---
type: "Bill"
title: "Nursing matters."
description: "Adds members to the Indiana state board of nursing and changes the required qualifications for certain members. Amends the requirements that an individual applying for a license to practice as a licensed practical nurse must meet. Provides that an applicant for a state accredited program of practical nursing (program) is not required to have a high school diploma or its equivalent. Requires a student of the program to obtain a high school diploma or its equivalent before completing the program."
jurisdiction: "us/states/in"
legislature: "Indiana General Assembly"
session: "2025"
identifier: "SB 176"
citation: "Indiana SB 176 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["AGENCIES; Professional Licensing Agency (PLA)", "HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS; Licensing (Including Behavioral and Mental Health)", "HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS; Nurses (Excluding Advanced Practice Registered Nurses)", "HIGHER EDUCATION; Academics and Curriculum", "SCHOOLS; Academic Achievements and Outcomes (Including Diplomas)"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Brad Barrett", "Ed Charbonneau", "Shelli Yoder", "Tyler Johnson"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 34
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2025-01-08"
last_action: "2025-04-10"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/08c24024-649e-48f7-afcc-1cf0b38fc17d"
source_url: "https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/sb0176"
source_hash: "88a200d37e9025afc7dcb9d85bbb63e7d23c7159283abcb7a4add66960014692"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-in"]
---

# Indiana SB 176 (2025) — Nursing matters.

Adds members to the Indiana state board of nursing and changes the required qualifications for certain members. Amends the requirements that an individual applying for a license to practice as a licensed practical nurse must meet. Provides that an applicant for a state accredited program of practical nursing (program) is not required to have a high school diploma or its equivalent. Requires a student of the program to obtain a high school diploma or its equivalent before completing the program.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Enrolled Senate Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2025/senate/bills/SB0176/SB0176.04.ENRH.pdf)
2. **Introduced Senate Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2025/senate/bills/SB0176/SB0176.01.INTR.pdf)
3. **Senate Bill (H)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2025/senate/bills/SB0176/SB0176.02.COMS.pdf)
4. **Senate Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2025/senate/bills/SB0176/SB0176.03.COMH.pdf)

## Votes

- SB 176 - Yoder — **49–0** (pass) · upper
- SB 176 - Yoder - 3rd Reading — **49–0** (pass) · upper
- SB 176 - Barrett - 3rd Reading — **90–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Brad Barrett — primary (person)
- Ed Charbonneau — primary (person)
- Shelli Yoder — primary (person)
- Tyler Johnson — primary (person)
- Andrea Hunley — coauthor (person)
- Danny Lopez — cosponsor (person)
- David Niezgodski — coauthor (person)
- Fady Qaddoura — coauthor (person)
- Greg Taylor — coauthor (person)
- J.D. Ford — coauthor (person)
- James Buck — coauthor (person)
- James Tomes — coauthor (person)
- Jean Leising — coauthor (person)
- Jeff Raatz — coauthor (person)
- Justin Busch — coauthor (person)
- La Keisha Jackson — coauthor (person)
- Lonnie Randolph — coauthor (person)
- Mark Spencer — coauthor (person)
- Michael Crider — coauthor (person)
- Mike Bohacek — coauthor (person)
- Robert Behning — cosponsor (person)
- Robin Shackleford — cosponsor (person)
- Rodney Pol — coauthor (person)
- Ron Alting — coauthor (person)
- Scott Alexander — coauthor (person)
- Susan Glick — coauthor (person)
- Vaneta Becker — coauthor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2025-01-08** First reading: referred to Committee on Health and Provider Services `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2025-01-08** Authored by Senator Yoder
- **2025-01-13** Senator Johnson T added as coauthor
- **2025-01-16** Senator Randolph added as coauthor
- **2025-01-16** Committee report: amend do pass, adopted `committee-passage`
- **2025-01-16** Senator Johnson T added as third author
- **2025-01-16** Senators Becker, Busch, Bohacek, Leising, Crider, Jackson L, Ford J.D. added as coauthors
- **2025-01-16** Senator Johnson T removed as coauthor
- **2025-01-21** Second reading: ordered engrossed `reading-2`
- **2025-01-21** Senator Charbonneau added as second author
- **2025-01-23** Senator Taylor G added as coauthor
- **2025-01-23** Third reading: passed; Roll Call 16: yeas 49, nays 0 `passage, reading-3, reading-3`
- **2025-01-23** House sponsor: Representative Barrett
- **2025-01-23** Cosponsors: Representatives Behning and Shackleford
- **2025-01-23** Senator Alexander added as coauthor
- **2025-01-23** Senator Buck added as coauthor
- **2025-01-23** Senator Glick added as coauthor
- **2025-01-23** Senators Hunley, Spencer, Qaddoura, Pol, Niezgodski added as coauthors
- **2025-01-23** Senators Alting and Raatz added as coauthors
- **2025-01-23** Senator Tomes added as coauthor
- **2025-01-24** Referred to the House `referral`
- **2025-03-03** First reading: referred to Committee on Public Health `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2025-03-13** Committee report: amend do pass, adopted `committee-passage`
- **2025-03-17** Second reading: ordered engrossed `reading-2`
- **2025-03-20** Third reading: passed; Roll Call 284: yeas 90, nays 0 `passage, reading-3, reading-3`
- **2025-03-21** Returned to the Senate with amendments `receipt`
- **2025-03-20** Representative Lopez added as cosponsor
- **2025-03-24** Motion to concur filed `filing`
- **2025-03-27** Signed by the President Pro Tempore `passage`
- **2025-03-27** Senate concurred with House amendments; Roll Call 303: yeas 49, nays 0
- **2025-04-01** Signed by the Speaker `passage`
- **2025-04-03** Signed by the President of the Senate `passage`
- **2025-04-10** Public Law 45 `became-law`
- **2025-04-10** Signed by the Governor `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/08c24024-649e-48f7-afcc-1cf0b38fc17d`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Indiana legislature records).