Sec. 9. (a) As used in this section, "committee" means the interim study committee on energy, utilities, and telecommunications established by IC 2-5-1.3-4.

(b) The committee shall monitor changes and competition in the energy utility industry.

(c) The commission shall before August 15 of each year prepare for presentation to the committee an analysis of the effects of competition or changes in the energy utility industry on service and on the pricing of all energy utility services under the jurisdiction of the commission.

(d) In addition to reviewing the commission report prepared under subsection (c), the committee shall also issue a report and recommendations to the legislative council before November 1 of each year that are based on a review of the following issues:

(1) The effects of competition or changes in the energy utility industry and the impact of the competition or changes on the residential rates.

(2) The status of modernization of the energy utility facilities in Indiana and the incentives required to further enhance this infrastructure.

(3) The effects on economic development of this modernization.

(4) The traditional method of regulating energy utilities and the method's effectiveness.

(5) The economic and social effectiveness of traditional energy utility service pricing.

(6) The effects of legislation enacted by the United States Congress.

(7) All other energy utility issues the committee considers appropriate; however, it is not the intent of this section to provide for the review of the statutes cited in section 11 of this chapter.

The report and recommendations issued under this subsection to the legislative council must be in an electronic format under IC 5-14-6.

(e) This section:

(1) does not give a party to a collective bargaining agreement any greater rights under the agreement than the party had before January 1, 1995;

(2) does not give the committee the authority to order a party to a collective bargaining agreement to cancel, terminate, amend, or otherwise modify the collective bargaining agreement; and

(3) may not be implemented by the committee in a way that would give a party to a collective bargaining agreement any greater rights under the agreement than the party had before January 1, 1995.

(f) The committee shall, with the approval of the commission, retain independent consultants the committee considers appropriate to assist the committee in the review and study. The expenses for the consultants shall be paid with funds from the public utility fees assessed under IC 8-1-6.

As added by P.L.108-1995, SEC.3. Amended by P.L.78-1997, SEC.2; P.L.28-2004, SEC.70; P.L.256-2013, SEC.1; P.L.53-2014, SEC.75.