HB 1256

                                         *HB1256.2*
                                                             Reprinted
                                                      January 28, 2026
         HOUSE BILL No. 1256
               _____
  DIGEST OF HB 1256 (Updated January 27, 2026 5:29 pm - DI 149)
Citations Affected: IC 3-9; IC 36-1.
Synopsis: Campaign finance reports of local candidates. Requires the
circuit court clerk of each county to place a copy of each campaign
finance report, notice, or other instrument filed with the county election
board on the circuit court clerk's or county election board's website in
portable document format. Allows certain covered persons to submit
a written request to a county, municipality, or township to restrict
access to the covered person's home address in a confidential
document. Requires a county, municipality, or township to establish
certain processes to prevent a member of the public from gaining
access to the home address of a covered person.
Effective: July 1, 2026.
  Clere, Dant Chesser, Pierce K,
             Pressel
   January 5, 2026, read first time and referred to Committee on Elections and
Apportionment.
   January 14, 2026, reported — Do Pass.
   January 27, 2026, read second time, amended, ordered engrossed.
HB 1256—LS 7021/DI 149
                                                                                    Reprinted
                                                                             January 28, 2026
            Second Regular Session of the 124th General Assembly (2026)
 PRINTING CODE. Amendments: Whenever an existing statute (or a section of the Indiana
 Constitution) is being amended, the text of the existing provision will appear in this style type,
 additions will appear in this style type, and deletions will appear in this style type.
   Additions: Whenever a new statutory provision is being enacted (or a new constitutional
 provision adopted), the text of the new provision will appear in this style type. Also, the
 word NEW will appear in that style type in the introductory clause of each SECTION that adds
 a new provision to the Indiana Code or the Indiana Constitution.
  Conflict reconciliation: Text in a statute in this style type or this style type reconciles conflicts
 between statutes enacted by the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly.
                   HOUSE BILL No. 1256
    A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning
 elections.
     Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:
1     SECTION 1. IC 3-9-5-4, AS AMENDED BY P.L.240-2025,
2 SECTION 20, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
3 JULY 1, 2026]: Sec. 4. (a) The following persons, whenever required
4 to file a report, notice, or other instrument by this article, shall file it
5 with the county election board of each county comprising part of the
6 affected election district:
7(1) Candidates for local office and their candidate's committees.
8(2) Candidates for school board office and their candidate's
9committees.
10(3) Regular party committees that are not required to file with the
11election division.
12(4) Political action committees that are not required to file with
13the election division.
14     (b) The circuit court clerk of each county shall place a copy of
15 each report, notice, or other instrument filed with the county
16 election board in portable document format:
17(1) on the:
 HB 1256—LS 7021/DI 149
                                     2
1(A) circuit court clerk's or county election board's website;
2or
3(B) county's website, if the circuit court clerk or county
4election board does not have a website; and
5(2) not later than seven (7) days after the later of the
6following:
7(A) The due date of the report, notice, or other instrument
8that is filed.
9(B) The date the report, notice, or other instrument is
10actually filed.
11 The circuit court clerk is responsible for the posting of a report,
12 notice, or other instrument under this subsection, regardless of
13 whether the notice is posted on the circuit court clerk's website, the
14 county election board's website, or the county's website.
15     (c) A covered person (as defined in IC 36-1-8.5-2) may submit
16 a written request under IC 36-1-8.5-7 to restrict access to the
17 covered person's home address by means of a report, notice, or
18 other instrument required to be placed on a website under
19 subsection (b).
20     SECTION 2. IC 36-1-8.5-1.3 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA
21 CODE AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS
22 [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2026]: Sec. 1.3. As used in this chapter,
23 "confidential document" means a document or data base that
24 includes a covered person's home address.
25     SECTION 3. IC 36-1-8.5-7, AS AMENDED BY P.L.159-2020,
26 SECTION 72, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
27 JULY 1, 2026]: Sec. 7. (a) A covered person who wants to restrict
28 access to the covered person's home address by means of a public
29 property data base Internet web site must may submit a written request
30 to the a unit that operates the public property data base Internet web
31 site to restrict access to the covered person's home address in a
32 confidential document.
33     (b) A unit that operates a public property data base Internet web site,
34 directly or through a third party, shall do the following:
35(1) Identify a specific person or department within the unit to
36receive a request submitted under subsection (a).
37(2) Publish on the unit's website:
38(A) the name and contact information of the person or
39department described in subdivision (1); and
40(B) a description of the information required in a request
41submitted under subsection (a).
42(3) Establish a process to prevent a member of the general public
 HB 1256—LS 7021/DI 149
                                     3
1      from gaining access to the home address of a covered person:
2(A) by means of the a public property data base Internet web
3site; website; and
4(B) in a confidential document that is:
5(i) published on a website operated by the unit; or
6(ii) otherwise available to a person who is not the
7covered person.
8    (c) In establishing a process under subsection (b), (b)(3), a unit shall
9 do all of the following:
10      (1) Determine which person or department of the unit will receive
11      and process the request. is responsible for maintaining or
12      publishing a confidential document on a website operated by
13      the unit.
14      (2) Provide a method under which a covered person is notified of
15      the procedure to be used to restrict or allow disclosure of the
16      home address of the covered person under this chapter.
17      (3) Ensure that a covered person's home address is, within
18      five (5) days of receiving a request under subsection (a):
19(A) restricted from public access in any public property
20data base operated by the unit directly or through a third
21party; and
22(B) redacted or otherwise restricted from public access in
23a confidential document:
24(i) published on a website operated by the unit; or
25(ii) that is otherwise publicly available to a person who
26is not the covered person.
27    (d) A covered person's home address must be redacted if a
28 confidential document is responsive to a request under IC 5-14-3
29 (access to public records).
30    (d) (e) A unit may charge a covered person a reasonable fee to make
31 a written request under this section.
32    SECTION 4. IC 36-1-8.5-9, AS AMENDED BY P.L.159-2020,
33 SECTION 73, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
34 JULY 1, 2026]: Sec. 9. (a) This section applies to a covered person
35 who has submitted a written request under section 7(a) of this chapter.
36    (b) A unit shall restrict access to the home address of a covered
37 person until the covered person submits a written request to the unit to
38 allow public access to the person's home address. on the public
39 property data base web site. The unit shall take reasonable steps to
40 verify the authenticity of the written request, including requiring the
41 covered person to provide appropriate identification.
42    SECTION 5. IC 36-1-8.5-10, AS AMENDED BY P.L.156-2020,
 HB 1256—LS 7021/DI 149
                                    4
1 SECTION 135, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS
2 [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2026]: Sec. 10. (a) This section applies to a
3 covered person who:
4      (1) after submitting a state address confidentiality form or written
5      request under section 7(a) of this chapter, obtains a change of
6      name under IC 34-28-2; and
7      (2) notifies the unit in writing of the name change.
8    (b) The unit shall prevent a search by the general public of the a
9 public property data base web site website from disclosing or
10 otherwise associating the covered person's home address with the
11 covered person's former name and new name.
12    (c) The unit shall redact or otherwise restrict the covered
13 person's home address on a confidential document that identifies
14 the covered person's former name and new name.
15    (d) The unit may charge a reasonable fee to process a name change
16 under this section.
 HB 1256—LS 7021/DI 149
                              5
                  COMMITTEE REPORT
   Mr. Speaker: Your Committee on Elections and Apportionment, to
which was referred House Bill 1256, has had the same under
consideration and begs leave to report the same back to the House with
the recommendation that said bill do pass.
   (Reference is to HB 1256 as introduced.)
                                                         WESCO
Committee Vote: Yeas 12, Nays 0
                         _____
                     HOUSE MOTION
Mr. Speaker: I move that House Bill 1256 be amended to read as
follows:
Page 1, line 16, delete "on the circuit court clerk's or county
election" and insert "in portable document format:
  (1) on the:
     (A) circuit court clerk's or county election board's website;
     or
     (B) county's website, if the circuit court clerk or county
     election board does not have a website; and
  (2) not later than seven (7) days after the later of the
  following:
     (A) The due date of the report, notice, or other instrument
     that is filed.
     (B) The date the report, notice, or other instrument is
     actually filed.
The circuit court clerk is responsible for the posting of a report,
notice, or other instrument under this subsection, regardless of
whether the notice is posted on the circuit court clerk's website, the
county election board's website, or the county's website.
(c) A covered person (as defined in IC 36-1-8.5-2) may submit
a written request under IC 36-1-8.5-7 to restrict access to the
covered person's home address by means of a report, notice, or
other instrument required to be placed on a website under
subsection (b).
SECTION 2. IC 36-1-8.5-1.3 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA
CODE AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS
[EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2026]: Sec. 1.3. As used in this chapter,
"confidential document" means a document or data base that
includes a covered person's home address.
HB 1256—LS 7021/DI 149
                                 6
SECTION 3. IC 36-1-8.5-7, AS AMENDED BY P.L.159-2020,
SECTION 72, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
JULY 1, 2026]: Sec. 7. (a) A covered person who wants to restrict
access to the covered person's home address by means of a public
property data base Internet web site must may submit a written request
to the a unit that operates the public property data base Internet web
site to restrict access to the covered person's home address in a
confidential document.
(b) A unit that operates a public property data base Internet web site,
directly or through a third party, shall do the following:
  (1) Identify a specific person or department within the unit to
  receive a request submitted under subsection (a).
  (2) Publish on the unit's website:
      (A) the name and contact information of the person or
      department described in subdivision (1); and
      (B) a description of the information required in a request
      submitted under subsection (a).
  (3) Establish a process to prevent a member of the general public
  from gaining access to the home address of a covered person:
      (A) by means of the a public property data base Internet web
      site; website; and
      (B) in a confidential document that is:
         (i) published on a website operated by the unit; or
         (ii) otherwise available to a person who is not the
         covered person.
(c) In establishing a process under subsection (b), (b)(3), a unit shall
do all of the following:
  (1) Determine which person or department of the unit will receive
  and process the request. is responsible for maintaining or
  publishing a confidential document on a website operated by
  the unit.
  (2) Provide a method under which a covered person is notified of
  the procedure to be used to restrict or allow disclosure of the
  home address of the covered person under this chapter.
  (3) Ensure that a covered person's home address is, within
  five (5) days of receiving a request under subsection (a):
      (A) restricted from public access in any public property
      data base operated by the unit directly or through a third
      party; and
      (B) redacted or otherwise restricted from public access in
      a confidential document:
         (i) published on a website operated by the unit; or
HB 1256—LS 7021/DI 149
                               7
       (ii) that is otherwise publicly available to a person who
       is not the covered person.
   (d) A covered person's home address must be redacted if a
confidential document is responsive to a request under IC 5-14-3
(access to public records).
   (d) (e) A unit may charge a covered person a reasonable fee to make
a written request under this section.
   SECTION 4. IC 36-1-8.5-9, AS AMENDED BY P.L.159-2020,
SECTION 73, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
JULY 1, 2026]: Sec. 9. (a) This section applies to a covered person
who has submitted a written request under section 7(a) of this chapter.
   (b) A unit shall restrict access to the home address of a covered
person until the covered person submits a written request to the unit to
allow public access to the person's home address. on the public
property data base web site. The unit shall take reasonable steps to
verify the authenticity of the written request, including requiring the
covered person to provide appropriate identification.
   SECTION 5. IC 36-1-8.5-10, AS AMENDED BY P.L.156-2020,
SECTION 135, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS
[EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2026]: Sec. 10. (a) This section applies to a
covered person who:
 (1) after submitting a state address confidentiality form or written
 request under section 7(a) of this chapter, obtains a change of
 name under IC 34-28-2; and
 (2) notifies the unit in writing of the name change.
   (b) The unit shall prevent a search by the general public of the a
public property data base web site website from disclosing or
otherwise associating the covered person's home address with the
covered person's former name and new name.
   (c) The unit shall redact or otherwise restrict the covered
person's home address on a confidential document that identifies
the covered person's former name and new name.
   (d) The unit may charge a reasonable fee to process a name change
under this section.".
   Page 1, delete line 17.
   Delete page 2.
   Renumber all SECTIONS consecutively.
   (Reference is to HB 1256 as printed January 14, 2026.)
                                                            CLERE
HB 1256—LS 7021/DI 149