Indiana Senate

The Indiana State Senate is the upper house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The Senate is composed of 50 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. Senators serve four-year terms without term limits. According to the 2010 U.S. census, the average state senator represents 129,676 people.

The Senate convenes at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

History The Indiana Senate was established in 1816 along with the Indiana House of Representatives in 1816, when Indiana became a state. In 1897, the Indiana House passed a bill rounding the value of pi to 3.2. However, the intervention of State Senator Orrin Hubbel postponed the voting of the bill indefinitely, effectively rejecting it.

Operating rules

The Indiana State Senate is operated according to a set of internal regulations developed and maintained largely by tradition. These rules are similar to the rules that govern the upper house most of the state senates in the United States. The Senate convenes its annual session the first Tuesday following the first Monday of January every year. In odd numbered years the senate must meet for 61 days (not necessarily consecutive days), and must adjourn no later than April 30. This is typically called a long session. In even numbered years, when elections are held, the Senate must meet for 30 days (not necessarily consecutive days) and adjourn no later than March 15. This is typically called the short session. The only time the senate may convene outside of these dates is if the governor calls a special assembly.

The senate must convene by 1:30 pm each day a session is scheduled. Two thirds of the senators must be present for the session to begin. Senators must be present at each session unless they are explicitly excused by the president-pro-tempore. Members who are not present can be forced to attend the session or be censured and expelled from the body.

The lieutenant governor of Indiana serves as the president of the Senate and is responsible for ensuring that the senate rules are followed by its members. The president of the Senate takes no part in the debates of the senate and may only vote to break ties. The senate also elects a president-pro-tempore, a majority leader, and a minority leader. The president-pro-tempore is typically a senior member of majority party. The president-pro-tempore presides over the senate whenever the president of the Senate is not present. The president-pro-tempore is largely responsible for setting the agenda of the senate.

When debate occurs in the senate, each senator is granted permission to speak on each issue once. A senator may not speak on an issue more than once without a permission from the rest of the senate, which is attained with a senate vote. A senator can speak for no longer than a half-hour at any one time and may be silenced by a majority vote at any time while speaking.

Terms Article 4 of the Constitution of Indiana places several limitation on the size and composition of the senate.

The senate can contain no more than 50 members. The term of a senator lasts four years with 25 senators being elected every two years. There is no limit to how many terms a senator may be elected.

Qualifications Article 4 of the Constitution of Indiana states the qualifications to become a senator.

The candidate must be a United States citizen for a minimum of two years. The candidate be an inhabitant in the district for a minimum of one year. The candidate must at least 25 years of age when sworn into office. The candidate cannot hold any other public office in the state or federal government during a senate term.

Composition of the Senate

10 1 39 Democratic R Republican

AffiliationParty (Shading indicates majority caucus)TotalVacantRepublicanDemocratic2009–2010 3317 5002011–2012 3713 5002013–2014 3713 5002015–2016 4010 5002017–2018 419 5002019–2020 4010 500Begin 2021 3911500End 2022 3812023–2024 39110 500Begin 2025 39110 500Latest voting share

2025–2026 officers

Position Name Party District Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith Republican President Pro Tem of the Senate Rodric Bray Republican 37 Majority leader Vacant Republican Minority leader Shelli Yoder Democratic 40

Members of the Indiana Senate DistrictNamePartyResidenceStartNext Election1RepHighland202220262DemEast Chicago200820283DemGary202420284DemChesterton202120265RepValparaiso200720286RepLowell201420267RepLebanon201820288RepMichiana Shores201620289RepBremen2004202810DemSouth Bend2016202811RepGranger2018202612RepNew Paris2016202813RepLaGrange2010202814RepGrabill2022202615RepFort Wayne2014202616RepFort Wayne2018202817RepMarion2026202618RepLogansport2019202819RepMarkle2008202620RepNoblesville2020202821RepKokomo2008202622RepLafayette1998202623RepWest Lafayette2022202624RepAvon2024202825RepAnderson2018202626RepMuncie2022202627RepCenterville2014202628RepGreenfield2012202829DemCarmel2018202630DemIndianapolis2020202831RepIndianapolis2020202632RepIndianapolis2016202833DemIndianapolis2008202834DemIndianapolis2024202835RepIndianapolis2000202836RepIndianapolis2023202837RepMartinsville2012202838RepTerre Haute2023202639RepWashington2014202640DemBloomington2020202841RepColumbus2006202642RepOldenburg2008202843RepGuilford2023202644RepBedford2016202845RepCharlestown2018202646DemIndianapolis2022202647RepSalem2022202648RepJasper2024202649RepEvansville2010202650RepEvansville20052028

Committees

The Senate has various committees that are charged with overseeing different areas of the state government and drafting legislation. These committees are bipartisan and contain between three and eleven members split between the parties according to their ratio of members in the Senate. Each committee chairman is a member of the majority party. The committees as of 2024 are:

Committee Chair (2024) Vice Chair (2024)Agriculture Jean Leising (R-42) Sue Glick (R-13)Appropriations Ryan Mishler (R-9) Eric Bassler (R-39)Commerce and Technology Brian Buchanan (R-7) Eric Koch (R-44)Corrections and Criminal Law Aaron Freeman (R-32) Sue Glick (R-13)Education and Career Development Jeff Raatz (R-27) John Crane (R-24)Elections Mike Gaskill (R-25) Greg Walker (R-41)Environmental Affairs Rick Niemeyer (R-6) Andy Zay (R-17)Ethics Eric Bassler (R-39) Greg Walker (R-41)Family and Children Services Greg Walker (R-41) Mike Gaskill (R-25)Health and Provider Services Ed Charbonneau (R-5) Justin Busch (R-16)Homeland Security and Transportation Michael Crider (R-28) Jim Tomes (R-49)Insurance and Financial Institutions Scott Baldwin (R-20) Kyle Walker (R-31)Joint Rules Chris Garten (R-45) Judiciary Liz Brown (R-15) Eric Koch (R-44)Local Government Jim Buck (R-21) Rick Niemeyer (R-6)Natural Resources Sue Glick (R-13) Jean Leising (R-42)Pensions and Labor Linda Rogers (R-11) Blake Doriot (R-12)Public Policy Ron Alting (R-22) Kyle Walker (R-31)Rules and Legislative Procedure Rodric Bray (R-37) Chris Garten (R-45)School Funding Subcommittee Eric Bassler (R-39) Tax and Fiscal Policy Travis Holdman (R-19) Scott Baldwin (R-20)Utilities Eric Koch (R-44) Brian Buchanan (R-7)Veterans Affairs and The Military Jim Tomes (R-49) Michael Crider (R-28)

Past composition of the Senate

Indiana Senate

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