HB 1280, HB 1090 & HB 1117 Await Hearings in Senate--REVISED

The 2008 session of the Indiana General Assembly passed the mid-point last week. State legislation introduced in the Indiana House that passed third reading now moves to the Indiana Senate. House bills must now receive a Senate committee hearing within the next three weeks and third reading by the end of February. The pace of the session will increase as state lawmakers approach their March 14th deadline for adjournment.

HB 1117 addresses coal gasification and substitute natural gas as well as creating a 10% state income tax credits for wind and anaerobic digesters. The Senate sponsors are Sen. Brendt Hershamn (R-Monticello) and Sen. Richard Young (D-Milltown). HB 1117 has been assigned to the Senate Utilities & Regulatory Affairs Committee.

HB 1090 requires the state of Indiana to become a member of and participate in the climate registry concerning greenhouse gas emissions reporting and reduction. The Senate Sponsor is Sen. Beverly Gard (R-Greenfield) and this bill has also been assigned to the Senate Utilities & Regulatory Affairs Committee.

Please convey your support for HB 1117 and HB 1090 to the members of the Senate Utilities & Regulatory Affairs Committee listed below:

• Sen. Brandt Hershman (R-Monticello), CHAIRMAN
  s7@in.gov
  Counties: Carroll, Clinton, Howard, Jasper, Tippecanoe, White
  
• Sen. Ryan Douglas Mishler (R-Bremen), RANKING MEMBER
  s9@in.gov
  Counties: Elkhart, Kosciusko, Marshall, St. Joseph
  
• Sen. Edward E. Charbonneau (R-Valporaiso)
  s5@in.gov
  Counties: Jasper, LaPorte, Marshall, Porter, Pulaski, St. Joseph, Starke
  
• Sen. Beverly J. Gard (R-Greenfield)
  s28@in.gov
  Counties: Hamilton, Hancock, Henry
  
• Sen. Dennis K. Kruse (R-Auburn)
  s14@in.gov
  Counties: Allen, DeKalb, Steuben
  
• Sen. Sue Landske (R-Cedar Lake)
  s6@in.gov
  Counties: Benton, Lake, Newton, Porter
  
• Sen. James W. Merritt, Jr. (R-Indianapolis)
  s31@in.gov
  Counties: Marion
  
• Sen. Sue Errington (D-Muncie), RANKING MINORITY MEMBER
  s26@in.gov
  Counties: Delaware, Madison
  
• Sen. Jean D. Breaux (D-Indianapolis)
  s34@in.gov
  Counties: Marion
  
• Sen. Earline S. Rogers (D-Gary)
  s3@in.gov
  Counties: Lake
  
• Sen. Karen Tallian (D-Portage)
  s4@in.gov
  Counties: Lake, Porter

HB 1280 addressing energy efficient buildings is sponsored by Sen. Brendt Hershman (R-Monticello), Sen. Vi Simpson (D-Bloomington) and Sen. Jean Breaux (D-Indianapolis). HB 1280 has been assigned to the Senate Energy and Environmental Affairs Committee.

• Sen. Beverly J. Gard (R-Greenfield), CHAIRMAN
  s28@in.gov
  Counties: Hamilton, Hancock, Henry
  
• Sen. Marvin D. Riegsecker (R-Goshen), RANKING MEMBER
  s12@in.gov
  Counties: Elkhart
  
• Sen. Richard Bray (R-Martinsville)
  s37@in.gov
  Counties: Clay, Johnson, Monroe, Morgan, Owen, Putnam
• Sen. Gary P. Dillion, MD (R-Columbia City)
  s17@in.gov
  Counties: Allen, Grant, Huntington, Kosciusko, Wabash, Whitley
  
• Sen. Jeff Drozda (R-Westfield)
  s21@in.gov
  Counties: Boone, Hamilton, Howard, Tipton
• Sen. Brandt Hershman (R-Monticello)
  s7@in.gov
  Counties: Carroll, Clinton, Howard, Jasper, Tippecanoe, White
  
• Sen. Patricia L. Miller (R-Indianapolis)s32@in.govCounties: Johnson, Marion

• Sen. Lindell Hume (D-Princeton)
  s48@in.gov
  Counties: Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Greene, Knox, Martin, Orange, Pike
  
• Sen. Sue Errington (D-Muncie)
  s26@in.gov
  Counties: Delaware, Madison
  
• Sen. Tim Lanane (D-Anderson)
  s25@in.gov
  Counties: Madison
  
• Sen. Karen Tallian (D-Portage)
  s4@in.gov
  Counties: Lake, Porter

What this blog for when a committee hearing is scheduled on these two bills.

To find out who represents you at the State House, please click the link Who's Your Legislator?

HB 1090 Climate Registry Fails 01/29/08; Passes 01/30/08

Rep. Ryan Dvorak (D-South Bend) introduced HB 1090 regarding the climate registry.

THE CLIMATE REGISTRY is a collaboration between states, provinces and tribes aimed at developing and managing a common greenhouse gas emissions reporting system with high integrity that is capable of supporting various greenhouse gas emission reporting and reduction policies for its member states and tribes and reporting entities. It will provide an accurate, complete, consistent, transparent and verified set of greenhouse gas emissions data from reporting entities, supported by a robust accounting and verification infrastructure.

For more details see http://www.theclimateregistry.org/.

DIGEST OF HB 1090 (Updated January 28, 2008 4:37 pm - DI 84)

Climate registry. Requires the state of Indiana to become a member of and participate in the climate registry concerning greenhouse gas emissions reporting and reduction. Requires the governor or the governor's designee to sign the climate registry's statement of principles and goals to become a member of the climate registry and deliver a copy of the signed statement to the climate registry before July 1, 2008.

Reread third time: failed for lack of constitutional majority Roll Call 78: Yeas 50, Nays 47. House rules require that bills receive a constitutional majority of 51 votes to pass third reading. If a bill does not receive 51 votes againt it as it was in this case it is also not defeated and therefore, the author can try again. Rep. Dvorak tried again today (01/30/08) around 11 AM and the bill passed 53 to 43.

To see how your state representative voted the first time see:
http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2008/PDF/Hrollcal/0078.PDF.pdf

To see how your state representative voted the second time see:
http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2008/PDF/Hrollcal/0130.PDF.pdf

If you are wondering who switched their votes, Reps. Neese, Soliday and Ulmer switched their votes from "No" to "Yes". Thank you for your support of the Climate Registry Reps. Neese, Soliday and Ulmer.