Indiana’s Senate Republicans released a slim priority agenda Wednesday — targeting waste, fraud and abuse in Indiana’s food and health care benefit programs.
Senate Bill 1, authored by Sen. Chris Garten, R-Charlestown, focuses on ensuring that only U.S. citizens receive aid.
“Americans are outraged by the billions of dollars of welfare fraud in our nation — and the Minnesota scandal is Exhibit A,” a news release said. The bill is “Indiana’s latest effort to catch bad actors to preserve programs like SNAP and Medicaid for Hoosiers who need them most.”
Only one other bill was highlighted: Senate Joint Resolution 1, authored by Sen. Eric Koch, R-Bedford.
The resolution is the second prong of a three-part process to amend the Indiana Constitution. The founding document makes nearly everyone eligible for bail, but the proposal would allow judges to deny bail to anyone they deem a “substantial risk.”
The measure has already passed one Legislature and now must pass in 2026 to be added to the November ballot for a public vote.
The third priority noted was to continue prioritizing fiscal discipline “in the face of increased pressure from Democrats to prematurely spend taxpayer money” and by ending the 2026 legislative session “ahead of time and under budget.”
The legislative session is scheduled to run through the end of February.
The bulk of the Senate Republican agenda is tightening regulations for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid. Garten said about half the bill is simply conforming to recent federal changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Garten’s legislation would increase eligibility checks for SNAP, prevent illegal immigrants from claiming benefits and update Indiana’s laws to comply with federal Medicaid reforms, including work requirements for able-bodied, working-age adults.
“The days of asking hardworking Hoosiers to subsidize lawlessness are over,” Garten said. “Our public safety net exists to support our most vulnerable citizens — not those who have broken our laws to enter the country. If you are here illegally, you are disqualified from receiving Hoosier tax dollars, and we will report you to federal authorities. It is that simple.”
The news releases offered no examples of fraud or waste in the systems.
Garten told the Indiana Capital Chronicle he doesn’t know the number of noncitizens receiving benefits.
“That’s part of the problem,” he said.
Senate Bill 1 would mandate verification of immigration status for all Medicaid and SNAP applicants. And it goes further: any applicant who cannot verify legal presence would be immediately referred to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for investigation and potential deportation proceedings.
Last year, Indiana lawmakers added work requirements for able-bodied Hoosiers on Indiana’s Healthy Indiana Plan. Months later, the federal government did the same; Garten’s bill will match the federal requirements and go into effect in 2027. Additionally, HIP enrollment will now be every six months instead of annually.
The state would also adopt the federal definition of medically frail. The language specifically says the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration can’t expand the definition administratively.
“That’s a limit switch for us as a Legislature. We don’t want the agency to expand Medicaid rolls,” Garten said. “It’s our fiscal lever.”
Indiana Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com.
