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HB1183 • 2026

A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning criminal law and procedure.

A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning criminal law and procedure.

Crime
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Representative Craig Haggard
Last action
2026-01-05
Official status
Introduced House Bill (H)
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and digest do not provide details on how to prove an image is fake or real.

Law to Stop Sharing Fake Sexual Images

This law makes creating, owning, or sharing fake digital images that appear to show real people in sexual situations illegal, with increased penalties for distribution.

What This Bill Does

  • Makes the creation or possession of a digital sexual image a Class A misdemeanor.
  • Increases the penalty for distributing a digital sexual image from a Class A misdemeanor to a Level 6 felony.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who create, own, or distribute fake digital images that appear to show real people in sexual situations

Terms To Know

Class A misdemeanor
A type of crime that is less serious than a felony but more serious than other types of misdemeanors.
Level 6 felony
The least serious type of felony, which is still more serious than a Class A misdemeanor.

Limits and Unknowns

  • It does not specify the conditions under which distribution becomes a Level 5 felony.
  • Does not address accidental creation or sharing of such images.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-05 House

    Authored by Representative Haggard

  2. 2026-01-05 House

    Coauthored by Representative Bauer

  3. 2026-01-05 House

    First reading: referred to Committee on Courts and Criminal Code

Official Summary Text

A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning criminal law and procedure.
Digital sexual image abuse.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning criminal law and procedure.

Digital sexual image abuse.

Increases the penalty for the crime of distribution of an intimate image, from a Class A misdemeanor to a Level 6 felony, and increases the enhancement of this crime from a Level 6 felony to a Level 5 felony. Defines "digital sexual image" as a digital, computer generated image or video that is created or modified to depict: (1) sexual intercourse; (2) other sexual conduct; or (3) exhibition of certain body parts; of a quality, characteristic, or condition, such that it appears to depict an individual. Makes creation or possession of a digital sexual image a Class A misdemeanor and distribution of a digital sexual image a Level 6 felony.