---
type: "Bill"
title: "Foster youth."
description: "Requires the department of child services to: (1) create a statement called \"the foster youth bill of rights\", which is to summarize a foster youth's rights and responsibilities; (2) update the statement periodically; (3) distribute the statement to specified individuals; and (4) publish the statement on the department's website. Defines \"foster youth\" for purposes of the foster youth bill of rights. Makes conforming changes."
jurisdiction: "us/states/in"
legislature: "Indiana General Assembly"
session: "2026"
identifier: "SB 15"
citation: "Indiana SB 15 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["AGENCIES; Department of Child Services (DCS)", "CHILDREN AND MINORS; Foster Care", "TECHNOLOGY; Communication (Including Internet", "Phone Lines", "Print Media", "Radio", "and Television)"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Danny Lopez", "Greg Goode", "Greg Walker", "Kyle Walker"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 29
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2025-12-08"
last_action: "2026-03-04"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/6d1494a3-f006-4771-a36f-d57a3dae7fee"
source_url: "https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/sb0015"
source_hash: "3be24a9d79f8ea0c949e5a83498842ae82c99c26645b5dd871a926e6369fc9fc"
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 15 (2026) — Foster youth.

Requires the department of child services to: (1) create a statement called "the foster youth bill of rights", which is to summarize a foster youth's rights and responsibilities; (2) update the statement periodically; (3) distribute the statement to specified individuals; and (4) publish the statement on the department's website. Defines "foster youth" for purposes of the foster youth bill of rights. Makes conforming changes.

## 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/124/2026/senate/bills/SB0015/SB0015.04.ENRH.pdf)
2. **Introduced Senate Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2026/senate/bills/SB0015/SB0015.01.INTR.pdf)
3. **Senate Bill (H)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2026/senate/bills/SB0015/SB0015.02.COMS.pdf)
4. **Senate Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2026/senate/bills/SB0015/SB0015.03.COMH.pdf)

## Votes

- SB 15 - Walker K — **42–0** (pass) · upper
- SB 15 - Lopez - 3rd Reading — **86–0** (pass) · lower
- SB 15 - Walker K - 3rd Reading — **46–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Danny Lopez — primary (person)
- Greg Goode — primary (person)
- Greg Walker — primary (person)
- Kyle Walker — primary (person)
- Andrea Hunley — coauthor (person)
- Carey Hamilton — cosponsor (person)
- Fady Qaddoura — coauthor (person)
- J.D. Ford — coauthor (person)
- James Buck — coauthor (person)
- Julie Olthoff — cosponsor (person)
- La Keisha Jackson — coauthor (person)
- Lonnie Randolph — coauthor (person)
- Scott Alexander — coauthor (person)
- Shelli Yoder — coauthor (person)
- Vaneta Becker — coauthor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-12-08** Senator Becker added as coauthor
- **2025-12-08** First reading: referred to Committee on Family and Children Services `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2025-12-08** Authored by Senators Walker K, Walker G, Goode
- **2025-12-08** Coauthored by Senator Hunley
- **2026-01-08** Senator Jackson L added as coauthor
- **2026-01-12** Senator Ford J.D. added as coauthor
- **2026-01-12** Committee report: do pass, adopted `committee-passage`
- **2026-01-15** Second reading: ordered engrossed `reading-2`
- **2026-01-20** House sponsor: Representative Lopez
- **2026-01-20** Senators Alexander, Yoder added as coauthors
- **2026-01-20** Senator Randolph added as coauthor
- **2026-01-20** Senator Buck added as coauthor
- **2026-01-20** Third reading: passed; Roll Call 35: yeas 46, nays 0 `passage, reading-3, reading-3`
- **2026-01-22** Senator Qaddoura added as coauthor
- **2026-01-22** Referred to the House `referral`
- **2026-01-27** Representative Hamilton added as cosponsor
- **2026-01-28** First reading: referred to Committee on Family, Children and Human Affairs `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2026-01-29** Representative Olthoff added as cosponsor
- **2026-02-12** Committee report: amend do pass, adopted `committee-passage`
- **2026-02-16** Second reading: ordered engrossed `reading-2`
- **2026-02-17** Third reading: passed; Roll Call 261: yeas 86, nays 0 `passage, reading-3, reading-3`
- **2026-02-18** Returned to the Senate with amendments `receipt`
- **2026-02-23** Motion to concur filed `filing`
- **2026-02-25** Senate concurred with House amendments; Roll Call 270: yeas 42, nays 0
- **2026-02-26** Signed by the President Pro Tempore `passage`
- **2026-02-26** Signed by the Speaker `passage`
- **2026-03-04** Public Law 67 `became-law`
- **2026-03-04** Signed by the Governor `executive-signature`
- **2026-02-27** Signed by the President of the Senate `passage`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/6d1494a3-f006-4771-a36f-d57a3dae7fee`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Indiana legislature records).