Bartlett calls on Attorney General to offer opinion on utility rates

Earlier this month, State Rep. John L. Bartlett (D-Indianapolis) sent a letter to the office of Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, calling on AG Rokita to offer his legal opinion on the responsibilities of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Committee (IURC) to the public.

The letter comes on the heels of Rep. Bartlett's House Bill 1317, which he authored this year. HB 1317 would have required a forensic audit of public utilities every three years done by the State Board of Accounts. This bill never received a hearing.

Rep. Bartlett issued the following statement regarding his letter to the Attorney General:

"Throughout the state, Hoosiers are paying an extra $28 per month on average for utilities. That comes out to almost $400 a year in additional fees just on one bill. That's unacceptable. Too many Hoosiers are struggling day-to-day just to get by. Our neighbors should not have to choose between keeping the lights on or keeping food on the table for their families, nor should they have to turn off the heat or air conditioning during dangerous weather just to make ends meet. Unfortunately, that's the reality many of our constituents' face.

"I came into this session hoping to work with my colleagues in the supermajority to find solutions to Indiana's affordability crisis and the many issues with our utility companies throughout the state. HB 1317 would have been a good start, and I'm disheartened that the supermajority couldn't be bothered to give it a hearing. We've been told that we can wait until next year to fix these problems. The reality is, Hoosiers can't wait a year for the legislature to address rising utility costs and predatory rate hikes.

"I look forward to hearing back from Attorney General Rokita and working together to hold utility companies accountable when necessary and defining what their responsibilities are to the people they're supposed to serve."