IN HB1468

Legislative Description

Utility consumer counselor. Amends the statute concerning the office of utility consumer counselor (OUCC) as follows: (1) Requires the OUCC to exercise its powers and perform its duties consistent with the state's declared policy to promote investment in utility infrastructure while protecting the affordability of utility services. (2) Requires that before employing its own staff, the OUCC shall make use of engineers, experts, and accountants employed by the utility regulatory commission, the department of environmental management, or the Indiana department of transportation. Specifies that this requirement does not apply to, or otherwise affect the employment of, a person employed by the OUCC as regular staff before July 1, 2019. (3) Provides that the OUCC may employ, with the approval of the governor and the budget agency: (A) on a full-time or part-time basis before July 1, 2019; or (B) on a part-time only basis after June 30, 2019; additional staff with the appropriate expertise for a particular case or investigation. (Current law does not specify that such staff must be part-time.) Specifies that this requirement does not apply to, or otherwise affect the employment of, a person employed by the OUCC before July 1, 2019, on a full-time basis for work on a particular case or investigation.

Last Action

Committee Referrals