FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
STATEHOUSE (Jan. 28, 2026) — Taking a decisive stand to protect Hoosier sovereignty, a bill authored by Senate Majority Floor Leader Chris Garten (R-Charlestown) to expose and combat covert influence operations by hostile foreign nations unanimously passed the Senate Monday.
Senate Bill 256 would create the Foreign Adversary Registration Act, establishing rigorous transparency and accountability requirements for agents operating on behalf of regimes that threaten American interests—specifically China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. The legislation mandates that these agents register with the Indiana Attorney General, forcing full disclosure of their funding sources, expenditures, and political activities within the state.
"We are engaged in a new Cold War, and the battlefront isn't just overseas — it is right here in our state capitals and local communities," Garten said. "The Chinese Communist Party and the Iranian regime are actively working to infiltrate our economy, subvert our institutions, and undermine our values. Indiana refuses to be a playground for foreign agents peddling anti-American propaganda from the shadows. SB 256 tears down that veil of secrecy."
This legislation builds upon Garten’s established track record of defending Indiana from foreign threats. In 2023, he authored the landmark Senate Enrolled Act 268, which prohibited the Indiana Public Retirement System (INPRS) from investing Hoosier tax dollars in Chinese companies controlled by the CCP.
"This is about putting Indiana first and ensuring our state remains a firewall for freedom," Garten added. "We have already divested our tax dollars from our enemies, and now we are exposing their operatives. Whether it is their money in our pension funds or their lobbyists in our hallways, we are shutting it down. We will remain unapologetic in defending our state against those who hate our way of life."
SB 256 now moves to the House of Representatives for further consideration.
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State Sen. Chris Garten (R-Charlestown) represents Senate District 45,
which includes Clark County and portions of Floyd County.
He serves as the Senate Majority Floor Leader.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
Contact: Lance Gideon, Senior Press Secretary
Lance.Gideon@iga.in.gov
317-234-9221
