Senate Bill 304 (Intimidation Against Utility Workers), authored by Sen. Eric Koch (R-Bedford), offers needed protection to workers that often interface with people in difficult situations without the ability to protect themselves. This Chamber-supported bill cleared the Senate 40-0.
Senate Bill 472 (Utility Rates and Acquisitions), authored by Sen. Eric Koch (R-Bedford), was approved by the Senate 36-4. This bill represented a needed fix for distressed water and wastewater utilities. It should reduce litigation costs of water/wastewater utilities going forward that would otherwise have been rolled into utility rates as an increase. It promotes efficiencies in the process and economies of scale in water infrastructure.
Senate Bill 517 (Utility Relocation for Road Projects), authored by Sen. Randy Head (R-Logansport), passed the Senate on Tuesday 44-3. This bill essentially gives the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and the county government executive the authority to relocate utility facilities that will interfere with a planned construction project involving the state highway system, if the utility hasn’t responded to INDOT within 90 days. We intend to work with Sen. Head to come up with a bill that accomplishes timely road construction/repairs and controls costs of utility infrastructure relocations while maintaining services.
Resource: Greg Ellis at (317) 264-6881 or email: gellis@indianachamber.com
