The 2024 legislative session for the Indiana General Assembly has come to a close. IEC has enjoyed another successful session with the premier success being the passage of our agenda bill, House Bill 1163. This will provide our cooperatives an exemption from needing IURC approval to build small generation projects of 10 megawatts or less, allowing cooperatives to have increased flexibility in pursuing such projects. The bill’s original language passed out of both utility committees and chambers unanimously and was signed by the governor on March 11.

We appreciate our members’ engagement in this legislation and the legislators who authored, sponsored, and supported its passage.

We were also pleased to support the passage of House Bill 1277, which establishes the Indiana Broadband Office as the appropriate agency to manage the incoming federal BEAD broadband dollars. IEC was closely involved in developing the language for the bill and testified in support. This bill passed both chambers unanimously and was signed by the governor on March 12.

Each and every piece of legislation that was opposed by IEC was defeated.

Outside of legislation, IEC was able to testify in front of the House Utilities Committee and share how our mutual aid agreement is a successful model for our cooperative family to help one another when power needs to be restored. During this session, IEC presented a comprehensive overview of the mutual aid agreement in place among all 38 Indiana cooperatives, including the mechanics of the agreement, its efficacy, and the advantages of cooperative efforts during challenging times. Nine cooperative CEOs were present to support and provide technical insights alongside testimonies from five investor-owned electric utilities.

Foundational Commitment for Political Engagement
This year, we rolled out a 2024 Resolutions for Political Engagement checklist, setting a foundational standard for co-ops’ political engagement efforts. This list is built with the goal of seeing all members engaged and committed to political action. This makes our organization strong and impactful, and we believe your commitment to leading your cooperatives to achieve these goals is key.  

IEC appreciates your dedication to these efforts, and we are ready and willing to help you and your cooperatives achieve each of these goals. We believe each cooperative can check off every item on this list, and we stand ready to assist as needed. Contact Ryan Heater, rheater@indianaec.org or 765.426.1848, if you have questions or want to discuss this further.