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Heath R. VanNatter

RepublicanIncumbentState House District 38· Kokomo, IN (Howard County)
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Contact

Websiteindianahouserepublicans.com/members/general/heath-vannatter
X / Twitterx.com/RepVanNatter
Facebookfacebook.com/repvannatter
BallotpediaBallotpedia profile ↗
Contact information verified 2026-04-22.

Snapshot

Fiscal responsibilitySupport
Limited governmentSupport
Second AmendmentStrong support
Pro-life issuesStrong support
Family valuesStrong support

Background

Heath VanNatter has represented House District 38 — covering Carroll, Tipton, and portions of Cass, Clinton, Howard, and Tippecanoe counties — since 2010, with prior service in 2008 (Source 2). He was born and raised in western Howard County and currently resides there with his wife and three children (Source 3). In the 2025 session he authored HB 1020, which proposed increasing the maximum annual cost-of-living adjustment in the 1977 police and firefighters' pension fund from 3% to 5%, demonstrating an ongoing focus on public safety personnel (Source 16). District 38 is the subject of a contested Republican primary in 2026, with challenger Mark Hufford also seeking the seat (Source 15).

Positions

Fiscal responsibility

Support

VanNatter voted Yea on SB 1 (2025), the property tax relief bill (Source 6). He authored HB 1020 (2025), addressing pension fund adjustments for public safety workers, reflecting attention to long-term public sector fiscal obligations (Source 16). No direct opposition to tax relief or spending restraint measures found in his record.

Limited government

Support

VanNatter voted Yea on HB 1032 (2026), the mid-cycle redistricting bill, aligning with the House Republican majority (Source 12). No floor statement or direct quote on limited government philosophy was found in publicly available sources as of the research date.

Second Amendment

Strong support

VanNatter was listed as a co-author on the Conference Committee Report for HB 1296 (2022), the constitutional carry bill (Source 11). He voted Yea on HB 1084 (2024), the Second Amendment Privacy Act (Source 10).

Pro-life issues

Strong support

VanNatter scored 100% on the 2024 Indiana Family Institute Legislative Scorecard, voting with IFI's position on all three scored bills (Source 4). SB 236 (2026), the abortion-inducing drug ban, did not receive a House vote in the 2026 session (Source 14).

Family values

Strong support

VanNatter voted Yea on HB 1041 (2025), Save Women's College Sports (Source 8). He voted Yea on SB 289 (2025), the DEI prohibition (Source 9). He scored 100% on the 2024 IFI scorecard (Source 4).

Voting record

BillSessionTitleVoteLens
HB 12962022Constitutional Carry (CCR co-author)Yea· CCR coauthorSecond Amendment
SB 12025Property Tax ReliefYeaFiscal responsibility
HB 108420242A Privacy ActYeaSecond Amendment
HB 10412025Save Women's College SportsYeaFamily values
SB 2892025DEI ProhibitionYeaFamily values / Limited gov
HB 10322026 (Dec. special)Mid-cycle RedistrictingYeaLimited government

Endorsements

  • Indiana Family Institute
    100% score (2024 scorecard)
    source ↗

Sources

  1. 1.
    Indiana House Republicans — VanNatter member page
    https://www.indianahouserepublicans.com/members/general/heath-vannatter
  2. 2.
    Wikipedia — Heath VanNatter
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heath_VanNatter
  3. 3.
    Ballotpedia — Heath VanNatter
    https://ballotpedia.org/Heath_VanNatter
  4. 4.
    Indiana Family Institute 2024 Legislative Scorecard
    https://hoosierfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/IFI-Legislative-Scorecard-22x17-2024-PROOF3.pdf
  5. 5.
    Freedom Index — Indiana
    https://thefreedomindex.org/in/
  6. 6.
    IGA — SB 1 (2025) property tax
    https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2025/bills/senate/1/details
  7. 7.
    IGA — HB 1032 (2026 special) redistricting
    https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2026/bills/house/1032/details
  8. 8.
    IGA — HB 1041 (2025) Save Women's College Sports
    https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2025/bills/house/1041/details
  9. 9.
    IGA — SB 289 (2025) DEI prohibition
    https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2025/bills/senate/289/details
  10. 10.
    IGA — HB 1084 (2024) 2A Privacy Act
    https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2024/bills/house/1084/details
  11. 11.
    FastDemocracy / Trackbill — HB 1296 (2022) Constitutional Carry coauthor list
    https://trackbill.com/bill/indiana-house-bill-1296-firearms-matters/2219120/
  12. 12.
    FastDemocracy — HB 1032 (2026) vote record
    https://fastdemocracy.com/bill-search/in/2026/bills/INB00014747/
  13. 13.
    IGA — SB 143 (2025) Parental Rights
    https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2025/bills/senate/143/details
  14. 14.
    IGA — SB 236 (2026) abortion-inducing drugs
    https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2026/bills/senate/236/details
  15. 15.
    Based in Lafayette — 2026 candidate filings
    https://www.basedinlafayette.com/p/2026-candidate-filings-whos-running
  16. 16.
    AIM Indiana 2025 Bill Tracking — HB 1020 VanNatter authored
    https://aimindiana.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/25-Bill-Tracking-List-02-07-25.pdf
Last researched: 2026-04-15