--- type: "Bill" title: "Family and juvenile law matters." description: "Amends the definition for \"act of rape\", only for the purposes of IC 31-35-3.5 (termination of parent-child relationship of an individual who committed an act of rape), to include child molestation and sexual misconduct with a minor. Provides that the department of child services or a court shall consider ensuring the child's safety to be the most important consideration in the determination of a child's best interests under family and juvenile law. Provides that there is a rebuttable presumption that a child is a child in need of services if the state establishes that the child lives in the same household as an adult who was a perpetrator of a child fatality or near fatality that may have been the result of abuse, abandonment, or neglect. Adds sexual misconduct with a minor as an offense that may be alleged in a petition to terminate the parent-child relationship when a child is conceived as a result of the offense. Amends the circumstances under which a court may terminate the parent-child relationship with regard to a child in need of services." jurisdiction: "us/states/in" legislature: "Indiana General Assembly" session: "2024" identifier: "HB 1369" citation: "Indiana HB 1369 (2024)" classification: ["bill"] subjects: ["AGENCIES; Department of Child Services (DCS)", "CHILDREN AND MINORS; Children in Need of Services (CHINS)", "CHILDREN AND MINORS; Crimes Against Children", "COURTS; Generally", "COURTS; Juvenile Courts", "CRIMINAL LAW AND PROCEDURE; Sex Offenses", "MARRIAGE AND FAMILY LAW; Child Support", "Custody", "and Visitation"] status: "enacted" primary_sponsors: ["Dan Dernulc", "Eric Koch", "Julie McGuire", "Liz Brown"] version_count: 6 action_count: 26 vote_count: 3 first_action: "2024-01-10" last_action: "2024-03-11" source: "openstates" source_identifier: "ocd-bill/1b0e3c0f-00a4-4a74-99e8-a98f3e9420e8" source_url: "https://api.iga.in.gov/2024/bills/hb1369" source_hash: "8e954af1363f3e08785c16ac3eb62f7ec879f0762b3781517fd74b91cd0d4b30" 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 HB 1369 (2024) — Family and juvenile law matters. Amends the definition for "act of rape", only for the purposes of IC 31-35-3.5 (termination of parent-child relationship of an individual who committed an act of rape), to include child molestation and sexual misconduct with a minor. Provides that the department of child services or a court shall consider ensuring the child's safety to be the most important consideration in the determination of a child's best interests under family and juvenile law. Provides that there is a rebuttable presumption that a child is a child in need of services if the state establishes that the child lives in the same household as an adult who was a perpetrator of a child fatality or near fatality that may have been the result of abuse, abandonment, or neglect. Adds sexual misconduct with a minor as an offense that may be alleged in a petition to terminate the parent-child relationship when a child is conceived as a result of the offense. Amends the circumstances under which a court may terminate the parent-child relationship with regard to a child in need of services. ## Version chain The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment. 1. **Engrossed House Bill (H)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/123/2024/house/bills/HB1369/HB1369.05.ENGS.pdf) 2. **Engrossed House Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/123/2024/house/bills/HB1369/HB1369.03.ENGH.pdf) 3. **Enrolled House Bill (H)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/123/2024/house/bills/HB1369/HB1369.06.ENRS.pdf) 4. **House Bill (H)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/123/2024/house/bills/HB1369/HB1369.02.COMH.pdf) 5. **House Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/123/2024/house/bills/HB1369/HB1369.04.COMS.pdf) 6. **Introduced House Bill (H)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/123/2024/house/bills/HB1369/HB1369.01.INTR.pdf) ## Votes - HB 1369 - McGuire — **89–0** (pass) · lower - HB 1369 - McGuire - 3rd Reading — **94–0** (pass) · lower - HB 1369 - Brown L - 3rd Reading — **49–0** (pass) · upper ## Sponsors - Dan Dernulc — primary (person) - Eric Koch — primary (person) - Julie McGuire — primary (person) - Liz Brown — primary (person) - Chris Jeter — coauthor (person) - Gregory Steuerwald — coauthor (person) - James Buck — cosponsor (person) - Lonnie Randolph — cosponsor (person) - Lori Goss-Reaves — coauthor (person) - Susan Glick — cosponsor (person) ## Timeline The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote. - **2024-01-10** Authored by Representative McGuire - **2024-01-10** First reading: referred to Committee on Judiciary `reading-1, referral-committee` - **2024-01-10** Coauthored by Representatives Jeter, Steuerwald, Goss-Reaves - **2024-01-25** Committee report: amend do pass, adopted `committee-passage` - **2024-01-29** Amendment #1 (McGuire) prevailed; voice vote `amendment-passage` - **2024-01-29** Amendment #2 (Jackson) motion withdrawn voice vote `amendment-withdrawal, withdrawal` - **2024-01-29** Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed `reading-2` - **2024-01-30** Third reading: passed; Roll Call 99: yeas 94, nays 0 `passage, reading-3, reading-3` - **2024-01-30** Senate sponsors: Senators Brown L, Koch, Dernulc - **2024-01-31** Referred to the Senate `referral` - **2024-02-07** First reading: referred to Committee on Judiciary `reading-1, referral-committee` - **2024-02-15** Committee report: do pass, adopted `committee-passage` - **2024-02-19** Second reading: ordered engrossed `reading-2` - **2024-02-20** Senators Glick, Buck, Randolph added as cosponsors - **2024-02-20** Placed back on second reading - **2024-02-22** Reread second time: amended, ordered engrossed `reading-2` - **2024-02-22** Amendment #1 (Brown L) prevailed; voice vote `amendment-passage` - **2024-02-26** Third reading: passed; Roll Call 198: yeas 49, nays 0 `passage, reading-3, reading-3` - **2024-02-27** Returned to the House with amendments `receipt` - **2024-02-28** Motion to concur filed `filing` - **2024-02-28** House concurred in Senate amendments; Roll Call 246: yeas 89, nays 0 - **2024-03-04** Signed by the Speaker `passage` - **2024-03-05** Signed by the President Pro Tempore `passage` - **2024-03-11** Signed by the Governor `executive-signature` - **2024-03-08** Signed by the President of the Senate `passage` - **2024-03-11** Public Law 70 `became-law` ## Source OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/1b0e3c0f-00a4-4a74-99e8-a98f3e9420e8`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Indiana legislature records).