FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
State Sen. Rick Niemeyer (R-Lowell) made the following statement regarding the conclusion of the 2026 legislative session:
STATEHOUSE (Feb. 27, 2026) – "The General Assembly wrapped up the 2026 legislative session tonight and addressed many issues Hoosiers have been facing.
"One of the biggest issues for Hoosiers, especially those in northwest Indiana, is the cost of electric utilities. This session, I worked closely with my fellow legislators to address this issue by authoring a bill that would have required affordability to be the most important attribute of electric utility service that must be considered when changes are made to electric energy services, which unfortunately did not move forward in the legislative process.
"While I am disappointed my bill did not move forward, I was pleased to co-sponsor a new law that creates a performance-based ratemaking framework that connects utilities’ yearly revenue and profit to their ability to successfully meet the needs of residential consumers. This law will help provide stability and affordability to people's bills, rather than making them face uncertainty each month.
"I also supported legislation that would reduce cell phone use in schools, strengthen our laws to ensure illegal immigrants can't receive taxpayer-funded welfare, and establish transparency and accountability requirements for agents operating on behalf of regimes that threaten American interests, like China, Russia, North Korea and Iran.
"I will continue to work with local leaders to find ways to address the rising cost of energy utilities in our community and other important issues we are facing."
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State Sen. Rick Niemeyer (R-Lowell) represents Senate District 6,
which includes Benton and Newton counties, and portions of Lake and Jasper counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
Contact: Emma Balzer, Deputy Communications Director
Emma.Balzer@iga.in.gov
317-232-7184
