§ 8-1-1.1-6.1 — Professional and other employees; additional staff for particular cases; charge and payment of expenses; technical equipment; costs and duties under TDSIC statute

Indiana § 8-1-1.1-6.1

• Jurisdiction: Indiana
• Art. 1: UTILITIES GENERALLY
• Ch. 1.1: Office of the Utility Consumer Counselor

Text

1. (a) The consumer counselor may employ
and fix the compensation of, with the approval of the governor and the
budget agency, accountants, utility economists, engineers, attorneys,
stenographers, or other assistance necessary to carry out the duties of
the office. The compensation of the consumer counselor and the
counselor's staff shall be paid from an appropriation made for that
purpose by the general assembly, or with the approval of the governor
and the budget agency, from a contingency fund established under IC 8-1-6-1.
(b) The consumer counselor may make use of engineers, experts,
and accountants employed by the commission or the Indiana
department of transportation and direct them to make appraisals and
audits in the performance of the consumer counselor's duties under this
chapter and IC 8-1-1 and IC 8-1-2. In so doing, the consumer counselor
shall have access to the records and files of the commission or the
Indiana department of transportation.
(c) The consumer counselor may employ, with the approval of the
governor and the budget agency, additional stenographers, examiners,
experts, engineers, assistant counselors, accountants, and consulting
firms with expertise in utility, motor carrier, or railroad economics or
management or both, at salaries and compensation and for a length of
time as the governor and the budget agency may approve for a
particular case or investigation. The compensation for the additional
personnel together with the cost of transportation, hotel, telegram, and
telephone bills while traveling on public business shall be paid from
the expert witness fee account, or, with the approval of the governor
and the budget agency, from a contingency fund established under IC 8-1-6-1 on warrants drawn by the state comptroller, sworn to by the
parties who incurred the expenses.
(d) Expenses incurred by the regular staff of the office and approved
by the consumer counselor, or an expense incurred by the commission
or the Indiana department of transportation under subsection (b), shall
be charged and paid in the manner provided in IC 8-1-2-70 or IC 8-1-6,
whichever is appropriate under the circumstances.
(e) Nothing in this chapter may be construed to prevent a party
interested in a proceeding, suit, or action from appearing in person or
from being represented by counsel.
(f) Persons hired by the consumer counselor as provided by this
section are exempt from the job classifications and compensation
schedules established under IC 4-15.
(g) The consumer counselor may purchase, lease, or otherwise
acquire sufficient technical equipment necessary for the consumer
counselor to carry out the consumer counselor's statutory duties.
(h) The consumer counselor may submit to the budget agency a
request for funds sufficient to carry out any new duties or
responsibilities created under IC 8-1-39-12(b). The consumer
counselor shall include in its annual report to the interim study
committee on energy, utilities, and telecommunications:
(1) a description of its activities under IC 8-1-39-12(b); and
(2) a summary of the costs associated with those activities.

Legislative History

As added by P.L.1-1990, SEC.97. Amended by P.L.133-2013, SEC.2; P.L.149-2016, SEC.33; P.L.9-2024, SEC.277.