A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning health.
Summary
House Bill 1097 amends Indiana’s chronic disease registry statute to add Parkinson’s disease to the list of conditions included in the definition of “chronic disease.” The bill leaves the existing registry framework in place and simply expands the statutory list of reportable conditions used for the chronic disease registry.
Under the bill, the definition of chronic disease would continue to include asthma, diabetes, congestive heart failure or coronary heart disease, hypertension, and kidney disease, while also expressly adding Parkinson’s disease. The State Department would still retain authority to add other conditions to the registry by rule, so the bill functions as a targeted statutory update rather than a broader overhaul of the registry program.
Impact
HB1097 would amend IC 16-38-6-1, the section defining “chronic disease” for purposes of Indiana’s chronic disease registry, effective July 1, 2026. The practical effect is to require Parkinson’s disease to be treated as a chronic disease within the registry framework, which may affect data collection, public health tracking, and any related reporting or registry administration by the state health department. No new program is created, but the bill expands the scope of an existing health surveillance statute to include an additional neurological condition.
Sentiment
The available record shows no committee transcript, vote history, or recorded debate, so there is no direct evidence of support or opposition in the materials provided. Based on the bill’s narrow public health focus and technical nature, the measure appears to be a straightforward, low-conflict update to an existing registry statute. The absence of amendments, votes, or discussion suggests the bill was presented as a limited administrative change rather than a controversial policy proposal.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Potential areas of interest, if discussed, would likely involve whether Parkinson’s disease should be included in the chronic disease registry, the administrative burden on the State Department, and how registry data might be used. However, the bill text itself is narrow and preserves the department’s existing rulemaking authority, which may reduce the likelihood of substantive disagreement.