House Democrats fight for immediate utility affordability
Today, Indiana House Democrats offered 12 amendments to House Bill 1002 to immediately lower utility bills for Hoosier residential customers. All were rejected or blocked by Indiana House Republicans.
See the list of amendments and descriptions:
Amendment #4: Allows Hoosiers to tap into low-cost energy through small-scale, community-based renewable energy projects.
Amendment #5: Protects medically vulnerable Hoosiers by prohibiting disconnections for individuals who have a certified medical condition that could result in severe illness or death in the event of a power outage.
Amendment #6: Requires utility companies to include con information about payment assistance programs in on the monthly bills of senior customers.
Amendment #7: Holds utilities accountable for reliable service by requiring they reimburse customers for any financial losses suffered as the result of an outage.
Amendment #8: Protects Hoosiers from private equity firms acquiring Indiana utility companies that lead to rate hikes.
Amendment #10: Creates a 1-year moratorium on the 7% sales tax on residential utility bills and prohibits IURC from issuing future tax breaks for data centers and quantum computing facilities.
Amendment 11: Prohibits utilities from passing on the costs of lobbying and political activities to customers. This amendment was blocked on procedural grounds instead of outright rejected.
Amendment #13: Prohibits utility companies from raising utility rates more than 3% and require utility companies to hold 3 public hearings in the affected utility service area before raising rates.
Amendment #14: Prohibits utility companies from disconnecting residential electric or natural gas service during the coldest time of year (beginning Dec. 1 and ending March 15).
Amendment #15: Eliminates the 7% sales tax on residential utility bills.
Amendment #16: Prohibits the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) from approving a rate increase above 3% of the average monthly bill.
Amendment #19: Prohibits any increases on fixed rates and charges for utility bills for the next two years. (Effective June 30, 2026 to July 1, 2028).
Full vote counts for each of the amendments will be available here.
House Democratic Leader Phil GiaQuinta (D-Fort Wayne) released the following statement on the rejection of all House Democrat amendments:
"House Bill 1002 is a step in the right direction, but Hoosiers have been clear: They need immediate relief on skyrocketing utility bills yesterday. Hoosiers have done everything right – they've kept their heat down and bundled up around the house, but their energy bill keeps going up. They cannot wait for levelized billing or performance-based ratemaking to kick in.
"That's why House Democrats offered amendments to take urgent action, from repealing the sales tax on residential bills and suspending all residential shutoffs during the cold weather months to prohibiting exorbitant rate hikes and stopping utilities from increasing their fixed rates and charges.
"All our utility affordability amendments were voted down by House Republicans. Hoosiers should take note that House Republicans are not interested in giving them immediate relief on their utility bills while preserving the ability for lawmakers to take lobbyist money without scrutiny and big data center tax breaks. House Democrats understand that working people are doing all they can to make ends meet, but they need the legislature to step in and get bills under control."