Indiana senators have given final approval on a bill extending syringe services programs in the state another five years. It now heads to Gov. Mike Braun's desk.
Syringe services programs provide clean needles and take in used ones. They also help connect participants with HIV and Hepatitis C testing, and addiction treatment. There are programs operating in six Indiana counties, including Clark and Marion.
The state first authorized the programs in 2015 in response to a historic HIV outbreak in Scott County, and the current state approval expires in July.
The Senate voted Wednesday 38-10 in favor of the amended bill, which underwent significant changes in the House this month. Republican Sen. Michael Crider authored this year's bill to extend the program.
On the Senate floor, Crider briefly noted some of the House changes and asked for his Senate colleagues' support. There was no discussion ahead of the vote.
The original version would have extended the state approval for the programs until 2036.
The House version passed last week cut the extension to five years, and added new provisions: There are now residency requirements and clients will have to show identification to get clean needles.
The programs will also need to adhere to a one-to-one exchange for syringes, and be at least 1,000 feet from certain buildings like schools or places of worship, unless the facilities give permission.
Some advocates have said some of the new provisions, like requiring identification, will lead to lower participation.
"And when participation falls, infections rise," Dr. William Cooke testified at a House committee hearing earlier this month.
Cooke helped lead the HIV outbreak response in Scott County.
Some critics have argued the programs enable illegal drug use and add more needles into the community.
Republican Rep. Matt Hostetler, who expressed concern about the extension, pointed to 2023 information from the Indiana Department of Health that showed that since 2015, around 2 million more needles were given out than taken in.
He called it a "very successful needle distribution program" before the recent House vote.
Information from the Clark County Health Department showed their program had a syringe return rate of more than 87% between July 2024 and July 2025. Counting syringes taken in from the wider community, including the large dropoff box at the health department, it was more than 100% for that time period.
Local health leaders attributed initiatives including the syringe services program as contributing to what they predicted last year would be the lowest annual overdose death rate in more than a decade.
Republican Rep. Ed Clere, who sponsored the bill in the House and added an amendment moving the extension from two to five years, acknowledged ahead of the House vote last week that some of the new provisions will present challenges to participation. But he said they could also open up more opportunities, more local buy-in and over time, stronger syringe service in Indiana.
Clere authored legislation authorizing the programs more than a decade ago.
The bill also calls for programs to maintain data on drug treatment referrals and efficacy, and allows for suspension for noncompliance.
Once he receives it, Gov. Braun will have seven days to sign or veto the bill. If he takes no action, it will become law.
The legislative session is expected to end this week.
Coverage of Southern Indiana is funded, in part, by Samtec Inc., the Hazel & Walter T. Bales Foundation, and the Caesars Foundation of Floyd County.
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