Pierce welcomes IURC investigation, calls on IURC to include IGA-passed legislation in study

Today, Feb. 25, the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) announced an "Investigative Inquiry on Energy Affordability" on March 24 calling in the five largest investor-owned utilities in the state to present on various topics related to energy affordability.

The five utilities that will be presenting include AES Indiana, CenterPoint Energy Indiana, Duke Energy Indiana, LLC, Indiana Michigan Power Company, and Northern Indiana Public Service Company, LLC.

State Rep. Matt Pierce (D-Bloomington), ranking Democrat on the House Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications Committee, called on the IURC to expand the scope of its investigation to include the impact on rates of legislation passed by the Indiana General Assembly.

"I am pleased the IURC is responding to Hoosiers' concerns about skyrocketing utility bills, but this investigation will be incomplete if it doesn't include an honest assessment of how policies adopted by the Indiana House and Senate have contributed to unaffordable bills," Pierce said.

Pierce called on the IURC to include the following legislation in its inquiry:

• Senate Enrolled Act 560 (2013) created the Transmission, Distribution, and Storage Improvement (TDSIC) charge allowing utilities to immediately charge consumers for 80% of the cost of system improvements without going through a rate case.

• House Enrolled Act 1470 (2019) reversed a court ruling that the IURC had been too generous in approving TDSIC requests by the utilities, including approving items that did not benefit consumers.  The legislature quickly rewrote the TDSIC laws to ensure the utilities received what they requested.

• HEA 1417 (2023) overturned a Supreme Court decision that ruled the IURC had improperly allowed customers to be charged for $212 million in coal-ash cleanup.

• SEA 340 (2014) and SEA 412 (2015) killed Indiana's energy efficiency program, Energizing Indiana, that benefited consumers by reducing consumption by 399,432 megawatt hours of electricity (enough to power 37,886 homes for a year), and offered assistance with weatherizing homes and purchasing energy efficient appliances.

• SEA 309 (2017) ended net metering in Indiana, making it more difficult for Hoosiers to produce their own energy through rooftop solar.

• HEA 1420 (2023) gave monopoly utilities a right of first refusal to control construction of expensive transmission lines rather than allowing outside companies to competitively bid on these projects ultimately paid for by utility customers.

• HEA 1421 (2023) and SEA 271 (2022) allow construction work in progress (CWIP) for natural gas and small modular reactors. This forces customers to pay for generation plants before they provide any power and shifts the risk of cost overruns onto the backs of utility customers.

"Decades of Republican-controlled utility policy has led us to where we are today," Pierce said. "At every turn, the Statehouse Republican supermajority chose the profit margins of investor-owned utility companies over everyday Hoosiers. The IURC should not ignore the actions of the General Assembly that have opened the door to higher utility rates."

House Republicans reject amendment to unmask ICE

Yesterday, Feb. 16, State Rep. Matt Pierce (D-Bloomington) offered an amendment to Senate Bill 160. The amendment would have required the Law Enforcement Training Board to adopt a statewide policy prohibiting officers from wearing a mask during official duties, with exceptions for situations such as tactical operations and undercover work. It also would have made it a class A misdemeanor for a law enforcement officer to wear a mask with the intent to commit or conceal the commission of a criminal act. It would have applied to federal law enforcement agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).  House Republicans voted down the amendment 33-59.

Pierce released the following statement: 

“I asked Republicans what kind of country and state they want to live in today. Do we want to live in a nation or state where masked agents with no identification can stop and demand proof of citizenship, and then arrest and send us off to a distant detention center? 

“I don’t want to live in that kind of state or country. I don’t want to live in a place where masked agents demand to see your papers on the street. That is a big step towards authoritarian government.

“Republicans love to talk about the dangers of big government. We hear complaints about interference with property rights or too much regulation of businesses. Yet masked agents on the streets of America violating the constitutional rights of its residents, including unjustifiable killings, are met with deafening silence.

“This amendment was a chance for the General Assembly to stand up and demand the federal government respect our freedoms and liberties. Instead, Republicans said ‘no’ to preserving what so many of us took for granted.” 

Pierce rejects bill forcing all levels of state government, schools, and universities to assist ICE

Yesterday, Feb. 12, Senate Bill 76 passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 61 to 28. Because the bill was amended in the House, it returns to the Senate to approve the House changes or to request a conference committee to reconcile differences in the bill. 

SB 76 requires local governments, law enforcement, schools and universities to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including complying with detainer requests. The state attorney general is given broad powers to investigate any of these entities he feels is not sufficiently compliant with ICE and to seek penalties against them.

State Rep. Matt Pierce (D-Bloomington) released the following statement: 

"Why do we want to give our full, complete compliance to an organization that has proven itself to be poorly trained, incompetent, not able to follow our laws or constitution, and has caused the deaths of innocent U.S. citizens? We don't have to have this bill. We don't have to completely entangle our entire state with this deadly force that's spreading chaos and violence wherever it goes.

"It doesn't help that the bill gives our ethically challenged attorney general immense power to investigate and seek penalties against anyone he deems not sufficiently compliant with ICE. We should know better than to hand the attorney general this power."

Pierce votes for HB 1002: ‘It’s a step forward but more could be done’

Today, Jan. 28, State Rep. Matt Pierce (D-Bloomington) voted for House Bill 1002, which passed with a vote of 88-4. The bill is a small step towards limiting energy cost increases and expanding protections for utility customers, but it doesn’t provide immediate relief.

Yesterday, Pierce offered two amendments to HB 1002; one was voted down and the other tossed out. One amendment would have imposed a one-year moratorium on the 7% sales tax on utility bills and prevented the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) from granting any further sales tax exemptions to data centers. 

“Apparently, it’s fine for trillion-dollar corporations to pay no sales tax on energy use at their data centers,” Pierce said. “But not for Hoosier families to get the same tax break.”

The other amendment would have prohibited utility companies from making customers pay for their lobbying and political activities. House Republicans used a procedural move to avoid voting on the amendment. Republicans deemed the amendment unrelated to the contents of the bill, even though both concern how utility rates will be determined. 

“I appreciate that Republicans woke up this election year and discovered that people are struggling to pay their utility bills,” Pierce said. “Now, they’re doing at least a little something about it, but we could be doing much more to lessen the burden of skyrocketing utility bills.” 

Pierce offers amendment to prevent the deployment of paramilitary forces in Indiana’s neighborhoods

Today, Jan. 27, State Rep. Matt Pierce (D-Bloomington) offered an amendment to House Bill 1343. HB 1343 includes a provision allowing the Indiana National Guard to create a military police unit that could be deployed to enforce laws against civilians in any community when the Governor thinks it's necessary. Local government officials would have no power to prevent the military force from invading their communities. Pierce’s amendment would have removed this language from the bill, but the amendment was voted down by the House Majority.

“This is the most dangerous thing I’ve ever seen moving through the legislature. It’s playing with fire. It allows the Governor to deploy a paramilitary force, with little training compared to civilian police, in our neighborhoods anytime the Governor considers it necessary. 

“What happens when you deploy a poorly trained paramilitary force in our communities? All you need to do is look at Minneapolis, Minnesota. You get a mother shot in the head after dropping her child off at school. You get a young ICU nurse shot in the back at point-blank range. You turn on the TV and see the videos, and you ask yourself,  ‘How can this happen in our country?’ We see the tragedies that occur when one person has unchecked power.

"We are living in a time when the federal government is deploying paramilitary forces to communities it doesn't like, and people are getting killed. Then, government officials lie to the American people about what happened.

“Why in God’s name would you give that kind of power to Indiana’s governor? The House should reject this dangerous bill. This is not who we are as Americans or Hoosiers.” 

Pierce reacts to the defeat of Republicans’ gerrymandered maps

Today, Dec. 11, the Indiana Senate voted down House Bill 1032, preserving Indiana’s current congressional map. The bill failed with a vote of 31-19. 

State Rep. Matt Pierce (D-Bloomington) released the following statement: 

“Today was a win for democracy and the people of Indiana. Unlike the House, a majority of Senators stood up for the Hoosier values of fairness and integrity, rejecting Washington, D.C.’s naked power grab. Hoosiers want healthy competition in their politics. That's how the will of the people gets translated into the policies they want.

“Now that this sad chapter of the General Assembly's history is over, it's time for the legislature to apply the same sense of urgency and effort to solving the real problems facing Hoosiers. Too many people are living paycheck to paycheck. Costs continue to skyrocket for groceries, health care, utilities, and child care. I look forward to leaving partisan issues behind and working to improve the lives of all Hoosiers."

Pierce reacts to the House passage of Republicans gerrymandered congressional map

Today, Dec. 5, Indiana House Republicans passed House Bill 1032, their gerrymandered congressional map, after months of pressure from Washington, D.C. The map carves up like-minded communities to give Republicans control of every congressional district in Indiana. HB 1032 now must be approved by the Senate to become law. 

State Rep. Matt Pierce (D-Bloomington) released the following statement: 

“This is a sad day. It’s a sad day for the House, and it’s a sad day for democracy. We have a president who wants to cheat in the midterms to preserve his party's control of the U.S. House of Representatives. We have a governor who agrees and is pressuring members of his own party. We have an Indiana House that is rolling over and giving in. 

“This is a failure of our President, a failure of our Governor, and a failure of the House majority. There aren't enough Republicans standing up and saying, ‘This isn’t right, this is not our values.’ All because Washington demands they rig congressional elections in the Republicans' favor.

“I cannot state too strongly that this is not normal.  What has the Republican Party become? It’s hard to imagine Lincoln, Roosevelt, Eisenhower, or Reagan demanding an unfair advantage or Governors Bowen, Orr, or Daniels eagerly going along with the scheme. This erasure of Democratic members of Congress and the voices of their constituents will delegitimize Congress. People are already frustrated with the state and federal governments' failure to address the real problems they face. Today's action will make them feel more cynical about their government and undermine their confidence in our democracy.

“This is the saddest day I have ever experienced in the Indiana House of Representatives.” 

Yoder, Pierce award Circle of Corydon posthumously to Andy Mahler

Tomorrow, Oct. 3, Andy Mahler will receive the Governor's Circle of Corydon award posthumously. Senate Minority Leader Shelli Yoder (D-Bloomington) and State Rep. Matt Pierce (D-Bloomington) nominated Mahler for the award. Senator Yoder will present the award to his wife, Linda Lee, at the Heartwood Reunion, which celebrates the founding of the grassroots movement to protect the public forests of the central hardwood region of the North American continent.

Mahler was an activist, poet, musician, and builder who dedicated over 40 years of his life to Indiana’s outdoors. A Bloomington native, he founded multiple organizations centered on conservation, including Protect Our Woods, which saved the Hoosier National Forest from being clear-cut in the 1980s. Mahler passed away peacefully on Aug. 30 at his home in Paoli.

“Andy Mahler was a strategic and relentless advocate for Indiana’s natural resources,” said Yoder. “He understood that environmental stewardship is not just about preserving landscapes but about shaping the values that define a state. His work helped build durable protections, strengthen local communities and ensure that our shared environment is managed with both care and foresight. His legacy lives on in the forests he defended, the policies he shaped and the generations he inspired to lead with principle. I extend my heartfelt wishes to those who loved him and hope they find comfort in knowing his life’s work will continue to guide Indiana’s path forward.”

“Andy Mahler's legacy will live on in countless future generations who will enjoy the forests he dedicated his life to protecting," said Pierce. “From preserving the Hoosier National Forest to creating multiple advocacy organizations, he inspired so many people to join a movement that demonstrated the tremendous power of people working together for a common cause.” 

Mahler’s obituary can be found here. 

Pierce comments on national push to gerrymander Indiana’s congressional districts

Today, Aug. 5, Gov. Mike Braun did not rule out calling a special session to redraw Indiana’s congressional maps. Braun’s statement follows national pressure from President Donald Trump, who has called for Republican states to redistrict to increase the number of GOP seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Vice President J.D. Vance is visiting Indianapolis to discuss redistricting on Thursday. 

State Rep. Matt Pierce (D-Bloomington) released the following statement: 

“President Trump is clearly running scared. He fears the voters who are rejecting his unpopular policies: raising prices for American families with his import taxes, taking health care away from millions of Americans and increasing the number of hungry children, all to give tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans. And now I hear he wants to put a 250% tax on many prescription drugs.  No wonder he wants to thwart the will of the people by rigging the next election.

“President Trump and Vice President Vance are so desperate that they are scraping for every seat they can get through gerrymandering. You have to be pretty desperate to decide that having seven of the nine seats in Indiana held by Republicans is not enough. 

“Most shocking of all, President Trump and the Congressional Republicans are so arrogant that they don’t feel any need to hide their political power grab. They are up front about the fact that they are willing to cheat to win the midterm elections.

“The question is, will Gov. Braun and the leaders of the General Assembly go along with it?  

“Will they put the interests of Hoosiers before the Congressional Republicans or cave to the demands of President Trump.  We will soon find out if they have the courage to tell President Trump, ‘No.’ Democrats are in a knife fight for democracy, and we’ve got to act like it.” 

House Republicans reject Pierce amendment to protect Hoosiers from higher utility costs

Today, Feb. 10, State Rep. Matt Pierce (D-Bloomington) offered amendments to House Bill 1007 that would have prevented utility customers from bearing the cost of failed nuclear power plant projects. The first amendment would have removed a provision in the bill that allows utilities to charge their customers for planning costs for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) even when they decide to abandon the SMR project. The other amendment would have prevented utilities from charging their customers for SMRs that are not yet generating any electricity. An existing "Construction Work in Progress" (CWIP) law allows utilities to charge customers during the construction of an SMR, including cost overruns, before the SMR provides any benefit to utility customers. No SMR project has been completed in the United States. The most recent SMR attempt was abandoned in Utah after estimated project costs ballooned from around $3 billion to $9.3 billion.

Pierce released the following statement on his amendments:

"HB 1007 allows utilities to gamble on expensive, unproven technology with utility customers' money. It shifts the risk of speculative projects from Utility corporations onto the backs of utility ratepayers. If HB 1007 becomes law, it will give a green light for utilities to pursue one of the most expensive forms of energy that will take years to build. I fear customers will be saddled with higher rates to pay for a boondoggle.

"Once again, the House of Representatives missed an opportunity to protect utility customers from higher rates."

Pierce statement on the unwarranted action of the Indiana University administration to arrest peaceful protestors

State Rep. Matt Pierce (D-Bloomington) released the following statement regarding the unwarranted actions of the Indiana University administration to arrest peaceful protesters:

“Yesterday, the Indiana University administration betrayed more than 50 years of support for free expression on campus by choosing to use force to shut down a peaceful protest and arresting students and faculty exercising their First Amendment rights.

“A University policy that has designated Dunn Meadow as a 'public forum for expression on all subjects' since 1969 was blatantly violated by the leaders of the University without justification. A policy that has withstood anti-Vietnam War protests, months-long shanty towns to protest apartheid in South Africa, the Gulf War, and numerous other controversies was summarily changed by an unknown committee with no public notice or input.

“It's clear this alleged policy change was directly targeted at a specific protest with speech the University wished to suppress. That is a textbook violation of the First Amendment. 

“It's ironic that University leaders who continually use the excuse of potential violence to suppress speech it opposes invited onto campus state police with military-style weapons that included what appeared to be snipers stationed on rooftops to force a physical confrontation with protesters. This reckless decision is indefensible. Does President Whitten not remember Kent State?

“President Whitten must correct this grievous violation of First Amendment rights by requesting all criminal charges against those arrested be dropped and rescinding any year-long bans from campus that have been issued against the protesters.

“It's time for President Whitten to put an end to her amateurish handling of campus protests before someone gets seriously hurt.”

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Pierce appointed to Federal Communications Commission advisory committee

State Rep. Matt Pierce (D-Bloomington) has been appointed by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to serve on the FCC's Intergovernmental Advisory Committee (IAC). The advisory panel provides expertise and recommendations on telecommunications issues affecting state, local, and tribal governments. Pierce will serve a two-year term on the Committee.

“I am excited about the opportunity to provide state perspectives about telecommunications issues affecting the states,” Pierce said. “State governments often share responsibilities with the FCC for telecommunications issues and work with the FCC to implement its programs, particularly making affordable broadband available throughout the country.

“I look forward to using my experience working on telecommunications policies and teaching about them in the classroom to work with my fellow committee members on important FCC issues.”

Pierce has an extensive background in telecommunications, including interning for the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Consumer Protection and Finance, clerking in the legal department of the National Association of Broadcasters, and serving on Bloomington's Telecommunications Council, which administered the city's cable television franchise. He received his B.A. in Telecommunications and Political Science in 1984 and a law degree in 1987 from Indiana University Bloomington where he currently is a Senior Lecturer in The Media School.