STATEHOUSE — State Sen. Eric Koch (R-Bedford) will serve on the Government Reform Task Force in preparation for the 2025 legislative session.
Created by House Enrolled Act 1623, which Koch sponsored during the 2023 legislative session, the task force reviews state agencies’ external policies and standards and their level of transparency with the public.
Approximately 115 Indiana agencies, boards, and commissions have rulemaking authority, which serves as binding regulations for Hoosiers. Fifty-nine entities have emergency rulemaking authority with little oversight or public input before HEA 1623 was implemented. This dramatically impacts how and whether or not Hoosiers are fined or civilly penalized.
The task force follows the Administrative Rules Task Force, which was created by Senate Enrolled Act 264 during the 2022 legislative session and on which Koch served during the 2022 interim. SEA 264 ordered a study of the administrative rules, fees, and fines of state agencies under the governor’s office.
The Administrative Rules Task Force revealed necessary improvements to simplify agencies’ rulemaking processes, increase transparency and the public’s involvement in state agencies’ rulemaking processes, and improve agency oversight, including their standards for setting fines and civil penalties.
Legislators meet over the summer and fall months to discuss topics approved by the bipartisan Legislative Council, which comprises 16 voting members – eight from the Senate and eight from the House of Representatives.
Visit iga.in.gov to view study committee agendas and stream hearings online. Click here to view a list of topics that will be examined by the committees.
During the session, Sen. Koch served as chair of the Senate Committee on Utilities and was an attorney with the Koch Law Firm P.C. He was also the ranking member of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary and the Senate Committee on Commerce and Technology and serves on the Senate Committee on Corrections and Criminal Law. Sen. Koch can be reached via email at Senator.Koch@iga.in.gov or by phone at 800-382-9467.
