Indiana lawmakers won’t meet to consider new congressional maps and tax code tweaks until the first two weeks of December, legislative leaders announced Monday — ending months of speculation.
They’ll reconvene from Dec. 1-12, rather than hold the special legislative session in November that Gov. Mike Braun called for last week.
Republican leaders indicated cost was a top factor. The state’s most recent special session, in 2022, lasted two weeks and cost taxpayers about $240,000 in per-diem and travel expenses.
“Adjusting the 2026 legislative calendar is what makes the most sense when we consider member schedules, the logistics of legislative action and – most importantly – the costs to the taxpayer,” Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray (R-Martinsville) said in a statement.
“Making this shift allows the legislature to consider the topics presented to us in a thoughtful way without burdening Hoosier taxpayers with the cost of a special session,” he continued.
House Speaker Todd Huston (R-Fishers) said the aim is to “avoid any added session-related costs,” adding, “We will continue to look for ways to save taxpayer dollars as we work through and finalize the schedule.”
They could trim days from the back half of the 2026 calendar to even out the costs.
Braun released a statement in support of the news:
“I want to thank Senator Bray and Speaker Huston for announcing the legislature will convene on December 1, and happy to see they have committed to complete their work on the time sensitive issues of altering Indiana’s congressional boundaries to ensure Hoosiers have fair representation in Washington and conforming Indiana’s tax code to ensure stability and certainty as Hoosiers begin filing returns in January.”
Democratic caucus leaders condemned the move.
“Let’s call this what it is: a mid-decade scheme to rig the maps, and the only reason this is even on the table is because Trump’s losing — and Governor Braun caved,” Senate Minority Leader Shelli Yoder (D-Bloomington) said. Her caucus, she said, “will be ready with bills to make housing more affordable, lower health care costs, expand child care, and rein in utility hikes — because that’s what the people of Indiana actually need.”
Her counterpart, House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta (D-Fort Wayne), said his caucus would focus on the “skyrocketing cost of living.”
“From health care premiums and utility bills to child care costs and property taxes, Hoosiers are struggling to stay afloat and need relief. Redrawing political maps won’t solve any of these problems,” GiaQuinta said. “House Democrats will be offering solutions, and I look forward to hearing from Statehouse Republicans about what their plans to make Indiana more affordable look like.”
The Indiana Black Legislative Caucus, composed mostly of House Democrats, rallied Monday against the prospect of redistricting.
Special or not?
Last week, Braun summoned lawmakers into a special legislative session focused on early, mid-cycle redistricting of the state’s congressional districts — and critical tax code updates.
The Statehouse’s GOP supermajorities used 2020 census data to construct the current 7-2 maps in 2021. The lines aren’t due for updates until after the 2030 census.
But Indiana has come under intense pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration for a redraw of the state’s two blue congressional districts red ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Braun also called on the General Assembly to patch “discrepancies” in Indiana’s tax code, stemming from big changes in Trump’s marquee One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The governor’s order set the session for Monday, Nov. 3. Lawmakers don’t have to convene the exact day that he suggested — and won’t. The only requirements under Indiana law are that a special session can’t last for more than 30 session days or 40 calendar days. That clock begins Nov. 3 and ends Dec. 13.
But the General Assembly will answer the call differently.
Lawmakers won’t meet for a special session — even for a perfunctory gavel in and out. There’s no statutory requirement for that, Bray spokeswoman Molly Swigart said. Instead, legislators plan to start the regular 2026 session early.
Typically, they convene for Organization Day — the ceremonial start to the regularly scheduled session — on the third Tuesday in November and then return for business in January. This year, they’ll also work the first two weeks of December.
“The meeting days in December would be part of the 2026 regular session that officially starts on Organization Day on Nov. 18,” Huston said. “Because of this calendar alignment, starting the regular session early would be the most cost effective and efficient way to address the Governor’s call for a special session.”
More details on the December session days will be revealed in the “coming weeks,” he said, with a full calendar expected on Organization Day.
Other groups also slammed the news.
“Today’s announcement that lawmakers won’t return until December only underscores what Hoosiers have been saying for weeks: mid-decade redistricting is a distraction no one wants,” Indiana Conservation Voters said. “Governor Braun said this process needed to be wrapped up by late November. Now we know it won’t even get started until December. Our leaders keep kicking the can down the road because they know this idea is woefully unpopular and unnecessary. Let’s scrap it now.”