Indiana Black Legislative Caucus Focuses on Utilities and Legislation Improvements

1 week ago 0

Before the August 11 derecho struck, utilities legislation was already a priority for the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus (IBLC). Now, as communities deal with power outages, the caucus aims to enhance House Enrolled Act 1002. During a town hall at the Hammond Sportsplex, they committed to making improvements. State Representative Cherrish Pryor, D-Indianapolis, noted that while HEA 1002 is beneficial, it falls short in some areas.

The town hall also focused on bills from the 2026 Indiana General Assembly session. According to Pryor, HEA 1002 introduced major provisions like changing budget billing to ‘levelized billing’ to improve payment clarity. Additionally, utilities must adjust billing twice yearly, and there’s a moratorium on disconnect notices during extreme weather. Utilities must now provide performance metrics for rate increases.

At the town hall, State Senator Mark Spencer, D-Gary, highlighted the significant impact of power outages. He emphasized the importance of ongoing investigations into these issues.

The IBLC successfully passed legislation such as Spencer’s Senate Enrolled Act 164, promoting urban micro farms, and SEA 232 which restricts Gary officials from acquiring appraised property unlawfully. House Bill 1114 ensures treatment for Medicaid and HIP patients with Stage 4 cancer.

Environmental issues also surfaced. Senate Bill 277, signed by Governor Mike Braun, makes many Indiana Department of Environmental Management functions optional. Senator La Keisha Jackson, D-Indianapolis, expressed concerns about potential worsening of air and water pollution.

Despite successes, some bills failed to pass. These included preventing the Bureau of Motor Vehicles from selling license information and restoring property tax deductions for World War I veterans’ surviving spouses. The caucus plans to continue pushing these issues.

State Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago, chairs the IBLC and hopes for changes in November’s elections to challenge the supermajority. He stressed the importance of every vote, referencing a recent case where six disallowed ballots decided an election.

Michelle L. Quinn reported this for the Post-Tribune.