Indiana SB 256 (foreign-adversary AI vendor & student rules)
Indiana Senate Enrolled Act 256 (2026) — State Offices and Administration (Foreign Adversary Restrictions on AI/Tech)
Indiana · Ind. Senate Enrolled Act 256 (2026 Reg. Sess.) / Pub. L. 131-2026, eff. July 1, 2026
- Status
- In effect
- Took effect
- July 1, 2026
- Applies to
- State agencies, political subdivisions, and state educational institutions, and vendors of technological products or services including AI.
- Enforced by
- Indiana Attorney General (and the contracting state agencies / educational institutions)
Indiana requires new or renewed government contracts for technological products or services — a category that expressly includes artificial intelligence, information systems, and surveillance technology — to include a certification that the contractor and its subcontractors are not 'prohibited persons,' meaning businesses controlled by or domiciled in a designated foreign adversary such as China, Russia, North Korea, or Iran. The law also restricts public colleges from enrolling students from those countries in certain qualifying (including AI) programs until a foreign-influence and research-security review is completed.
Who is protected: The state and its political subdivisions, and the integrity of state-funded research and procurement.
Legal detail
SEA 256 (Pub. L. 131-2026, eff. July 1, 2026), amending IC Title 4, requires 'qualified entity' contracts for a technological product or service (defined to include artificial intelligence) to certify the contractor and subcontractors are not prohibited persons/agents of a foreign adversary, and conditions admission of certain foreign students into qualifying programs on a foreign-influence/research-security review.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Indiana |
|---|---|
| Level | State |
| Strength | Limited |
| Enacted | March 5, 2026 |
| Citation | Ind. Senate Enrolled Act 256 (2026 Reg. Sess.) / Pub. L. 131-2026, eff. July 1, 2026 |
| Penalties | The Act does not specify a penalty for the technology-contract certification or student-review provisions; related real-property provisions carry civil penalties and divestiture. |
| Topics | government use of AI |
| Bill text | Indiana General Assembly — Senate Enrolled Act 256 (2026), Enrolled Text |
More AI rules in Indiana
- Indiana data center local revenue share, IC 6-2.5-15-15.5 (2026) · In effect
- Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act · In effect
- IN NCII Deepfake Law · In effect
- Indiana HB 1271 (no AI-only claim downcoding) · In effect
- State of Indiana Artificial Intelligence Policy · In effect
Related government use of AI rules elsewhere
- CA EO N-6-26 (AI Workforce) · In effect
- WA SB 5982 (Data Center / Clean Energy) · In effect
- Arkansas public entity AI/ADS policy mandate (Act 848, 2025) · In effect
- Inver Grove Heights MN data center moratorium amended under lawsuit (2026) · In effect
- FERC order directing PJM and other grid operators to reform tariffs on… · Enacted (not yet in effect)
- San Marcos citywide data center ban (Land Use Matrix amendment) · In effect
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