Earl Harris, Jr.

Voted for Senate Bill 475, which bans new deals that stop a doctor from working for a rival after leaving a hospital. The ban covers deals first signed on or after July 1, 2025, and any such deal is void. Older deals still hold, and renewing one does not count as signing a new one. Hospitals may still guard trade secrets, bar a departing doctor from recruiting staff for a year, and write such terms into the sale of a practice the doctor mostly owned. The Indiana House backed the final version 65-21, and it became law.

April 24, 2025Supports Corporate Accountability

Source: legiscan.com · researched August 31, 2026

The Indiana House Democratic Caucus reports that Harris's House Enrolled Act 1292 established the Northwest Indiana Professional Sports Development Commission.

May 5, 2025

Source: indianahousedemocrats.org · researched August 8, 2026

The Indiana House Democratic Caucus biography states that Earl L. Harris Jr. was first elected to the Indiana House in 2016 and represents House District 2.

November 8, 2016

Source: indianahousedemocrats.org · researched August 8, 2026

Voted against House Bill 1003, which closes or merges dozens of state boards and panels. About 39 bodies end. Some simply stop, such as the forensic science board and the driver education panel. Others hand their work to a department that already exists. The public safety radio board goes to homeland security. So does the fire and building safety board. The war memorials board goes to veterans affairs. Four bodies covering women, Hispanic and Latino people, Black men and Native Americans merge into one cultural board with four subgroups. Some boards lose their daily pay. An agency renewing a rule must now compare it with Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio. It must publish why a stricter rule is needed. Two changes cut the other way. The natural resources board loses its rule that members be split between parties. It also loses the rule that two members know about the environment. The college savings board loses its party split too. The moved building rules are frozen: homeland security cannot change them without a new law. The Indiana House adopted the final version 69-28, and it became law.

February 27, 2026

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 2, 2026

Voted against House Bill 1368, which rebuilds Indiana's rules for storing carbon dioxide underground. The aim is to let the state take over permits from the federal government. A permit form grows from 8 items to 28. It must now include maps of known faults in the rock. It must list every well that reaches the storage layer. It must give baseline chemistry for every drinking water source nearby. A public hearing is required. Notice must be mailed to every land, mineral and pore space owner within half a mile. The state must answer every serious comment in writing. Before granting a permit the state must find three things. The project will not harm surface water or aquifers. It will not endanger health or the environment. And it is in the public interest. Injection pressure is capped at 90 percent of the pressure that would crack the rock. Watching must go on for at least 50 years after injection stops. The state may not write off an aquifer as a drinking water source. Fines rise, now run per day, and a knowing breach becomes a Class A misdemeanor. Two changes cut the other way. The old rule that the gas be more than 90 percent carbon dioxide is repealed. Coal is dropped from the resources whose rights outrank carbon storage. The Indiana House agreed to the final version 57-40, and it became law.

February 27, 2026

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 2, 2026

Voted against House Bill 1302, which loosens several Indiana labor and safety rules. Employers with five or more workers aged 14 to 17 no longer have to register with the state or report how many minors they employ, and the public list of those employers is repealed. It also ends the separate state certificate for coal mine belt examiners. The Indiana House agreed to the final version 69-25, and it became law.

February 26, 2026

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 11, 2026

Voted against House Bill 1193, which changes how Indiana handles claims of unfair treatment based on race, sex, religion, disability and other protected traits. The state Civil Rights Commission may no longer act as a person's lawyer in court in these cases. In fair housing cases the person must now file their own lawsuit within 30 days. The commission used to file it for them. The commission can also sue over a broad pattern of unfair treatment. Money damages are dropped from what a court may award there. If another state or federal agency can handle a claim, the commission must hand it over. It keeps power over that claim only if the other agency agrees in writing. The law also adds two new kinds of claim. One is punishing a person for speaking up. The other is breaking three federal civil rights laws that cover federal money, jobs and schools. The Indiana House agreed to the final version 66-29, and it became law.

February 26, 2026

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 2, 2026

Voted against House Bill 1001, which changes how Indiana tracks housing and what builders must fit. From 2027 every county, city and town must send the state a yearly housing report. It must give the number of homes proposed, approved and refused. It must give the net new homes built. It must also say how many days the local office took to handle applications. A second yearly report must give average and median home sale prices and median rents. It must give homes built by type, and how many are priced for lower, middle and higher earners. The state must publish a summary comparing regions. The law also drops several building and land rules. No state or local body may now require arc-fault breakers in flats and like buildings put up after June 2026. These breakers cut the power when wiring sparks. None may require radio gear that helps rescue crews talk inside large new buildings. The state must check its storm water manual for cost. It may no longer demand both a repair ledge and a safety ledge on a storm water pond. Land filled in a flood plain now needs no more than three times its area in new flood storage. The Indiana House agreed to the final version 72-21, and it became law.

February 25, 2026

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 2, 2026

Voted against House Bill 1273, which sets rules for firms that advise large investors how to vote their shares. The rules apply only when the firm advises voting against company management. If the firm has no written financial study behind that advice, it must say so to the client and to the company. It must also say so on its own website home page for as long as it serves that client. If it does have a study, it must tell the client and hand it over on request. A firm that advises voting with management has no duty at all. Breaking the rule counts as a deceptive act under Indiana's consumer sales law. A client, the company, or any of its shareholders may sue for a court order. Banks acting as trustees and small charities are exempt. The Indiana House agreed to the final version 72-20, and it became law.

February 25, 2026

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 2, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 277, which cuts back Indiana's environment rules and the agency that writes them. It repeals 84 sections of environment law. In more than two dozen places a duty on the agency or its rules board becomes a choice. The state's own review of major state actions ends. Agencies no longer have to set out the harm a project would cause, or the other options. The state air operating permit chapter is repealed. The agency may not rest a decision only on federal health risk numbers that never went through federal rulemaking. It must avoid ones at or below natural background levels. A citizen asking for a new rule now needs Indiana signers and draft wording. A majority of the board must find the request has merit. The rules board loses its cap on members from one party. The governor may now remove a member without cause. Several yearly public reports end. One change runs the other way. The law gathers scattered appeal rights into one list. For the first time a person may appeal the agency's failure to act. The Indiana House passed the bill 53-45, and it became law.

February 24, 2026

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 2, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 285, which makes camping or sleeping on state or local government land a crime. An officer must first check whether the person needs urgent mental health care. If not, the officer must give a warning and say where shelter and services can be found. Doing it again in the same area after 48 hours is a Class C misdemeanor. It is a defense that no shelter bed was open within five miles. Cities and counties may not adopt or enforce a policy that blocks or discourages the enforcing of camping bans. The law also widens who may be held for mental health care against their will. It now covers a person with no fixed shelter who was offered a shelter and turned it down. That person must be staying outdoors in weather likely to kill or badly hurt them. The Indiana House passed the bill 53-44, and it became law.

February 24, 2026

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 2, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 284, which limits what a civilian board that watches over a police department may do. Cities, towns, counties and townships may still set up such a board. But the board may only give advice. It may not make any decision the police agency has to follow. This applies to boards that already existed and to any set up later. Police merit boards, which handle hiring and discipline, are not affected. The Indiana House passed the bill 70-25, and it became law.

February 24, 2026

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 2, 2026

Voted against House Bill 1355, which changes how the state reviews large livestock farms. A farm may now ask for a meeting before it applies. The state must review the designs and hold that meeting within 30 days. It must then decide within 90 days. If it misses that deadline it must refund the fee without being asked. The state may no longer require design changes to a farm whose design meets the law and is signed off by a licensed engineer. It may not apply liquid-manure design rules to farms that store solid manure on straw or dry bedding. It may not require changes to an already approved building as part of a new application. The law also adds duties. A solid-manure farm must control runoff. Anyone who builds an earth wall around manure storage must plant it or otherwise stop erosion. They must keep it clear for inspection and keep trees and shrubs at least 16 feet from its inner face. The Indiana House agreed to the final version 73-22, and it became law.

February 19, 2026

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 2, 2026

Voted against House Bill 1150, which limits what homeowners groups and local governments may regulate. A homeowners group runs a housing subdivision and enforces its rules. Such a group may not stop a member flying the United States or Indiana flag. It may still set fair rules on flagpole size, materials and upkeep. It may not run a camera that reads license plates. It may allow one on its land only if police put it there and the group cannot see the data. It may not treat cars or outdoor machines differently based on the fuel they run on. Counties and cities may no longer make building owners or utility firms report how much energy or water is used. The same fuel rule now covers local rules on cars, machines and outdoor cooking gear. The Indiana House agreed to the final version 72-19, and it became law.

February 18, 2026

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 2, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 76, which makes local governments in Indiana help enforce federal immigration law. A jail holding someone under a federal hold must follow the request. It must tell the person, note it in the file, and tell the judge who sets bail. The attorney general may sue a local government that limits enforcement. A court may order up to $10,000 for each knowing breach. A court must now block any proved breach, not just a deliberate one. Employers may not knowingly hire or keep a worker who has no right to work. They may lose their business licenses if they do. The state must report each year how many non-citizens get public aid and what it costs. From 2027 hospitals must report what proof of identity Medicaid patients showed. The law also lets a jailed person object by claiming mistaken identity or United States citizenship. The jail must then check with the federal officer. An employer who checked work rights with due care has not broken the law. The Indiana House passed the bill 61-28, and it became law.

February 12, 2026

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 2, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 112, which deals with a candidate who drops out of a race. The withdrawal papers include a home address. Sometimes it does not match the address on the person's voter registration. Under this law, signing those papers now counts as asking the county to update that record. The Indiana House passed the bill 72-24, and it became law.

February 10, 2026

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 2, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 258, which removes Indiana's own permit system for nuclear power plants and plants that reuse nuclear fuel. It repeals the rule that a company needed a state permit to build or run one. It repeals the state's power to write rules on air and water pollution from these plants. It repeals the public hearing where people nearby could speak about the harm to air, water and land. It also repeals three permit rules. A permit had to cap how much radiation may be let out. Releases had to be watched, and each one reported. A company must still file a study of the harm to nature. It goes to the state when the company files its federal papers. The Indiana House passed the bill 64-28, and it became law.

February 9, 2026

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 2, 2026

Voted against House Bill 1274, which stops insurance companies from making customers post no-gun signs. It covers property and casualty policies, the kind that cover buildings, cars and accidents. An insurer may not make a customer put up a sign saying guns or bullets are banned or limited. The same goes for a person asking for cover. The rule applies to policies issued or renewed after June 30, 2026. The Indiana House passed the bill 69-25, and it became law.

January 28, 2026

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 2, 2026

The Indiana House Democratic Caucus reports that Harris offered an amendment to House Bill 1032 to study the cost of mid-decade congressional redistricting; the amendment failed 65-28.

December 5, 2025

Source: indianahousedemocrats.org · researched August 8, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 358, which raises school reading standards and tightens a school choice fund. A school where fewer than 70 percent of pupils passed the state reading test must join the state reading training program for teachers, if money allows. The state's list of approved teaching material now covers English and language arts. Staff must work with teachers when they judge that material. Whether it suits a child's age is now part of the test. The law also deals with education scholarship accounts, a state fund parents can spend on schooling. A parent who signs up as a provider may not claim fees for teaching only their own child. Doing so can cost them provider status. The state treasurer may close the account and take back money wrongly received. The attorney general may seek a fine of up to $5,000. One change runs the other way. A school with only provisional approval may now take choice scholarship pupils. The Indiana House adopted the final version 58-28, and it became law.

April 24, 2025

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 2, 2026

Voted against House Bill 1003, which makes health care prices easier to see and cuts some patient bills. Labs and scan centers must post cash prices for 50 common services by July 2026. They must post the range of prices they have agreed with insurers too, in plain words. Hospitals join an existing posting rule. A patient who asks for a written price estimate must get it in two working days instead of five. Copies of X-rays become free. A provider may not charge for a digital copy of a health record. Hospitals may not bill an office visit using hospital facility codes. From January 2026 they must be paid the doctor fee rate instead. A hospital that breaks that rule can be fined $1,000 a day. Insurers and drug benefit firms lose the secrecy shields that kept audits hidden. They must show fee rates and denial rules while agreeing a contract. A claim may not be refused only because the referring doctor is out of network. A doctor moving practices gets 60 days of temporary approval to treat patients. The Indiana House adopted the final version 67-25, and it became law.

April 24, 2025

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 2, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 526, which changes how Indiana handles absentee ballots that must be thrown out. The test run before an election must now include a ballot that has to be rejected. The machine must void that ballot before any votes are counted. A voting system may add a feature that pulls such a ballot back out. If a system uses that feature, it must give each absentee ballot a private tracking number. That number may not hold the voter's name, address, phone number, birth date or Social Security number. The law also raises the federal standard a newly approved machine must meet, but lets counties keep older machines that were approved before October 2025. The Indiana House backed the final version 65-26, and it became law.

April 24, 2025

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 2, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 289, which bars Indiana public schools, colleges and other public employers from using race, sex, religion, color, national origin or ancestry to decide who is hired, promoted, admitted or given aid, unless a job truly calls for it. It also bars them from making people sign, or sit through training that says, that one group is better than another. It rewrites three teacher scholarships that were limited to minority students. New applicants now qualify by coming from, living in or agreeing to teach in one of five named counties, and people who got a scholarship before July 2025 can keep renewing it. The Indiana House backed the final version 64-26, and it became law.

April 24, 2025

Source: legiscan.com · researched August 31, 2026

Voted against House Bill 1680, which tightens voter sign-up rules and adds regular election checks. Someone who signs up using an ID number from a temporary license or card must now prove citizenship. The state sends a notice. The sign-up is refused if no proof arrives within 30 days. A post office box or rented mailbox may no longer be given as a home address. Outside groups may not print details onto sign-up forms before mailing them. The secretary of state may now check how any primary or general election was run. Before, a check needed an inquiry or a recount. The secretary picks the counties and must consult experts and county staff. The check must be done by a set date. Every county must give the state the name and contact details of its computer support firm. Someone holding a candidate petition they believe is badly false must hand it to the county election board within ten days. Money given through a payment app now counts as a donation. It must be reported at its full value, before the app's fee. The state election commission loses its power to issue guidance letters. Every letter it issued before July 2025 is void. The Indiana House adopted the final version 65-25, and it became law.

April 23, 2025

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 2, 2026

Voted against House Bill 1037, which stops local governments setting stricter rules on building site run-off than the state does. A county, city or town may no longer adopt any rule that goes beyond the state's construction stormwater permit. That includes money guarantees and drainage reports after building. Any local rule that does go beyond it is void. The local unit must still carry out its duties under the state permit. One power stays for small sites. Where work disturbs less than one acre, and is not part of a bigger plan, the local unit or the state may warn a person whose site is letting soil or dust escape. If nothing is done within 48 hours, they may order the work stopped. The Indiana House agreed to the final version 68-20, and it became law.

April 17, 2025

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 2, 2026

Voted against House Bill 1079, which cuts the time a tenant has to collect belongings from a storage firm. Under the old rule a warehouse or storage business had to wait 90 days after telling the tenant before it could sell the goods. The new rule cuts that wait to 45 days. Nothing else in the section changes. The Indiana House agreed to the final version 64-21, and it became law.

April 16, 2025

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 2, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 423, which sets up a program for building small nuclear reactors in Indiana. A large electric utility may join with investors, big customers, reactor makers, military bases or state universities. With state approval, it may then raise customer bills to pay for early design and permit work. It may do this before it holds a permit to build anything. It collects 80 percent of that money as it spends, and the rest at its next rate review. If the project is later dropped, customers do not get their money back. The utility only gives up its profit on those costs. The program ends in 2035. The Indiana House passed the bill 67-29, and it became law.

April 15, 2025

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 2, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 2, which tightens who can get Medicaid in Indiana. Adults on the Healthy Indiana Plan must now work, train or volunteer at least 20 hours a week. Eight other ways to qualify apply instead, such as pregnancy, caring for a child under six, being medically unfit to work, or attending school full time. The state must also cap how many people the plan covers, so it spends no more than the money set aside. The state may no longer take an applicant's word on income, address, age or household. It must check state and federal records every month for changes. State agencies may no longer advertise the program. The Indiana House passed the bill 66-28, and it became law.

April 8, 2025

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 2, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 365, which builds career and job data into Indiana's schools. The state must track how many students who finished a career and skills course are working in a matching job. It must track that at one, three, five and ten years after leaving school. Four state bodies must publish clear facts about school career courses on a public website. They are the education department, the higher education commission, the workforce department and the governor's workforce cabinet. The law also creates a career coaching chapter. Schools and other bodies may work with approved coaching partners under it. It repeals an older chapter that covered the same ground. The Indiana House passed the bill 66-24, and it became law.

April 3, 2025

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 2, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 450, which sets new rules for the people Indiana would send to a national convention on amending the United States Constitution. A delegate must have lived in Indiana for five years. A delegate may not have worked as a paid lobbyist in the past five years, and may not have a serious criminal record. While serving, a delegate may not take a gift worth $200 or more. The state must also order its delegates never to back an amendment that changes the Bill of Rights or other named parts of the Constitution. The Indiana House passed the bill 69-27, and it became law.

March 24, 2025

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 2, 2026

Voted against Senate Bill 424, which lets any Indiana electric utility charge customers for the cost of planning a small nuclear reactor. It may do this before it holds a permit to build one. The utility must first get state approval and a cost estimate. It then collects 80 percent of the money as it spends, and the rest at its next rate review. If the project is dropped, customers do not get their money back. The utility only gives up its profit on those costs. Unlike the pilot program passed the same year, this change is permanent and needs no partner. The Indiana House passed the bill 59-30, and it became law.

March 20, 2025

Source: legiscan.com · researched September 2, 2026

Voted against House Bill 1041, which tells Indiana public colleges, and private colleges that play them, to label each sports team as men's, women's or mixed. It bars anyone who is male, based on their sex at birth, from playing on a women's team. Colleges must set up a complaint process and may not punish a student for speaking up. A student who loses a spot on a team may sue for a court order, legal costs, and the greater of their real losses or up to $1,000, if a court grants them. The Indiana House passed it 71-25, and it became law.

February 18, 2025

Source: legiscan.com · researched August 31, 2026