By Sydney Byerly
The Indiana Citizen
January 9, 2026
As Indiana lawmakers’ deadline to file bills for the 2026 legislative session passed Wednesday, The Indiana Citizen identified seven measures that would incorporate Christian religious texts or beliefs commonly associated with Christian social teaching into public education and laws governing sex and gender — areas that have become recurring flashpoints at the Statehouse.
The Indiana Citizen is tracking proposals that could affect how religion is addressed in public schools, how the state defines sex and gender in law, and whether religious doctrine is incorporated into civics instruction. Below is a snapshot of notable bills filed as of early January, along with insight into these measures from advocates for church–state separation.
Many of the 2026 proposals are not entirely new ideas.
During the 2025 legislative session, lawmakers advanced or debated bills that would have required public schools to display the Ten Commandments, allowed chaplains to serve in public schools, reshaped civics education to emphasize “traditional values,” and restricted how gender is defined or recognized under state law. Some of those proposals failed to advance, while others were amended or drew significant public attention.
Also during the 2025 session, more than 20 House lawmakers co-authored House Resolution 53, introduced by Rep. Joanna King, which urged legislators to “humbly submit” their work to Jesus Christ and govern according to biblical principles. The resolution, which ultimately died in committee, drew attention to an examination by the Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism at Indiana University into how Christian nationalist ideology has influenced legislation introduced at the Statehouse.
Advocates who follow church–state separation issues say the reappearance of these concepts suggests a sustained effort rather than isolated policy ideas.
Jim Boeglin, an 83-year-old Fort Wayne native and member of Hoosiers for Separation of Church and State, said the group began reviewing legislation systematically last year after noticing an uptick in bills that members believed raised First Amendment concerns.
Boeglin said the group closely examines bills that reference religion, gender, race, diversity initiatives, or education — particularly when provisions appear disconnected from a bill’s stated purpose.
“Sometimes they’re very subtle,” Boeglin said. “You really have to read the bill and try to understand where the author is coming from.”
Although the group has only tracked legislation for two sessions, Boeglin said he has noticed a shift in how proposals are framed — from what he described as more overt efforts to bring religion into the public sphere in 2025 to this year’s attempts with more subtly-worded language.
Bills introduced during the 2025 session often drew headlines for explicitly invoking religious doctrine or sharply limiting discussions of race, gender, or sexuality. Boeglin said backlash and negative publicity last year may be influencing how similar ideas are packaged in the current session.
Among last year’s proposals was House Bill 1231, which would have required public schools to post the Ten Commandments in every classroom and library. The bill sparked constitutional concerns about church–state separation and drew widespread criticism from civil liberties groups but did not receive a committee vote. A separate chaplains-in-schools proposal, Senate Bill 523, passed the Senate but stalled in the House. Meanwhile, measures requiring school boards to approve sex education curriculum and restricting diversity, equity, and inclusion training and hiring in schools did become law last year.
Here’s a look at measures The Indiana Citizen is tracking this year that were filed ahead of the Jan. 7 bill filing deadline:
Author: Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville
Committee: Education and Career Development
Senate Bill 88 is titled “various education matters,” but the bill would make a series of substantive changes to Indiana’s education statutes that incorporate religious texts and prescriptive social expectations into public education.
Among other provisions, the bill would:
The bill has been assigned to the Senate Education and Career Development Committee.
Author: Sen. Stacey Donato, R-Logansport
Committee: Education and Career Development
Senate Bill 138 would allow public and private schools to employ chaplains to provide both secular and non-secular guidance and support services to students.
Authors: Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne; Sen. Tyler Johnson, R-Leo
Committee: Health and Provider Services
This bill would define “female,” “male,” “gender,” and “sex” in Indiana law and require incarcerated individuals to be housed based on biological sex at birth. It would also limit when sex designations on birth certificates can be changed.
While the bill does not reference religion directly, similar measures have been promoted by religious conservative groups nationally as part of broader efforts to codify traditional views of sex and gender into law.
Author: Rep. Michelle Davis, R-Whiteland
Co-authors: Reps. J.D. Prescott, Hunter Smith, Jake Teshka
Committee: Education
House Bill 1086 would require every public school classroom and library to display a durable poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments, echoing similar measures proposed — and, when approved elsewhere, routinely blocked by federal courts — in other states.
Author: Rep. Dale DeVon, R-Granger
Committee: Education
This bill would require “good citizenship instruction” to include teaching students to wait until marriage to have children.
Author: Rep. Bruce Borders, R-Jasonville
Committee: Public Health
House Bill 1199 would prohibit changing the gender listed on an individual’s birth certificate and permanent birth record, with limited exceptions. Indiana previously allowed gender marker changes following a court order, but a March 2025 executive order halted that practice and agencies have since stopped processing gender updates on birth certificates. HB 1199 would codify that prohibition into state law rather than leave it to executive policy, which is why supporters and critics alike see it as extending recent policy into statute.
Author: Rep. Craig Haggard, R-Mooresville
Committee: Education
House Bill 1232 would require public schools to teach the Bible as literature and would restrict government entities from denying benefits based on church–state separation principles. It would also allow individuals to sue government entities for violations, with prevailing parties eligible to recover legal fees.
All of the bills have been assigned to Indiana House and Senate committees but, as of publication, none have been scheduled for a hearing. The measures that are passed by their respective chambers by Jan. 29 in order to remain alive this session.
Opponents, meanwhile, are still determining how they will respond.
Boeglin said Hoosiers for Separation of Church and State does not currently have plans to formally testify or lobby legislators but is still defining its role. The organization incorporated late last year and is holding internal planning meetings to decide how it might engage if legislation advances.
“We’re really new at this,” Boeglin said. “We’re trying to find our way along. We’re concerned.”
Sydney Byerly is a political reporter who grew up in New Albany, Indiana. Before joining The Citizen, Sydney reported news for TheStatehouseFile.com and most recently managed and edited The Corydon Democrat & Clarion News in southern Indiana. She earned her bachelor’s in journalism at Franklin College’s Pulliam School of Journalism (‘Sco Griz!).
The Indiana Citizen is a nonpartisan, nonprofit platform dedicated to increasing the number of informed and engaged Hoosier citizens. We are operated by the Indiana Citizen Education Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity. For questions about the story, contact Marilyn Odendahl at marilyn.odendahl@indianacitizen.org.
