Indiana House speaker: lawmakers will convene later — not Nov. 3 — for special session

Indiana lawmakers will not convene on Monday for an upcoming special session, House Speaker Todd Huston said Wednesday, instead signaling that the Republican-led General Assembly plans to meet later within the 40-day window allowed by state law.

“House Republicans are working on scheduling and have been in communication with our colleagues in the Senate about the logistics of convening the General Assembly following the Governor’s call for a special session,” said Huston, R-Fishers, in an afternoon statement. “Given the calendar and member availability, we will not be convening on Nov. 3 but are working within this general time frame as we consider the schedule.”

Earlier this week, Republican Gov. Mike Braun officially called a special session to take up mid-cycle congressional redistricting.

Braun’s order set the session for Monday, Nov. 3. But legislative leaders don’t have to convene the exact day that he suggested.

By law, the only requirement is it can’t last for more than 30 session days or 40 calendar days. That clock will begin Nov. 3.

Senate Republicans also indicated Wednesday that their chamber will not be ready to meet next week.

“We are working with our senators and our counterparts in the House to determine the scheduling availability of members,” said Senate GOP spokesperson Molly Swigart. “In all likelihood, the Senate will not be ready to convene the week of Nov. 3. Recall that in the most recent special session, the legislature did not convene for a few weeks after the initial date provided by the governor. I will let you know when we have an update to share.”

In 2022, then-Gov. Eric Holcomb called a special session for July 6, but the legislature didn’t convene until July 25 and wrapped up Aug. 5.

The next regularly scheduled legislative session kicks off in January, although the ceremonial first day — Organization Day — is set for Nov. 18.

“The General Assembly is statutorily required to convene for Organization Day on Tuesday, Nov. 18, which is the official start of the 2026 regular session,” Huston said. “As always, our goal is to accomplish our work in a way that is most efficient and cost effective for Hoosier taxpayers. Our plan is to have a legislative schedule out as soon as possible.”

Braun’s summons to lawmakers tasked them with addressing early redistricting and state tax code mismatches.

The move came amid mounting national GOP pressure for Republican-led states to redraw congressional maps before the 2026 midterm elections, in a bid to maintain the party’s control over the U.S. House.

It’s still unclear when exactly lawmakers will return to the Statehouse or how long the special session will last.

The last time Indiana redrew its congressional lines, the process stretched over several months and included statewide public hearings. This time, lawmakers will be under greater pressure to move quickly.

Candidate filing for the 2026 primary opens Jan. 7, possibly leaving a narrow window for debate, map approval and potential legal challenges.