Indy professors baffled at receiving an ‘F’ for political tolerance. Meanwhile, campus-wide brawl breaks out over hurt feelings.

May 21, 2026 – By Marybeth Struble

INDIANA – College professors were stunned this week after finding out the state received an F overall for political tolerance. 

But the report that brought this bad news didn’t stop there. It also ranked IU Bloomington as one of the worst colleges in the nation, 255 out of 257. Reporters went to investigate how the students and faculty were holding up after this devastating news and hear their opinions.

Esteemed professor, Dr. C.N. Shorship, told reporters, “I just don’t understand how we got an F. Here at IU Bloomington we promote freedom of expression in all of its forms…and that includes getting physical with someone if they happen to disagree with you.”

One of Dr. Shorship’s students shared a similar sentiment, “This is Hoosier discrimination at its finest!” he yelled at reporters. “I say we find those bigots and give them an F!”

The campus is currently in an outrage. Students and faculty caught defending the report have been tackled on sight, and in the cafeteria, pelting the disagreers with fruit has been highly encouraged.

Dr. Shorship smiled when he walked in on the ensuing chaos. “It makes me so happy to see our students embracing freedom of speech. I mean, who cares about a report when you get to see this first-hand?”

A conservative student, disguised in Groucho glasses, had a different take on the situation. “Biggest mistake of my life saying that report was spot on! I’ve had to go in cognito mode ever since! I’m afraid if I take these glasses off someone will recognize me and I’ll get tackled on the spot. There’s no way I’m letting that happen.” The student looked dazed. “Not again.”

In other news, California teachers celebrate not being the only state the report gave an F to.

Note: This is a satirical piece. All individuals, quotes, and scenarios are fictionalized.

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Indiana’s 2026 Legislative Session is Over. Here’s What Happened.

As the 2026 Indiana legislative session came to a close, I reflected on what felt like the quickest two months in memory. Although the session was formally longer due to early convening for redistricting work, the pace never let up – and neither did we.

We saw important victories for families and faith-centered policy, including meaningful advances in religious liberty, protections for minors on social media, and parental rights. Here are a few of the highlights:

House Bill 1389 – “Religious Liberty for Adoption and Foster Care”

HB 1389 prohibits state and local officials from discriminating against foster parents, adoptive parents, or adoption and foster care providers based on their religious beliefs or moral convictions, including through the denial of grants or funding, termination of contracts, or loss of licensure or accreditation of providers. The bill also clarifies that agencies may consider a child’s religious background when making placement decisions, helping promote stability and continuity.

This bill fosters an environment where people of faith can carry out essential work, often at great personal sacrifice, while also expanding the number of individuals able to care for vulnerable children. The bill does not reduce safety standards or prevent anyone from fostering or adopting; it simply ensures that people of faith can serve without being forced to abandon their convictions.

Senate Bill 88 – “Good Citizen Instruction”

This bill mandates that part of the Good Citizenship Instruction include teaching the importance of obtaining a high school diploma or other training before entering the workforce, securing full-time employment, and waiting until marriage to begin having children. Research shows that young adults who follow the success sequence have dramatically lower rates of poverty in adulthood.

House Bill 1408 – “Social Media Restrictions on Minors”

This measure requires social media platforms to seek verifiable parental consent for adolescent users (under 16) to be account holders and defaults Indiana adolescents’ accounts into a highly restricted, parent-supervised version of the platform, with certain addictive features disabled – such as no targeted algorithms, limited messaging, no public discoverability, and built-in time controls.

Research shows that social media use among children under 16 is linked to higher rates of anxiety, depression, sleep disruption, body image concerns, and exposure to sexual exploitation, with developing brains especially vulnerable to dopamine-driven feedback loops created by algorithmic recommendations and continuous-content design. Adolescents often lack the maturity to navigate these risks independently. By requiring parental consent and defaulting minor accounts into a restricted, supervised format, this legislation ensures that parents – not platforms – retain primary authority over their child’s digital exposure.

Senate Bill 76 – “Immigration Matters”

This comprehensive immigration enforcement measure strengthens state and local cooperation with federal immigration authorities by requiring government bodies to honor federal immigration detainer requests and establishing enforcement mechanisms. The bill also bans knowingly hiring unauthorized workers, requires certain reporting on immigration-related data, and sets training and inspection requirements for county jails.

This legislation is necessary because Indiana families feel the downstream effects of federal immigration failures. When unlicensed or improperly credentialed commercial drivers operate on our highways, and when fentanyl and other deadly narcotics flow into our communities through transnational trafficking networks, it is Hoosier families who bear the consequences. These pressures strain local resources and erode neighborhood safety, which is why SB 76 prioritizes cooperation with law enforcement and accountability to better protect Hoosier families.

House Bill 1035 – “Permissible Unsupervised Activity”

This bill clarifies that a child is not a child in need of services solely because a parent allows age-appropriate, independent activities such as playing outside, riding a bike, or walking to school. It affirms that reasonable independence is not neglect and that state intervention should be reserved for true danger –  recognizing that parents are best positioned to determine what is appropriate for their child.

We should encourage outdoor, play-based childhoods rather than phone-based ones. Independent play helps children assess risk, solve problems, build resilience, and develop confidence. At a time when childhood freedom in the real world has declined even as virtual exposure has expanded, this bill restores balance by protecting both parental authority and healthy childhood development.

At the same time, I know many of you share the sense that this session was somewhat disappointing overall. In many areas where we hoped for stronger progress, such as protecting the safety and privacy of women and girls, empowering parents with greater control over medical decisions, cracking down on the intoxicating hemp loophole, and restricting the epidemic of abortion drugs in our state – among many other important initiatives.

The fight for authentic family-centered public policy does not get easier –  it gets more urgent.

Looking ahead to 2027, we are already gearing up for a bigger and more strategic session.

There are key issues on the horizon that will demand our full attention:

• The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision this summer in the women’s sports cases, West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Hecox. Although Indiana has already enacted legislation to protect women’s sports, these rulings will shape the national legal landscape and will create momentum for more comprehensive policies to preserve safety and privacy for girls and women in bathrooms, locker rooms, and other private spaces.
• Marijuana and hemp legalization have emerged repeatedly in recent sessions. Though this year’s proposals did not pass, we expect this issue to resurface – and we must be prepared with strong facts, compelling advocacy, and grassroots engagement to protect children and families from greater access, normalization, and harms tied to expanded cannabis use.
• Clarifying the definition of sex in Indiana code and preventing sex designation changes is likely to remain a legislative priority because current law contains no clear statewide definition, leaving courts and state agencies to interpret the issue inconsistently. As a result, policymakers are expected to revisit this issue next session to provide clear statutory guidance, preserve the integrity of vital records, and ensure that sex-based protections in law are applied consistently across the state.
• Gambling policy will likely remain an ongoing issue for the Indiana General Assembly as proposals to relocate or expand casino licenses continue to surface. As neighboring states expand gaming and pressure grows to capture additional revenue, lawmakers will need to carefully weigh those economic interests against the potential social costs to families and communities.

These and other emerging legal and cultural battlegrounds will define the next decade of our work. Your support today fuels the planning, research, and coalition-building we need to show up stronger, earlier, and with deeper impact when the next session begins.

Thank you for standing with us through a fast-paced session, for celebrating the victories that matter, and for preparing to lean into the work still ahead. We couldn’t do this without your faithful partnership.

If you feel led, please click the button below to make a donation to support our work. Every dollar counts in the fight to maintain Christian values in the legislature.

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2026 Legislative Agenda

MARRIAGE AND FAMILY

SUPPORT: Senate Bill 78 – “Wireless Communication Device”—PASSED

This bill requires schools to adopt a policy that either prohibits students from bringing cell phones, tablets, and smart watches to school or mandates that such devices be stored away during instructional time.

SUPPORT: Senate Bill 88 – “Good Citizen Instruction”—PASSED

This bill mandates that part of the Good Citizenship Instruction include teaching the importance of obtaining a high school diploma and other training before entering the workforce, securing full-time employment, and waiting until marriage to begin having children. Research shows that young adults who follow the success sequence have dramatically lower rates of poverty in adulthood.

OPPOSE: Senate Bill 109 – “Confidentiality of Terminated Pregnancy Reports”—DEAD

After a healthcare provider performs an abortion, the provider submits a terminated pregnancy report to the Indiana Department of Health. This bill attempts to make the report confidential and not disclosed to the public. However, having these reports disclosed to the public is the primary oversight and enforcement mechanism over illegal abortions.

SUPPORT: Senate Bill 119 – “Grooming”—PASSED

This bill expands protections against child predators and sex offenders by prohibiting these offenders from working or volunteering at facilities or events primarily directed for children. The bill also renames the offense of “inappropriate communication with a child” to “sexual grooming,” which covers repeated contact with a child under 14 intended to make them more susceptible to future sexual conduct.

SUPPORT: Senate Bill 139 – “Jury Duty Exemption for Women Breastfeeding”—PASSED

This legislation provides a jury duty exemption for women who gave birth in the last year and are currently breastfeeding.

SUPPORT: Senate Bill 159 – “School Technology Plans and Policies”—DEAD

This bill requires schools to implement policies that enable parents to exercise control over a student’s school-issued technology device while the student is not at school, including strengthening certain filters, blocking access to websites or content, and limiting the use of the device.

SUPPORT: House Bill 1408 – “Restrictions on Social Media Use for Minors”—PASSED

This measure requires social media platforms to seek verifiable parental consent for adolescent users (under 16) to be account holders and defaults Indiana adolescents’ accounts into a highly restricted, parent-supervised version of the platform, with certain addictive features disabled such as no targeted algorithms, limited messaging, no public discoverability, and built-in time controls.

SUPPORT: Senate Bill 236 – “Abortion Inducing Drugs”—DEAD

This bill creates civil remedies to address abortion pill trafficking in our state. The bill imposes liability on anyone who manufactures, distributes, prescribes, or provides an abortion-inducing drug that results in the wrongful death or injury of an unborn child or pregnant woman, and authorizes the mother or father to bring a wrongful death claim for the death of an unborn child. In addition, the bill authorizes private citizens to bring lawsuits against individuals who violate the law, with financial penalties and attorney’s fees awarded to successful plaintiffs. Finally, it authorizes the Attorney General to bring an action on behalf of the state to protect the interests of unborn children and Indiana residents.

OPPOSE: Senate Bill 269 – “Young Peer Support Programs”—DEAD

This bill authorizes school-based peer mental health programs and requires schools to offer annual, confidential online mental health screenings to students in grades 7, 9, and 11. While parents must be notified, the bill does not require affirmative parental consent for the screenings themselves. This expands school involvement in student mental health in ways that can bypass meaningful parental oversight, allowing students to be screened and potentially referred without direct parental engagement. Universal screening risks over-identifying normal adolescent struggles as disorders, labeling students unnecessarily, and triggering avoidable referrals, further shifting primary mental health decision-making away from parents and toward schools. Schools should educate, not medicalize.

OPPOSE: House Bill 1011 – “End of Life Issues”—DEAD

This bill allows individuals with a terminal illness to request an attending physician to assist in the individual’s suicide.

SUPPORT: House Bill 1035 – “Permissible Unsupervised Activity”—PASSED

This bill provides that a child is not a child in need of services solely because a parent allows the child to engage in an unsupervised, independent activity, including playing outside, riding their bike, or walking to school.

SUPPORT: House Bill 1349 – “Government Abortion Funding”—DEAD

This bill would prohibit state and local government employers in Indiana from using taxpayer dollars to pay for or reimburse abortion procedures or abortion-related travel for their employees. In other words, a city, county, or state agency could not create a special benefit to cover abortion costs using public funds. It is aimed at preventing government employers from offering abortion reimbursement programs like those adopted in some other states.

GENDER AND HUMAN IDENTITY

SUPPORT: Senate Bill 182 – “Sex Definition/Birth Certificates/Men in Women Prisons/Boys in Girls Bathrooms”—DEAD

This bill would define the terms “sex,” “male,” “female,” and “gender” for the entire Indiana Code. It would also ensure that the sex designation on an individual’s birth certificate cannot be changed. This bill would protect women in women’s prisons from having gender-confused men live with them. This bill provides safety and privacy for girls and women in K-12 schools and colleges and universities from having to share restrooms, locker rooms, and housing facilities/overnight stays with boys and men.

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND NATIONAL IDENTITY

SUPPORT: Senate Bill 174 – “Medical Freedom”—DEAD

This bill provides expansive medical freedom protections in many areas. Among its core provisions, the bill would prevent schools, employers, health care facilities, and higher education institutions from mandating medical interventions, including vaccinations, and from penalizing or excluding individuals who choose not to receive them. The bill also requires a parent to be physically present before a School-Based Health Center may provide medical care and limits schools from conducting mental health screenings or medical assessments except in emergent medical situations. In addition, it promotes transparency by requiring schools and childcare programs to disclose the ingredients in the foods they serve so parents know what their children are consuming.

SUPPORT: House Bill 1086 – “Display of the Ten Commandments”—DEAD

This piece of legislation would require schools to place a durable poster or framed picture representing the text of the Ten Commandments in each school library and classroom. A similar bill was passed in Louisiana in 2024. During session, the Indiana bill was later amended to include the Ten Commandments as a protected writing instead of a display in all classrooms.

SUPPORT: House Bill 1196 – “Employment and Vaccinations”—DEAD

This bill would fortify employees’ rights to refuse immunizations required by their employer, with a civil penalty of $5,000 per violation.

SUPPORT: House Bill 1224 – “Indiana Vaccines Adverse Event Reporting”—DEAD

This bill establishes an Indiana Vaccination Adverse Event Reporting System for childhood vaccines. Such a system allows regulators and scientists to identify unusual or rare patterns that may signal a potential safety concern requiring further study. Having state-specific adverse event data also enables policymakers to assess local impacts rather than relying solely on national trends.

SUPPORT:  House Bill 1389 – “Religious Liberty for Adoption and Foster Care”—PASSED

This piece of legislation would prohibit the state from discriminating against adoption agencies, foster parents, foster care providers, or adoptive parents based on their religious beliefs.

FAMILY PROSPERITY

SUPPORT: Senate Bill 76 – “Immigration Matters”—PASSED

This comprehensive immigration enforcement measure strengthens state and local cooperation with federal immigration authorities by requiring government bodies to honor federal immigration detainer requests and establishing enforcement mechanisms. The bill also bans knowingly hiring unauthorized workers, requires certain reporting on immigration-related data, and sets training and inspection requirements for county jails.

SUPPORT: Senate Bill 250 – “Hemp Regulations”—DEAD

This bill, most importantly, closes the loophole that has allowed intoxicating products like delta-8 and similar compounds to be sold with minimal oversight and significantly tightens THC limits. It also creates a comprehensive regulatory system for hemp-derived cannabinoid products in Indiana. The bill imposes strict age restrictions, location limits, advertising rules, and testing and labeling requirements, and treats products that do not comply as illegal marijuana under state law. While marketed as “hemp,” these products often contain concentrated THC compounds from the same cannabis plant as marijuana and can be equally or more intoxicating than traditional marijuana products. Overall, it restructures the hemp market to limit access to potent, largely unregulated THC products and place them under stronger state control.

OPPOSE: House Bill 1038 – “Relocation of Gambling Operations”—PASSED

This measure would allow the riverboat casino located in the City of Rising Sun to relocate its gaming operations to a casino in either Allen, DeKalb, Steuben, or Wayne Counties.

SUPPORT: House Bill 1099 – “Foreign Adversaries”—DEAD

This bill strengthens current law by placing new limits on certain foreign individuals and companies buying land, receiving government contracts, or accessing sensitive academic programs in Indiana. Countries such as China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea are engaging in cyberattacks, theft of trade secrets, and other efforts that threaten American security and economic strength. Limiting their access to strategic land, technology, research, and public contracts is intended to protect Indiana’s economy, national security, and local communities.

OPPOSE: House Bill 1191 & Senate Bill 286 – “Legalizing Marijuana”—DEAD

Both bills significantly change Indiana’s approach to marijuana. While HB 1191 does not create a regulated retail market, eliminating criminal penalties for possession of up to two ounces effectively makes personal possession lawful in practice. SB 286 would create a fully legal, regulated adult-use cannabis market with taxation and a state oversight commission. Marijuana legalization increases adult use, expands retail access, and normalizes consumption, which can lead to greater youth exposure, higher rates of impaired driving, accidental ingestion of high-potency products, and other risks to children and community safety. Read more here.

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TAKE ACTION on One of Our Top Legislative Priority!

1/13/26

On January 5, Indiana’s 2026 Legislative Session kicked off with the 22nd Annual Statehouse Prayer Service, hosted by Rev. Matthew Barnes with Public Servants Prayer. IFI has the honor of attending the service each year to pray over the upcoming session. We believe God has big plans for our state in 2026!

As you may know, the Indiana General Assembly alternates between short and long legislative sessions each year. Since 2026 is an “even” year, this will be a short session, lasting up to 30 non-consecutive days. This is less than half as long as last year’s session, and every second counts! 

The 2026 session comes on the heels of our most successful legislative session to date, and we have high hopes our winning streak will continue. Here are three of our top seven legislative priorities this session:

Defining Sex / Safety and Privacy in Correctional Housing

For decades, no statutory definition of “male” or “female” was necessary, but modern gender-identity activism has made clarity essential. Defining sex according to objective biological markers protects the original meaning of laws like Title IX and prevents the legal chaos that would result from replacing sex with self-declared identity. Senate Bill 182 would codify a clear, biologically based definition of “sex” in state law and require that birth certificates reflect an individual’s sex at birth, without later alteration. 

SB 182 also includes language on another important issue – safety and privacy in correctional housing. If passed, the bill would ensure that correctional housing placements align with an inmate’s biological sex, preventing males from being housed in female facilities. It addresses documented safety risks—including assaults, coercion, and pregnancies—that have occurred in jurisdictions allowing biological males into women’s facilities. The legislation would also uphold the privacy and dignity of female inmates and provide clear, uniform standards for correctional administrators. Together, these measures would promote safety, privacy, fairness, and consistent application of the law.

If you would like to take a stand on this issue, please join us by contacting your state legislator TODAY. 

Girls’ Safety and Privacy in Schools

Legislation focused on this issue would prevent girls in public schools from having to share a restroom, changing room, or sleeping quarters with someone of the opposite sex. Girls attending public school should not have to worry about whether they can safely and privately use the bathroom, change their clothes, or shower after practice. It should go without saying that school-aged children should be able to shield their bodies from students of the opposite sex.

Next week, we will share a few more of our top legislative priorities and how you can engage in the session!

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IFI Welcomes Tom Shevlot to the Board!

I’m pleased to announce that a new member has joined IFI’s Board of Directors! We’re excited to welcome Tom Shevlot to the team – a respected friend and Indiana business leader.

Tom was born in Indianapolis and raised in Hancock County. He graduated from Taylor University with a B.A. and earned a graduate degree in finance and economics. He spent 25 years in executive positions with AT&T and Comcast, eventually leaving the corporate world to answer God’s call to accept the CEO role of one of the largest pregnancy resource centers in Indiana – Life Centers – which he retired from in 2024. He has been married for over 40 years and has two children and one grandson.

“Having spent decades protecting the values of Hoosier families, protecting the life of the unborn, and supporting policies that help Hoosiers protect their God-given rights, I’m thrilled to join the board of an organization that puts Indiana families as a priority,” Tom shared.

“As the Chairman of the Indiana Family Institute, I’m so pleased to welcome Tom Shevlot to the IFI board. His years of dedicated leadership in Indiana’s pro-life movement will shed invaluable light on how IFI can continue advocating for the unborn and supporting women facing crisis pregnancies,” IFI Board Chairman Curt Smith said.

Tom has a long history of dedication to faith, family, and freedom here in the Hoosier state. He has been a business leader, public servant, and ministry partner. I’ve had the privilege of working with Tom for many years as he faithfully and expertly built Life Centers up to better accomplish their goal of ministering to women in crisis. His commitment to Jesus, innocent babies in and out of the womb, and vulnerable Hoosiers is inspiring, and I’m so excited to welcome him to the Board of the Indiana Family Institute. Together, we will help create an environment in Indiana where families can flourish.

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