Indiana General Assembly
Pro-Consumer Voting Percentages
& Campaign Contributions
| 2019 | 75% | $50 | Cumulative: | 78% | |
|
| 2020 | 82% | $50 |
CAC considers that 80% is a passing grade for the legislators, meaning that if their Pro-Consumer Voting Percentage is 80% or above, they are working to protect consumers in the Indiana Statehouse. If their percentage is below 80%, they are not working to protect consumers.
The cumulative voting record percentage represents voting records from the last 10 years.
Campaign contribution information comes from followthemoney.org, and includes money taken from the Energy and Natural Resources industries, including: utilities, coal, mining, oil, natural gas, steel, and environmental services & equipment.
The campaign contributions represent money taken in the previous 11 years.
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Rep. Lisa Beck (D-Hebron, District 19)
2020 Campaign Contributions: $50
2010 - 2020
2020 Pro-Consumer Voting Percentage: 82%
For bill details, visit our 2020 Indiana General Assembly page.
HB1414: Electric generation
Status: Signed into law by Gov. Holcomb
House Bill 1414 obstructs Indiana’s electric utilities’ ability to retire their dirty, expensive, and outdated coal-fired power plants. It is designed to keep Indiana in the dark ages by delaying and obstructing our transition to clean energy. It is a deliberate attempt by the coal interests to convince Indiana lawmakers to use the heavy hand of government to interfere with the markets and protect Indiana’s fleet of coal-fired power plants. The effort is being led by Alliance Coal, Hallador Energy, and White Stallion Energy, who have been aggressively peddling their influence and money at the Indiana Statehouse.
House Floor Votes on HB1414: 2 votes, both Anti-Consumer
HB1265: Drinking water testing
Status: Signed into law by Gov. Holcomb
Requires that the drinking water in every child care center, child care home, child care ministry site, child care program site, child caring institution, and school building be tested before January 1, 2023, for compliance with the national primary drinking water regulations for lead and copper. Provides, however, that the testing requirement is satisfied if the drinking water of the child care facility or school building has already been tested for compliance with the national primary drinking water regulations at least once since 2016. Provides that if a test of the drinking water of a child care facility or school building indicates the presence of lead in the water equal to or greater than the federal lead action level of 15 parts per billion, the person or entity having authority over the child care facility or school building is required to take action to reduce the lead levels in the drinking water to less than 15 parts per billion. The bill originally only applied to Lake County, but after a column entitled "High lead levels were found in our school water — but not where you would think" was published in the Indy Star on 1/26/20, HB1265 was amended to apply to the entire state.
House Floor Votes on HB1265: 4 votes, all Pro-Consumer
HB1337: Notification of water utilities and water treatment
Status: Died in the Senate Environmental Affairs Committee
Provides that the environmental rules board shall amend provisions within the administrative rules governing spills to provide for notification to a water utility and water treatment plant in the event of a spill or release of any substance to a water that may cause a threat to the operation of a water utility or water treatment plant. This is in response to the latest release of toxic chemicals into Lake Michigan by Arcelor-Mittal. This toxic spill happened in August 2019, and was not reported to the public until three days after the spill occurred. Lake Michigan is the source of drinking water for 7 million people.
House Floor Votes on HB1337: 1 vote, Pro-Consumer
SB229: Maintenance of regulated drains
Status: Signed into law by Gov. Holcomb
Provides that a permit is not required from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management for the reconstruction or maintenance of regulated drains for purposes of the law concerning state regulated wetlands. SB229 deregulates the drain pipes that drain into Indiana wetlands. This will almost certainly result in more toxins being dumped into Indiana waterways.
House Floor Votes on SB229: 3 votes, all Pro-Consumer
SB254: Water and wastewater utilities
Status: Signed into law by Gov. Holcomb
Amends the law allowing the adjustment of a water or wastewater utility's rates and charges to enable the utility to recover the cost of eligible infrastructure improvements, by providing that the general maximum limit on the revenues used in determining the adjustment does not apply to infrastructure improvement costs associated with the construction, reconstruction, or improvement of a highway, street, or road. Amends the law that allows a public water utility to treat the costs of replacing customer-owned lead service lines as eligible infrastructure improvements for which a utility's rates and charges may be adjusted, by providing that the law applies to municipally owned utilities as well as public utilities. Establishes a procedure under which a public utility, municipally owned utility, or not-for-profit utility that provides water or wastewater service to the public and is under the jurisdiction of the commission for the approval of rates and charges may seek to recover, through a periodic rate adjustment, the cost of certain utility plant or equipment expenditures that are related to compliance with environmental requirements or made for health, safety, or environmental protection purposes.
House Floor Votes on SB254: 1 vote, Pro-Consumer
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Rep. Lisa Beck (D-Hebron, District 19)
2019 Campaign Contributions: $50
2009 - 2019
2019 Pro-Consumer Voting Percentage: 75%
For bill details, visit our 2019 Indiana General Assembly Bill Watch List.
SB4: Water and wastewater utilities and runoff
Status: Signed into law by Gov. Holcomb
Requires the Indiana Finance Authority to study the water and wastewater utilities across Indiana to assess the water infrastructure and needs across the state. Requires each utility to perform an annual audit of their water systems to identify water losses and begin reigning in waste. Urges the Indiana General Assembly to assign an appropriate interim study committee to study issues regarding water systems across Indiana.
House Floor Votes on SB4: 1 vote, Pro-Consumer
SB442: Underground storage of carbon dioxide
Status: Signed into law by Governor Holcomb
SB442 grants eminent domain to private corporations to force Hoosier property owners to allow dangerous carbon dioxide waste captured from dirty manufacturing facilities, like ammonia plants and coal-fired power plants, to be stored long-term underneath their properties without their consent. Additionally, SB442 puts Hoosiers on the hook for the long-term costs and liabilities associated with any problems which can occur as a result of storing carbon dioxide waste underground.
SB442 is being pushed by a privately-owned corporation known as Wabash Valley Resources. They are claiming it is a climate change mitigation strategy, but the best way to mitigate climate change is not to produce carbon dioxide in the first place. This is clearly another huge science experiment for which another private corporation wants to force Indiana taxpayers to assume liability.
House Floor Votes on SB442: 2 votes, both Anti-Consumer
SB471: Offenses involving critical infrastructure
Status: Signed into law by Governor Holcomb
SB471 threatens the Constitutional Rights of all Hoosiers, including Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Assembly, and Freedom of Association. It will impose high criminal punishment for offenses involving “critical infrastructure facilities,” which it defines as places such as power plants, pipelines, refineries, and dams, among many others. This legislation elevates the misdemeanor of trespass to a FELONY offense, punishable with up to 2½ years in prison and a $10,000 fine. If property damage occurs, the offense is punishable by up to six years and a $10,000 fine. The bill goes even further to make entire groups of people collectively liable for the actions of one individual. Any organization that simply verbalizes support for an individual, an organization, or an action, can be found guilty of an offense under this legislation, and could be fined up to $100,000. SB471 is riddled with ambiguity and will have an enormous chilling effect on the Constitutional Rights of Hoosiers.
House Floor Votes on SB471: 1 vote, Pro-Consumer
SB472: Utility rates and acquisitions
Status: Signed into law by Governor Holcomb.
SB472 was originally an attempt to modify and clarify regulatory laws around the acquisition of municipally owned water and wastewater utilities by larger investor-owned water utilities. This bill is an attempt to address the heart of the water & wastewater issues facing residents in Lake Station, IN, and Charlestown, IN.
House Floor Votes on SB472: 3 votes, all Pro-Consumer
SB613: Consumer credit (Payday lending)
Status: Died in the House
SB613 would create new payday installment loans of up to $1,800 in addition to the current payday products Indiana already offers. Plus, with these loans, lenders could add on fun stuff like credit insurance to make them even more expensive. CAC supports the lead taken by The Indiana Institute for Working Families in fighting to stop the passage of this bill.
House Floor Votes on SB613: 2 votes, both Pro-Consumer
HB1266: Sediment and erosion control in construction
Status: Signed into law by Governor Holcomb
Prohibits a community from requiring erosion and sediment control measures that are more stringent than those required by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). HB1266 removes a measure of local control that communities have over construction projects within their communities.
House Floor Votes on HB1266: 2 votes; 1 Anti-Consumer, 1 Pro-Consumer
HB1278: Environmental matters
Status: Signed into law by Governor Holcomb
Prohibits a community from requiring erosion and sediment control measures that are more stringent than those required by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). HB1266 removes a measure of local control that communities have over construction projects within their communities.
House Floor Votes on HB1278: 2 votes, both Pro-Consumer
HB1331: Homeowners associations and solar power
Status: Died in Conference Committee
Prohibits homeowners associations (HOAs) from prohibiting homeowners within the association from installing solar systems on their homes; imposing unreasonable limitations on the owner's ability to install or use a solar energy system; and requiring the removal of a solar energy system that has been installed.
Provides, however, that a homeowners association may require preapproval of the location of a solar energy system and of the manner in which the solar energy system is installed. Applies only to rules, covenants, declarations of restrictions, and other governing documents adopted or amended by a homeowners association after June 30, 2019.
House Floor Votes on HB1331: 1 vote, Pro-Consumer
HB1406: Water infrastructure assistance fund and program
Status: Signed into law by Governor Holcomb
HB1406 is a response to a very real clean water crisis that is growing across Indiana. Across the country and across our state, water delivery infrastructure is crumbling. It has not been properly maintained since it was originally installed. In many cases, the water delivery infrastructure has gone over 100 years without any real maintenance.
HB1406 is designed to allow the Indiana Finance Authority (IFA) to have access to money from the State of Indiana to be able to create and manage loans for these small utilities to be able to make the necessary upgrades to their systems, while simultaneously allowing them to phase in the necessary rate increases over time in order to pay the loans back. The goal is to ensure that customers of these small utilities have access to clean water, while also preventing them from getting a jolting rate shock on their water and wastewater bills all at once.
House Floor Votes on HB1406: 1 vote, Pro-Consumer
HB1470: Utility transmission improvements and costs
Status: Signed into law by Governor Holcomb
HB1470 is a clear attempt by Indiana’s monopoly utilities to usurp the regulatory process so they can raise your rates as much as they want, whenever they want. HB1470 amends the controversial Senate Enrolled Act 560 (SEA560, 2013), which gave Indiana’s electric and natural gas utilities a tracker to raise your rates virtually automatically for the costs related to investments in transmission and distribution infrastructure. This tracker is commonly referred to as the TDSIC (Transmission, Distribution, and Storage Improvement Charge).
HB1470 will effectively guarantee that captive Hoosier gas and electric customers will face ENORMOUS increases in their monthly utility bills. HB1470 mandates that the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission approve the TDSIC tracker even if the utilities have no idea what they will spend your money on. HB1470 mandates that the IURC allow the utilities to force you to pay for smart meters by including the cost of smart meters in the TDSIC tracker.
House Floor Votes on HB1470: 1 vote, Anti-Consumer
