---
type: "Bill"
title: "Various animal related matters."
description: "Removes partial liability for damages when a person removes a domestic animal from a motor vehicle. Increases certain penalties for offenses involving animals, and establishes a defense for an uninvolved person attacked by a law enforcement animal. Sets forth new definitions and amends various definitions for offenses relating to animals. Specifies that animal cruelty statutes apply to a rodent that is not a nuisance rodent. Makes certain acts an aggravating circumstance for purposes of sentencing."
jurisdiction: "us/states/in"
legislature: "Indiana General Assembly"
session: "2026"
identifier: "HB 1165"
citation: "Indiana HB 1165 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["ANIMALS; Generally", "CIVIL LAW AND PROCEDURE; Immunity and Exemption from Liability", "CRIMINAL LAW AND PROCEDURE; Creation of New Offenses"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Cyndi Carrasco", "Spencer Deery", "Wendy McNamara"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 23
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2026-01-05"
last_action: "2026-03-04"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/38e78909-8e53-4320-ab11-df1750c39891"
source_url: "https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/hb1165"
source_hash: "10d11fbaae57d16469b1a55719ff41f28104fe89d7820c58dd2938cf9b12275c"
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 1165 (2026) — Various animal related matters.

Removes partial liability for damages when a person removes a domestic animal from a motor vehicle. Increases certain penalties for offenses involving animals, and establishes a defense for an uninvolved person attacked by a law enforcement animal. Sets forth new definitions and amends various definitions for offenses relating to animals. Specifies that animal cruelty statutes apply to a rodent that is not a nuisance rodent. Makes certain acts an aggravating circumstance for purposes of sentencing.

## 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/124/2026/house/bills/HB1165/HB1165.04.ENGS.pdf)
2. **Enrolled House Bill (H)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2026/house/bills/HB1165/HB1165.05.ENRS.pdf)
3. **House Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2026/house/bills/HB1165/HB1165.03.COMS.pdf)
4. **Introduced House Bill (H)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2026/house/bills/HB1165/HB1165.01.INTR.pdf)

## Votes

- HB 1165 - McNamara — **78–14** (pass) · lower
- HB 1165 - McNamara - 3rd Reading — **85–6** (pass) · lower
- HB 1165 - Carrasco - 3rd Reading — **42–6** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Cyndi Carrasco — primary (person)
- Spencer Deery — primary (person)
- Wendy McNamara — primary (person)
- Beau Baird — coauthor (person)
- Mike Andrade — coauthor (person)
- Steve Bartels — coauthor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2026-01-05** Coauthored by Representatives Baird, Bartels
- **2026-01-05** Authored by Representative McNamara
- **2026-01-05** First reading: referred to Committee on Courts and Criminal Code `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2026-01-22** Committee report: amend do pass, adopted `committee-passage`
- **2026-01-27** Representative Andrade added as coauthor
- **2026-01-27** Second reading: ordered engrossed `reading-2`
- **2026-01-28** Senate sponsor: Senator Carrasco
- **2026-01-28** Third reading: passed; Roll Call 140: yeas 85, nays 6 `passage, reading-3, reading-3`
- **2026-01-29** Referred to the Senate `referral`
- **2026-02-02** First reading: referred to Committee on Corrections and Criminal Law `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2026-02-12** Committee report: amend do pass, adopted `committee-passage`
- **2026-02-19** Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed `reading-2`
- **2026-02-19** Senator Deery added as second sponsor
- **2026-02-19** Amendment #1 (Taylor G) prevailed; voice vote `amendment-passage`
- **2026-02-24** Third reading: passed; Roll Call 264: yeas 42, nays 6 `passage, reading-3, reading-3`
- **2026-02-25** Motion to concur filed `filing`
- **2026-02-25** House concurred with Senate amendments; Roll Call 374: yeas 78, nays 14
- **2026-02-25** Returned to the House with amendments `receipt`
- **2026-02-26** Signed by the Speaker `passage`
- **2026-02-27** Signed by the President of the Senate `passage`
- **2026-03-04** Public Law 80 `became-law`
- **2026-03-04** Signed by the Governor `executive-signature`
- **2026-02-27** Signed by the President Pro Tempore `passage`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/38e78909-8e53-4320-ab11-df1750c39891`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Indiana legislature records).