INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana lawmakers moved forward with two contentious pieces of legislation Wednesday after hours of testimony in the House Courts and Criminal Code committee, despite significant public pushback on both measures.
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With about a week remaining in the 2026 legislative session, lawmakers face a tight deadline to get the bills across the finish line before the February 24 final day for third-reading bills in both chambers.
Sexual grooming bill draws criticism for age limits
Senate Bill 119 expands Indiana's sexual grooming statute and creates additional restrictions on where sex offenders can work. However, the grooming language only protects children 14 and under, leaving a gap that concerns some parents and advocates.
"They are leaving a huge gap of the kids between the ages of 14 and 17, which are the targeted children typically with grooming and sexual exploitation," Michelle Peterson said.
Peterson's son, Andrew, was groomed by a trusted teacher in 2010. It took three years for his abuser to get convicted, and Peterson said he didn't spend much time in jail and only had to spend 10 years on the sex offender registration list.
Since then, the Hoosier native has been traveling the country testifying at statehouses to try to get legislation passed that will make grooming a crime. She has even created a website detailing ways parents can keep their kids safe online, as well as highlighting the work she is doing. She said this is the only state where lawmakers have written a bill that doesn't make it a felony.
Andrew Koscik, Peterson's son, who also testified on the bill, said when grooming happens to a child, they know something is wrong but are sometimes afraid to speak up.
"When we were trying to find other witnesses to be able to testify with us, I think there were at least five or six other kids, and we only had one who wanted to come testify with us," Koscik said.
He was over the age of 14 when his abuse took place, which is why he and his mother hope the bill can be amended in the future.
The bill passed out of committee unanimously despite pushback from several members of the public.
Homelessness bill would ban outdoor sleeping
Senate Bill 285, which consumed most of the committee's time, would ban people who are experiencing homelessness from sleeping outside. Advocates of the legislation say the goal is to connect people to services.
"It bans camping in public spaces," Scott Centorino with the Cicero Institute and Cicero Action said. "It creates a process to connect those individuals, the hardest cases out there, the most unwilling to get plugged in to those services that you all are funding."
The bill would require law enforcement to approach people experiencing homelessness and ask them to leave. Officers would offer them a ride to a shelter. If the person refuses or becomes combative after they have been warned, they can be charged with a class C misdemeanor.
Local homeless organizations say that approach can create more barriers to housing.
"We know what works. It's housing with supportive services. So I would ask lawmakers to invest in solutions before we punish people because there is simply not enough space in homeless service programs to accommodate everyone that is living unsheltered," Emmy Hildebrand, CEO of HVAF of Indiana, said.
Both bills now head to the full House for consideration. Lawmakers hope to wrap up the 2026 legislative session sometime next week.
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