It’s the final week of the 2025 session of the Indiana General Assembly, and conference committee time is in full swing. A conference committee is made up of a few members from both the House and the Senate. These members come together when the two chambers pass different versions of the same bill and need to reconcile the differences. 

While not common, it is not unheard of for new proposals to be introduced and inserted into legislation during this time. This can be problematic, as these additions often bypass the standard legislative committee process and lack thorough vetting.

Unfortunately, language prohibiting local units of government from adopting or enforcing utility usage data ordinances is not only in SB 197, various property matters, authored by Sen. Aaron Freeman (R - Indianapolis), but is now being added in conference committee to HB 1389, local regulation, authored by Rep. Jim Pressel (R - Rolling Prairie). This provision would effectively nullify Indianapolis’s Energy Benchmarking and Transparency Ordinance, known as Thriving Buildings, and prevent any other local governments from implementing similar efforts to increase building efficiency through utility usage data ordinances.

AIA Indiana supports these ordinances and previously testified in favor of it before the Indianapolis City-County Council’s Environmental Sustainability Committee. The ordinance asks owners and operators of buildings larger than 50,000 square feet organizations to benchmark their energy and water usage, helping them identify cost-saving opportunities while also improving air quality.

With the legislative session scheduled to conclude by this Friday, please contact your state representative and state senator as soon as possible and urge them to oppose this negative language in SB 197 and HB 1389.

House of Representatives - 317/232-9600

State Senate - 800/382-9467

Email/Find Your Legislator - CLICK HERE

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact AIA Indiana Executive Director Jason Shelley, Hon. AIA, at 317-634-6993, jshelley@aiaindiana.org.