2013-14 Indiana House Utilities and Energy Committee Members Announced; 3 Newly Elected House Members Named

Dear IndianaDG Readers:

Please find below the much awaited information about the House Utilities and Energy Committee of the Indiana House of Representatives. Rumors have been pervasive that Rep. Eric Koch (R-Bedford) would replace Rep. Jack Lutz (R-Anderson). Turns out the rumor was true.

All state legislators are not created equal. What I mean by that is that those state legislators who serve on a particular committee such as Utilities and Energy have substantially more influence and greater voice on proposed legislation assigned to their committees. Therefore, these are the Indiana House members which will have the greatest opportunity to influence proposed legislation pertaining to utilities and energy issues. Clearly, the majority members, i.e. the Republican members of the committee will have a stronger voice and more influence than the minority members, i.e. Democratic members of the committee.

I have provided links to the official web pages of each of these committee members. Please note that not all webpages have been updated yet. I encourage you to learn about these committee members and see if their districts cover where you, your business associates, friends and/or family members reside.

Sen. Jim Merritt (R-Indianapolis) will be the Chair of the Senate Utility Committee, however, a list of the other members has not been posted to the "official" Indiana General Assembly website. The information is available and I will post later today.

Laura Ann Arnold