Moseley calls on NIPSCO to credit customers for days without power

In the wake of the NIPSCO outage that left many Porter County residents without power for two weeks, State Rep. Chuck Moseley (D-Portage) is calling on NIPSCO to provide customers with a 100% credit for every day they went without power, applied to their next bill. This includes delivery charges and fixed fees.

"The people of the 10th House District have sent a message loud and clear to NIPSCO: They expect a 100% credit for every day they went without service due to the lack of planning by NIPSCO. NIPSCO didn't create the storm, but the ratepayers of the 10th District believe NIPSCO helped create the chaos.

"Stop being responsible to the shareholders. Start being responsible to the ratepayers and stop treating us like an ATM.

"Thank you to our hard-working NIPSCO linemen of USW Local 12775 and Local 13796 for their hard work, dedication and commitment to their customers in their efforts to restore service throughout the NIPSCO territory affected by the storm."

Novak calls for public hearings, legislative action on utility regulation

Today, Aug. 26, Northwest Indiana's Democratic House delegation, joined by the ranking minority member of the House Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications Committee, called on Speaker Todd Huston to direct the General Assembly to investigate NIPSCO's response to the Aug. 11 derecho that left hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers without electricity — thousands for more than two weeks. The full letter is attached.

State Rep. Randy Novak (D-Michigan City) issued the following statement:

"While I welcome the governor's call for an investigation into NIPSCO's mishandling of the recent widespread power outage, the General Assembly needs to prioritize legislation regulating utilities. We are calling for public hearings that will help the legislature gather information on what needs to be done to rein in these monopolies like NIPSCO that have failed in their duty to their customers. This will allow us to come back to the Statehouse in January with a better perspective on how to prevent future outages and extreme rate hikes. NIPSCO owes its customers answers after the total mess we have been through.

"The governor can hire and fire as many regulators as he wants, but a revolving door is not going to solve our problems with utility companies. The bottom line is that the IURC is beholden to the rules set for it by the General Assembly. If we want to see real change with how our utilities are regulated, the legislature needs to take action. Utility companies like NIPSCO have to be held to a higher standard.

"During the 2027 regular session, I think that all members of the General Assembly need to take a long hard look at the pain that rising, expensive utility bills are causing their constituents. I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting legislation that gives Hoosiers real relief."

Northwest Indiana lawmakers call for legislative investigation into NIPSCO’s storm response

Northwest Indiana's Democratic House delegation, joined by the ranking minority member of the House Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications Committee, today called on Speaker Todd Huston to direct the General Assembly to investigate NIPSCO's response to the Aug. 11 derecho that left hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers without electricity — thousands for more than two weeks.

In a letter sent to the Speaker, Chair of the Legislative Council, the lawmakers urged the Personnel Subcommittee of the Legislative Council to assign the topic to the Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications interim study committee under SECTION 2 of Legislative Council Resolution 26-01, and to hold public hearings in the affected communities of Northwest Indiana.

The delegation specifically asked that the study committee (1) take public testimony in the Region rather than only at the Statehouse, so that members hear directly from residents and small businesses who went without power, and (2) require NIPSCO to appear before the committee for questioning.

“Northwest Indiana residents have endured more than two weeks without electric service,” the lawmakers wrote. “Those residents are frustrated that despite paying ever-higher rates to NIPSCO, the utility struggled to restore service while Illinois utilities restored service within four days of the disaster.”

Reports have circulated of out-of-state line crews providing aid who described the emergency response as poorly coordinated.

The House Democrats cited the General Assembly's independent responsibility to examine what went wrong and to be prepared to file legislation when the session convenes in January.

“The General Assembly has a responsibility to perform its own independent, public investigation of NIPSCO’s response to ensure it is prepared to introduce any necessary legislation during the upcoming legislative session,” the letter stated. “We should be acting with a sense of urgency to ensure any shortcomings in the response to this natural disaster are not suffered again by Northwest Indiana or any region of our state.”

A copy of the letter is available here.

Signed by: State Reps. Carolyn Jackson (HD 1-Hammond), Earl Harris Jr. (HD 2-East Chicago), Ragen Hatcher (HD 3-Gary), Randy Novak (HD 9-Michigan City), Chuck Moseley (HD 10-Portage), Mike Andrade (HD 12-Munster), Vernon G. Smith (HD 14-Gary), and Matt Pierce (HD 61-Bloomington), ranking member of the House Committee on Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications.

Garcia Wilburn calls on Braun, FSSA to protect Hoosiers’ Medicaid coverage in disaster-struck counties

Today, State Rep. Victoria Garcia Wilburn (D-Fishers) called on the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) and Gov. Mike Braun to take immediate steps to keep disaster-affected Hoosiers from losing their Medicaid coverage and in-home care during the recovery from this month's disaster.

Beginning Aug. 11, a derecho with at least two tornadoes and historic flooding swept across Indiana, killing at least seven Hoosiers and displacing more than 1,000. On Aug. 15, President Trump approved a federal Emergency Declaration covering 53 counties. In Northwest Indiana, the storms caused the largest power outage in NIPSCO's history. Ten thousand households remain without electricity nearly two weeks later.

Garcia Wilburn, a member of the House Committee on Public Health, is asking the state to take three specific actions for residents in the affected counties:

• Pause procedural Medicaid terminations. Direct FSSA to suspend disenrollments for beneficiaries in disaster-declared counties who cannot complete a renewal or return requested paperwork because of the storm, so no eligible Hoosier loses coverage over a form that washed away, a notice that never arrived or lack of access to the virtual FSSA Benefits Portal.

• Extend deadlines for waiver level-of-care assessments. Extend the deadlines for level-of-care assessments and reassessments under Indiana's Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers, and allow them to be completed by phone or video, so seniors, people with disabilities and medically fragile Hoosiers do not lose in-home services.

• Use every available tool to do it. Move now on the steps the state can take on its own, and pursue federal flexibilities, including an 1135 waiver and a disaster relief state plan amendment, that make these protections airtight.

"FSSA's communication problems with Medicaid beneficiaries were making headlines before this storm ever hit," Garcia Wilburn said. "Now we have families who lost everything in the water, and the state is still asking them for paperwork. We should be helping these Hoosiers hold onto their coverage, not letting a deadline finish what the flood started.

"In Hamilton County, Muncie and across the flood zone, people are pulling water out of their homes and searching for whatever documents they have left. Nobody should lose their health coverage because a renewal notice is at the bottom of a flooded basement. FSSA has the authority to pause these terminations, and it should do it today.

"You can't ask someone in Gary or Munster who has been without power for nearly two weeks to answer a notice they never got, on a portal they can't log into. For seniors and people with disabilities who depend on in-home care, a missed deadline means losing life-sustaining services."

Indiana used these exact tools during the COVID-19 emergency, when FSSA allowed waiver level-of-care determinations to be done by phone and extended annual reassessment deadlines by six months so people would not lose their in-home care. Other states have paused Medicaid redeterminations for residents of disaster-hit counties after hurricanes, wildfires and tornadoes, and federal rules specifically allow states to do so when a natural disaster makes it impossible for people to respond.

Garcia Wilburn also pointed to a step the Braun administration has already taken for the same disaster victims: On Aug. 17, the Indiana Department of Insurance called for a 60-day moratorium on insurance companies canceling any policies of Hoosiers directly affected by the storms, along with a suspension of late-payment penalties.

“The governor has already made sure families won't lose their insurance because a bill came due in the middle of a flood,” Garcia Wilburn said. “Their Medicaid deserves the same protection. Gov. Braun has declared the emergency and secured the federal declaration. Directing FSSA to protect coverage is the natural next step, and it's one he can take now.”

Pfaff reflects on universal private school vouchers in Indiana

‍ ‍

Today, Gov. Mike Braun celebrated the first year of universal private school vouchers in Indiana. The program allows any Indiana family, regardless of location or income, to qualify for state-sponsored vouchers to attend private school.

State Rep. Tonya Pfaff (D-Terre Haute), who taught in Vigo County public schools for thirty years, released the following statement:

"I spent thirty years in the classroom. I know what our public schools need to succeed, and it isn't less money. Universal vouchers take funding meant for the kids in our public schools and hand it to families who were already choosing private school, and already paying for it themselves. That's not choice. That's a handout.

"And let's be honest about what this program actually is. It's not school choice. It's private schools choosing their students, while public schools are left to take in every kid who shows up, no matter what they need, with less money to do it. Private schools get to say no. Public schools never do. If anyone in this debate should be defending the schools that can't turn kids away, it's the people we elect to run them.

"Since this voucher program expanded with no income cap and barely any oversight, the Vigo County School Corporation has lost more than $36 million in taxpayer funding. That's not an abstract number to me. I know what $36 million buys in a school district: smaller class sizes, more counselors, updated resources and reading specialists for kids who are behind. All public school boards should be sounding the alarm on this every chance they get.

"Hoosiers deserve leaders who will say plainly whether $36 million walking out of Vigo County schools is an acceptable price for this program, not leaders who dodge the question because the politics are inconvenient.

"I'm not against helping a family that wants another option for their kid. But this program stopped being about that a long time ago. Right now, it's a program that drains public schools to subsidize families who never needed the help."

Pryor comments on minority, women contracting program termination following IBLC press conference

Today, August 17, the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus (IBLC) held a press conference to discuss the potential economic impacts of Gov. Braun’s July executive order ending Indiana’s Minority and Women Business Enterprise (M/WBE) program.

State Rep. Cherrish Pryor (D-Indianapolis), a member of the IBLC, issued the following statement:

“The M/WBE program wasn’t hurting anyone. Despite Attorney General Rokita and Gov. Braun’s claims of unfairness, not a single lawsuit was brought against the program in the 43 years since its establishment. But eliminating a statutory program is illegal, and I stand in solidarity with IBLC in challenging its termination.

“The businesses that benefited from the M/WBE program bring jobs and investment into their communities. The program helped ensure that minority- and women-owned businesses have an equal opportunity to participate and receive contracts from the state.

“Like everyone else, minorities and women pay taxes in Indiana. Therefore, we have every right to expect and demand that our businesses benefit from those contributions. Too often, women- and minority owned businesses, big or small, are denied and overlooked in state entities’ contracting decisions.

“I urge Gov. Braun to rescind his executive order ending the program and allow all Hoosier business owners a fair shot and a seat at the table.”

IBLC outlines next step in determining economic fallout from Braun’s ending of M/WBE program

During a press conference today, Aug. 17, members of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus (IBLC) were joined by several business owners and community leaders to discuss the impact of Gov. Mike Braun's executive order last month ending the Minority and Women's Business Enterprise (M/WBE) program. Created by the legislature in the 1980's, the program worked to ensure state contracts were equitably distributed among women and minority-owned businesses. Braun's executive order followed Attorney General Todd Rokita's legal opinion that the program violated the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution. This opinion was unprompted by any legal challenge to the M/WBE program.

State Rep. Earl Harris Jr. (D-East Chicago), chair of the IBLC, issued the following statement:

"This executive order, which we believe to be overreach from the governor, has the potential to not just devastate minority and women-owned businesses, but Indiana's competitive economy as a whole. The more qualified businesses you have competing for the same contract tends to get better pricing for the state. When you take away the outreach and participation pieces that keep that pool diverse, that pool will inevitably shrink.

"Beyond the financial impact, there are possible legal ramifications for ending this program through an executive order."

Sen. Greg Taylor (D-Indianapolis), shared his legal concerns about last month's executive order during the press conference:

"There are legal ramifications if someone who owns a small business wants to pursue this matter. We need someone and some businesses to come forward. Have no doubt that what has happened to small businesses needs to be addressed. We need people coming forward to talk to their legislators. If you were under contract with the state and that contract deleted its participation goal, please contact our office."

During the press conference, the IBLC called on Gov. Braun to continue the state's disparity study, which has not yet been conducted under his administration.

"This tells us everything we need to know," Harris said. "This move wasn't about economic fairness, it was about appeasing the fringes of his party's base by stoking the flames of a culture war because [Braun] knows he's failing to deliver a stronger economy and improved quality of life for Hoosiers."

Errington calls for electric and hybrid vehicle owners to be reimbursed

On Aug. 5, Gov. Mike Braun announced that he would be extending Indiana's gas tax holiday, citing market pressures caused by the war in Ukraine and Canadian wildfires.

State Rep. Sue Errington (D-Muncie) released the following statement:

"The governor has extended Indiana's gas tax holiday in an attempt to give relief to Hoosiers who are feeling the costly effects of President Trump's botched war in Iran. While that is great for drivers of gas-powered cars, electric vehicle and hybrid drivers are getting left in the dust.

"Every year, EV and hybrid owners are required to pay an additional registration fee of $242 and $81 respectively. The rationale behind this added fee is that EV and hybrid drivers don't chip in for road funding by paying the traditional gas tax. With the gas tax holiday now extending to an unprecedented 150 days, hybrid and EV owners are some of the only people footing the bill for our road maintenance and improvements.

"If the purpose of the additional registration fee is to offset the lost revenue from not paying the gas tax, EV and hybrid drivers deserve a break, as well. Gov. Braun said that suspending the gas tax was a great way to provide the average Hoosier with much needed assistance in the wake of skyrocketing prices. If that’s the case, we should extend that assistance to the owners of the 277,000 EVs and hybrids on Indiana's roads. I hope that the governor and the General Assembly will consider issuing a tax credit or refund for drivers that paid the additional EV and hybrid registration fees in 2026."

Novak issues statement concerning recent NIPSCO rate hike requests

On Friday, July 24, Gov. Mike Braun issued an executive order to keep operating coal-burning power plants which were set to be retired. Braun cited increased energy demands from AI data centers as his reasoning for keeping them open.

On Tuesday, Aug. 4, the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) filed a request with regulators to collect $38 million dollars from ratepayers in return for complying with federal executive orders that forced two coal plants in Northwest Indiana to stay operational. This request comes on the heels of Wednesday's ruling by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) that denied NIPSCO's request to bill ratepayers $741 million for natural gas infrastructure improvements.  

State Rep. Randy Novak (D-Michigan City) released the following statement:

"Our federal and state governments need to be doing more to protect energy consumers. By requiring utility companies to keep old, unreliable and costly coal plants operational, they are stifling energy innovation and raising rates on customers. I get that coal has become something of a culture war issue. But the White House should put our wallets before making a point for the sake of making a point.

"If the government is going to force coal-burning power plants to stay open for the development of privately owned AI technology, the corporations profiting off that technology should be footing the bill, not consumers. I am supportive of Indiana's 'all-of-the-above' energy approach, but propping up an outdated energy source without any benefit to Indiana residents is not a sound strategy. The $38 million NIPSCO is requesting is just for one quarter. As long as these plants are forced to stay open, that number will continue to rise.

"I do want to applaud the IURC for rightfully denying NIPSCO's request to pass of $741 million in development costs to consumers. Utility providers need to bring sufficient evidence that consumers will benefit from projects like this before they can raise prices on their customers. I am hopeful that in the future our regulators will protect Hoosier families from unnecessary costs like they did in this case."

Garcia Wilburn responds to Medicaid disenrollment investigation

State Rep. Victoria Garcia Wilburn (D-Fishers) released the following statement in response to WRTV's investigation into children with disabilities kicked off their Medicaid program:

"As a healthcare provider, I know what these therapies mean for a child's development, and what it costs a family when they disappear without warning. The children in this story did not become ineligible overnight. Their paperwork sat unprocessed on a state task list until the system shut their coverage off automatically. There is nothing more accurate about a process that lets a child's speech, occupational and behavioral therapies lapse over the state's own backlog. It simply punishes families for mistakes they did not make.

"These stories were a long time coming, and the crisis is a manufactured one. In April, I warned that the state was more focused on cutting Medicaid spending than on delivering the care it promised eligible Hoosiers. This investigation, and others in recent weeks, show that playing out. FSSA is doing too much too fast, and vulnerable Hoosiers are paying for the chaos it has created inside the agency.

"What happened in Kokomo is not isolated. Over the past year, 343,000 Hoosiers lost Medicaid coverage, among the highest rates in the country, and up to 40 percent of the cases up for renewal late last year were terminated for procedural reasons rather than any question of eligibility. FSSA can call its new waiver assessment more accurate, but a denial rate that jumped from .02 %to 6% says otherwise, and so does a family in this reporting whose son was restored to coverage within hours of a single email. A cut that can be reversed that fast should never have happened.

"I have heard from constituents living nearly every version of this: the new disability assessment that finds people doing better than they are, waitlists that never end, and paperwork the state never processed. These are families doing everything right and losing coverage because of state errors. They deserve honest answers about who is making these determinations and how, and a system that does not force them to fight for care their children are plainly owed.

"If you are a Hoosier in my district of Carmel, Fishers, Nora and Noblesville who has lost coverage or can't get a straight answer from FSSA about your case, please contact my office. I am here to help."

Constituents may reach out to Garcia Wilburn's office via email at h32@iga.in.gov and via phone at 317-232-9750.

‍ ‍

Pryor applauds gas tax holiday extension, calls for permanent solution

‍Yesterday, Gov. Mike Braun announced an energy emergency, allowing Indiana’s gas tax suspension to continue. Originally, the suspension was set to expire at midnight Friday morning, causing gas prices in the state to rise nearly 60 cents overnight. 

State Rep. Cherrish Pryor (D-Indianapolis) released the following statement: 

“I support the extension of the gas tax holiday, and I’m glad that Gov. Braun took action to ensure Hoosiers don’t have to see a drastic increase in their prices at the pump this weekend. 

“Unfortunately, the gas tax suspension is a temporary solution to a problem that plagues the entire nation. As my colleague, House Democratic Leader Phil GiaQuinta, said this morning, the most concrete solution to the problem at hand is for Gov. Braun and Indiana’s congressional delegation to put partisan loyalty aside and demand that President Trump end his war with Iran as soon as possible. 

“We are in week 22 of the war that Trump said would last four weeks at most. Every day that fighting continues is another day that prices at the pump, the register and everywhere else will continue to rise.” 

Porter comments on continued gas tax suspension

Today, Gov. Mike Braun extended the suspension of the 7% sales tax and the excise tax on gasoline via a new energy emergency.

House Ways and Means Ranking Democrat State Rep. Gregory W. Porter (D-Indianapolis) released the following statement:

“Undoubtedly, Hoosiers need these savings. The need supersedes the process. It’s better to be proactive instead of wringing our hands. I respect that aspect of Gov. Braun's decision.

“But the governor seems to forget that Indiana is a part of the United States. As long as President Trump’s quagmire in Iran continues, taxpayers will be footing the bill directly and indirectly through higher costs like gas prices. The war has already cost taxpayers $37.5 billion.

“The governor dismissed House Democrats' call for him to work with the president to end the Iran war, which would have been a true ‘affordability announcement.’ Every day this war continues and we keep our gas tax suspended to protect Hoosiers, that's money we are losing for our roads, our schools, our healthcare and more. Indiana can't be on the hook for Washington, D.C.'s reckless actions forever."