Summers' Summary: August 2025
Welcome to my monthly newsletter, where I will provide legislative and community updates for you as your state representative for House District 99. Please reach out to my office at h99@iga.in.gov if you have any questions, concerns or thoughts on what you’d like to see in this newsletter.
Changes Coming to Your AES Bill
Throughout the state, Hoosiers are seeing their electric bills increase by an average of 17.5%. According to data from the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, the average Indiana household will be paying around $28 extra per month, making this the steepest annual increase in over 20 years.
Here in Marion County, AES Indiana submitted a request to raise prices for ratepayers by as much as 21%, or $30 every month. The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission has scheduled four public field hearings in the rate case. All hearings will start at 6 p.m. See the details below.
Additionally, the Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC), the entity responsible for representing consumer interests in rate cases, is accepting written public comment through Sept. 2. Click here for more details about how to submit a public comment. Click here to access the public comment form.
I encourage all that are able to attend these hearings and make your voice heard. Utilities in Indiana are a regulated monopoly. If a consumer is unsatisfied with the price or service, there is no alternative. That is why it is important to give your input when rate hikes come before the IURC. For more information about the rate hike, view the CAC webpage here.
No Redistricting in Indiana
Earlier this month, I was shocked to hear of the possibility of a mid-decade redrawing of our congressional maps. On Aug. 7, Gov. Mike Braun, Speaker of the House Todd Huston and Senate Pro Tem Rod Bray met with Vice President JD Vance to discuss the possibility of calling a special session to redraw our maps, which were created in 2021 and scheduled to be revisited in 2030 in coordination with our census retake. When these maps were redrawn just four years ago, many state Republicans touted how “fair” they found them to be. Why call a special session to redo something you believe was done correctly the first time? To put it simply, this is an attempt to rig Indiana elections to give Republicans even more power in Congress.
Currently, only two of Indiana’s nine congressional seats are held by Democrats; Rep. Frank Mrvan in Northwest Indiana and Rep. Andre Carson here in Indianapolis. Hoosiers deserve balanced representation in Congress and throughout the state legislature, and this move from Republicans threatens that balance even further.
After Vice President Vance’s meeting with Republican leadership, members of our caucus and the Indiana Senate Democratic Caucus were joined by Reps. Mrvan and Carson at the Indiana Statehouse to speak out against a possible special session. On August 13, I was proud to join members of my caucus in Chicago to support Texas Democrats in their fight against redistricting in their state and to decry the national push from President Donald Trump to weaponize redistricting to benefit his party.
Not only would early redistricting undermine the legitimacy of Indiana elections, calling a special session would also be costly for Hoosiers.
Our last special session in 2022, which lasted two weeks, cost taxpayers $240,000. During the last session of the Indiana General Assembly, Republicans made drastic cuts to SNAP and Medicaid and passed Senate Enrolled Act 1, which will raise local income taxes for many Hoosiers. Making taxpayers foot the bill for a special session is egregious by itself, but doing so in the wake of these benefit cuts and local tax hikes is a slap in the face to Hoosiers.
Gov. Braun was elected to serve Hoosiers, not the interests of those in D.C. He should act accordingly and say “no” to pushes from the Trump administration to redraw our congressional maps.
IBLC Heads to Terre Haute
As a member of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus (IBLC), I’m excited to continue our 2025 town hall series on Aug. 23 in Terre Haute. Moderated by Sylvester Edwards, president of the Terre Haute NAACP, this free town hall gives you the opportunity to ask lawmakers questions, learn more about legislation passed in the 2025 session of the Indiana General Assembly and share your thoughts and concerns about issues impacting your community.
From noon to 2 p.m. ET, members of the IBLC will be at the Terre Haute City Hall Courtroom, 17 Harding Ave. If you can’t make the event in person, it will be livestreamed here.
Champion of Economic Opportunity
I am honored to share that I was recently named a 2025 Champion of Economic Opportunity Award from the Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute.
As a lawmaker, I am called to represent all of my community, especially those who too often are left without a voice in their state legislature. Roughly 12% of Hoosiers live at or below the poverty line, with nearly 1 million households struggling to make ends meet even sitting above the poverty line. Every Hoosier deserves a quality of life and dignity. Unfortunately, my colleagues across the aisle take action every session to make life harder for the average Hoosier. I remain committed to standing up for working Hoosiers and their families to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
I’d like to thank the Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute for this honor, and I look forward to continuing this work in the House of Representatives.
You’re Invited: We Care Community Festival
I want to invite you to the We Care Community Festival Back to School Bash hosted by the Indiana Council on Educating Students of Color. The festival is on August 23 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Washington Park, 3130 E. 30th St., Indianapolis, IN, 46218.
This event is free to the public, and everyone is welcome to attend. Members of the community are invited to attend education workshops addressing critical issues facing our Black students, including addressing achievement and literacy gaps. The festival will also feature lots of free item giveaways, including food bags, books, diapers and health care services. Kids ages K-12 can also receive free hair braiding, styling and haircuts through a stylist at the festival.
Parents must register for these free giveaways and services before the event through the QR codes at this link.
The event will also have some fun with Boots on the Ground line dancing, face painting and live music. It’s important that our community come together with local nonprofits, faith leaders and advocates to ensure that every child has a chance to be successful.
For more information about the We Care Festival, you can call 317-622-0634 or email IndianaCouncilESC@gmail.com. I hope our families will join together to kick off the school year.
You can find the full event and activities guide here.
Interim Study Committees
This summer, I’m honored to serve on several interim study committees focused on public health, child welfare and public policy:
Interagency State Council on Black and Minority Health
Commission on Improving the Status of Children in Indiana
Public Health, Behavioral Health, and Human Services
Child Services
Public Policy
These committees give lawmakers the chance to dig deeper into issues that don’t always get the attention they deserve during the legislative session. I’ll be using this time to advocate for better outcomes for new mothers and babies, improving living conditions for Hoosier children and enhancing public health throughout the state.
In service,
Rep. Vanessa Summers