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, 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 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

2025–2026 officers

PositionNamePartyDistrict
Lieutenant GovernorMicah BeckwithRepublican
President Pro Tem of the SenateRodric BrayRepublican37
Majority leaderChris GartenRepublican45
Minority leaderShelli YoderDemocratic40

Members of the Indiana Senate

DistrictSenatorPartyResidenceFirst electedSeat up
1Dan DernulcRepHighland20222026
2Lonnie RandolphDemEast Chicago2008 2028
3Mark SpencerDemGary20242028
4Rodney Pol Jr.DemChesterton2022†2026
5Ed CharbonneauRepValparaiso2007†2028
6Rick NiemeyerRepLowell20142026
7Brian BuchananRepLebanon2018†2028
8Mike BohacekRepMichiana Shores20162028
9Ryan MishlerRepBremen20042028
10David L. NiezgodskiDemSouth Bend20162028
11Linda RogersRepGranger20182026
12Blake DoriotRepNew Paris20162028
13Sue GlickRepLaGrange20102028
14Tyler JohnsonRepGrabill20222026
15Liz BrownRepFort Wayne20142026
16Justin BuschRepFort Wayne2018†2028
17VacantRep2026
18Stacey DonatoRepLogansport2019†2028
19Travis HoldmanRepMarkle2008†2026
20Scott BaldwinRepNoblesville20202028
21James R. BuckRepKokomo20082026
22Ron AltingRepLafayette19982026
23Spencer DeeryRepWest Lafayette20222026
24Brett ClarkRepAvon20242028
25Mike GaskillRepAnderson20182026
26Scott AlexanderRepMuncie20222026
27Jeff RaatzRepCenterville20142026
28Michael CriderRepGreenfield20122028
29J. D. FordDemIndianapolis20182026
30Fady QaddouraDemIndianapolis20202028
31Kyle WalkerRepIndianapolis20202026
32Aaron FreemanRepIndianapolis20162028
33Greg TaylorDemIndianapolis20082028
34La Keisha JacksonDemIndianapolis2024†2028
35R. Michael YoungRepIndianapolis20002028
36Cyndi CarrascoRepIndianapolis2023†2028
37Rodric BrayRepMartinsville20122028
38Greg GoodeRepTerre Haute2023†2026
39Eric BasslerRepWashington20142026
40Shelli YoderDemBloomington20202028
41Greg WalkerRepColumbus20062026
42Jean LeisingRepOldenburg2008 2028
43Randy MaxwellRepGuilford2023†2026
44Eric KochRepBedford20162028
45Chris GartenRepScottsburg20182026
46Andrea HunleyDemIndianapolis20222026
47Gary ByrneRepSalem2022†2026
48Daryl SchmittRepJasper2024†2026
49Jim TomesRepEvansville20102026
50Vaneta BeckerRepEvansville2005†2028

†Member was originally appointed or won the seat in a special election.

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:
CommitteeChair Vice Chair
AgricultureJean Leising Sue Glick
AppropriationsRyan Mishler Eric Bassler
Commerce and TechnologyBrian Buchanan Eric Koch
Corrections and Criminal LawAaron Freeman Sue Glick
Education and Career DevelopmentJeff Raatz John Crane
ElectionsMike Gaskill Greg Walker
Environmental AffairsRick Niemeyer Andy Zay
EthicsEric Bassler Greg Walker
Family and Children ServicesGreg Walker Mike Gaskill
Health and Provider ServicesEd Charbonneau Justin Busch
Homeland Security and TransportationMichael Crider Jim Tomes
Insurance and Financial InstitutionsScott Baldwin Kyle Walker
Joint RulesChris Garten
JudiciaryLiz Brown Eric Koch
Local GovernmentJames Buck Rick Niemeyer
Natural ResourcesSue Glick Jean Leising
Pensions and LaborLinda Rogers Blake Doriot
Public PolicyRon Alting Kyle Walker
Rules and Legislative ProcedureRodric Bray Chris Garten
School Funding SubcommitteeEric Bassler
Tax and Fiscal PolicyTravis Holdman Scott Baldwin
UtilitiesEric Kock Brian Buchanan
Veterans Affairs and The MilitaryJim Tomes Michael Crider