Bob Heaton
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Contact
| Website | indianahouserepublicans.com/members/leadership/bob-heaton |
| facebook.com/robert.heaton.52 | |
| linkedin.com/in/bob-heaton-a4460110/ | |
| Ballotpedia | Ballotpedia profile ↗ |
Snapshot
| Fiscal responsibility | Strong support |
| Limited government | Support |
| Second Amendment | Strong support |
| Pro-life issues | Strong support |
| Family values | Strong support |
Background
Bob Heaton (born September 28, 1956) has represented House District 46 since November 2010 and currently serves as House Majority Whip (Source 1). He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Indiana State University and ran a career in the life insurance and financial services industry before and concurrent with his legislative service (Source 2). His district covers all of Owen County and portions of Clay, Monroe, and Vigo counties in west-central Indiana (Source 1). Heaton chairs the Higher Education Subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee, which crafts the state's biennial budget (Source 1)(Source 12).[^1][^2]
Positions
Fiscal responsibility
Strong supportHeaton voted YES on SB 1 (2025), the major property tax relief bill providing $1.3 billion in savings for homeowners, limiting local government levy growth, and overhauling local finance (Source 6). He also voted YES on SB 1 (2026), which tightened income, asset, and work requirements for Medicaid and SNAP (Source 10). In his 2026 campaign statement, Heaton explicitly identifies "prioritizing affordability" and "maintaining a balanced budget and the state's AAA credit rating" as core commitments (Source 12).
Limited government
SupportHeaton voted YES on HB 1032 (December 2025), the mid-cycle congressional redistricting bill, which passed 57-41 in the House before failing in the Senate (Source 7). The Freedom Index gave him a 67% session score for 2024 and a lifetime score of 42-44%, reflecting a generally Republican-aligned but not libertarian-pure record. He has voted with the Republican supermajority on most regulatory and spending questions across his tenure (Source 2).
Second Amendment
Strong supportHeaton was listed as a coauthor on HB 1296 (2022), the constitutional carry bill that repealed Indiana's handgun permit requirement (Source 9). He voted YES on HB 1084 (2024), the Second Amendment Privacy Act prohibiting merchant-category-code tracking of firearm purchases (Source 8). His 2026 campaign biography describes him as maintaining a "pro-2nd Amendment voting record" (Source 12).
Pro-life issues
Strong supportThe Indiana Family Institute 2023 Scorecard gave Heaton 100% (Source 5). The 2025 IFI Scorecard also gave him 100%, with a checkmark on all seven bills including HB 1041 (Save Women's College Sports) and SB 143 (Parental Rights) (Source 4). SB 236 (2026), the abortion-inducing drug ban, died in the House Public Health Committee without a House floor vote, so no individual House member floor vote is on record for that bill (Source 11).
Voting record
| Bill | Session | Title | Vote | Lens |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SB 1 | 2025 | Property Tax Relief / Local Gov Finance | Yea | Fiscal responsibility |
| HB 1032 | Dec 2025 (special) | Mid-cycle Congressional Redistricting | Yea | Limited government |
| HB 1084 | 2024 | 2A Privacy Act (firearm purchase MCC ban) | Yea | Second Amendment |
| HB 1296 | 2022 | Constitutional Carry (handgun permit repeal) | Yea· coauthor | Second Amendment |
| SB 143 | 2025 | Parental Rights as fundamental right | Yea | Family values |
| SB 289 | 2025 | DEI prohibition | Yea | Family values / Limited gov |
| HB 1041 | 2025 | Save Women's College Sports | Yea | Family values |
| SB 1 | 2026 | Medicaid/SNAP immigration verification | Yea | Fiscal responsibility |
| SB 236 | 2026 | Abortion-inducing drug ban | No floor vote | Pro-life issues |
Endorsements
- source ↗Indiana Family Institute100% (2023 and 2025 Legislative Scorecards)
Sources
- 1.Bob Heaton — Indiana House Republicans member pagehttps://www.indianahouserepublicans.com/members/leadership/bob-heaton/
- 2.Bob Heaton — Ballotpediahttps://ballotpedia.org/Bob_Heaton
- 3.Bob Heaton — IGA member pagehttps://iga.in.gov/legislative/2026/legislators/legislator_bob_heaton_1
- 4.Indiana Family Institute 2025 Legislative Scorecardhttps://hoosierfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Legislative-Scorecard-22x17-2025-PROOF4.pdf
- 5.Indiana Family Institute 2023 Legislative Scorecardhttps://hoosierfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Final-2023-Legislative-Scorecord-1.pdf
- 6.SB 1 (2025) — Property Tax Relief — House roll callhttps://open.pluralpolicy.com/vote/3e747de2-1442-4429-af30-11db2a57570b/
- 7.HB 1032 (2025 special/Dec 2025) — Redistricting — House roll callhttps://www.scribd.com/document/1011608994/HB1032-28-H
- 8.HB 1084 (2024) — 2A Privacy Act — NRAILA coveragehttps://www.nraila.org/articles/20240131/indiana-two-pro-gun-bills-pass-house-advance-to-senate
- 9.HB 1296 (2022) — Constitutional Carry — trackbill coauthor listhttps://trackbill.com/bill/indiana-house-bill-1296-firearms-matters/2219120/
- 10.SB 1 (2026) — Medicaid/SNAP immigration verification — Indiana Capital Chroniclehttps://indianacitizen.org/icc-story-indiana-house-backs-bill-with-stricter-verification-for-snap-medicaid-eligibility/
- 11.SB 236 (2026) — abortion-inducing drug ban — Chicago Tribunehttps://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/02/indiana-bills-that-died/
- 12.The Owen News — 2026 Primary: State Representative, District 46https://www.theowennews.org/article/2026-primary-state-representative-district-46