House Bill 1406 (Water Infrastructure Assistance Fund and Program), authored by Rep. Ed Soliday (R-Valparaiso), cleared the Senate Utilities Committee on Thursday 10-0 and now is eligible for action on the Senate floor. The Indiana Chamber testified in support of this important bill, which annually appropriates $20 million to the Water Infrastructure Assistance Fund. The measure promotes sustainability of water resources and attempts to keep costs as low as possible.

House Bill 1470 (Utility Transmission Improvements and Costs), authored by Rep. Soliday, was voted out of the Senate Committee on Utilities 8-3 this week. This Chamber-backed bill amends the statute to fix identified deficiencies concerning transmission, distribution and storage system improvements charges (TDSIC) for electric and gas utilities, plus requires a utility to update its TDSIC plan every year.

Senate Bill 472 (Utility Rates and Acquisitions), authored by Sen. Eric Koch (R-Bedford), was heard this week by the House Utilities Energy and Telecommunications Committee, where Rep. Soliday introduced an amendment to the bill to establish an energy task force that would contemplate an energy policy. A vote will be taken on the bill and the amendment on March 27. The Indiana Chamber testified in support of the bill and the amendment. This bill tweaks existing law and adds some clarification to issues that have recently been litigated. It should reduce litigation costs of water/wastewater utilities going forward that would otherwise have been rolled into utility rates as an increase. It also promotes efficiencies in the process and economies of scale in water infrastructure.

Resource: Greg Ellis at (317) 264-6881 or email: gellis@indianachamber.com