Sen. Chris Garten, R-Charlestown, speaks during a legislative committee meeting. Photo by Whitney Downard, Indiana Capital Chronicle.

News Release

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Senate Majority Leader Chris Garten has filed Senate Bill 1, a wide-ranging welfare reform proposal that Senate Republicans have identified as their top legislative priority for the 2026 session.

The Charlestown Republican said the bill is intended to reduce waste, fraud and abuse in Indiana’s public assistance programs while preserving benefits for eligible residents. The legislation focuses primarily on Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP.

Under SB 1, applicants for Medicaid and SNAP would be subject to expanded verification requirements, including confirmation of income, assets and immigration status. The bill would require Indiana to align its Medicaid policies with recent federal reforms and would prohibit individuals without legal immigration status from receiving benefits. Applicants unable to verify legal presence would be referred to federal authorities.

The proposal also targets SNAP eligibility rules. SB 1 would reinstate federal asset limits for the program and eliminate broad-based categorical eligibility, a policy that allows some households to qualify for food assistance based on receipt of certain non-cash benefits. Supporters of the bill say the change would require all applicants to undergo a full financial review before receiving assistance.

Garten has pointed to Indiana’s 2025 welfare overhaul as a foundation for the new legislation. That earlier law imposed work requirements for able-bodied adults enrolled in the Healthy Indiana Plan, the state’s Medicaid expansion program. Federal officials later adopted similar policies nationwide.