STATEHOUSE – Legislation authored by State Rep. Stephen Bartels (R-Eckerty) to streamline government by consolidating Indiana’s various boards and commissions was recently signed into law.
House Enrolled Act 1003 sunsets or restructures more than 40 redundant or inactive boards and commissions, aiming to streamline government and improve efficiency across multiple policy areas. HEA 1003 is part of the House Republican caucus’s 2026 legislative priorities to reduce government bureaucracy.
Bartels said the new law is a product of multiple years of work, with careful consideration as it moved through the legislative process and through hearing stakeholder testimony.
“This legislation strengthens and modernizes the way many state boards and commissions are structured,” Bartels said. “The new law includes important aspects like updating Indiana’s approach to construction, reorganizing building and fire safety codes under the Department of Homeland Security, and reducing bureaucratic hurdles.”
Members of the General Assembly’s Government Reform Task Force met last fall to discuss the approximately 250 boards and commissions that currently exist in Indiana. Bartels said that HEA 1003 is a result of those discussions, which found examples of state boards and commissions that were doing the same work or are no longer active.
To read more about new laws from the 2026 session, visit iga.in.gov.
