101: yeas 37, nays 8
  3. Jan 26, 2026Senate
    Senator Byrne added as coauthor
  4. Jan 26, 2026Senate
    Amendment #2 (Deery) prevailed; voice vote
  5. Jan 26, 2026SenateFloor
    Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed
  6. Jan 22, 2026Senate
    Senator Garten added as third author
  7. Jan 22, 2026SenateFloor
    Committee report: amend do pass, adopted
  8. Jan 6, 2026Senate
    Senator Johnson T added as second author
  9. Jan 5, 2026SenateIntroduced
    First reading: referred to Committee on Health and Provider Services
  10. Jan 5, 2026Senate
    Authored by Senator Brown L

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

Liz BrownSenate · District 15RepublicanAuthor
Tyler JohnsonSenate · District 14RepublicanAuthor
Chris GartenSenate · District 45RepublicanAuthor
Martin CarbaughHouse · District 81RepublicanSponsor
Gary ByrneSenate · District 47RepublicanCoauthor
Show 4 more sponsors
Michael YoungSenateCoauthor
Julie McGuireHouse · District 93RepublicanCosponsor
David AbbottHouse · District 18RepublicanCosponsor
Tony IsaHouse · District 51RepublicanCosponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift98% confidence

Codification of Sex Definitions Across All Statutes

The bill amends general statutory construction provisions to uniformly define 'male', 'female', 'sex', and 'gender' across all Indiana laws, directly impacting corrections, health records, education, and vital statistics.

General AssemblyIndiana Department of Health

Connected Entities

Tony Isa, Michael Young, Gary Byrne and 8 more
PersonTony Isa“Representative added as cosponsor”Map →
PersonMichael Young“Senator cosponsoring SB 182”Map →
PersonGary Byrne“Senator cosponsoring SB 182”Map →
PersonJulie McGuire“Representative cosponsoring SB 182”Map →
PersonChris Garten“Senator who sponsored SB 182”Map →
OrganizationGeneral Assembly“The legislative body enacting SB 182”Map →
PersonTyler Johnson“Senator who sponsored SB 182”Map →
PersonDavid Abbott“Representative cosponsoring SB 182”Map →
PersonMartin Carbaugh“Representative who sponsored SB 182”Map →
OrganizationIndiana Department of Health“State department handling birth certificates and additions”Map →
PersonLiz Brown“Senator who sponsored SB 182”Map →

Sources

Open source document

iga.in.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance20
    Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 85)
  • Controversy90
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz75
    Current news / social attention level

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