Sec. 9.1. (a) The governor may appoint a deputy consumer counselor for Washington affairs. The utility consumer counselor may advise the governor in the appointment of a deputy consumer counselor for Washington affairs.

     (b) The deputy consumer counselor shall serve for a term of four (4) years at a salary to be fixed by the governor. The deputy shall serve at the pleasure of the governor. The deputy consumer counselor shall be a practicing attorney, and qualified by knowledge and experience to practice in utility regulatory agency proceedings. The deputy consumer counselor shall apply full efforts to the duties of the office and may not be actively engaged in any other occupation, practice, profession, or business.

     (c) The deputy consumer counselor may appear on behalf of ratepayers, consumers, and the public in:

(1) hearings before the federal energy regulatory commission;

(2) appeals from the orders of the federal energy regulatory commission; and

(3) all other proceedings, including proceedings before federal agencies, and suits and actions in which the subject matter of the action affects the consumers of a utility, motor carrier, or railroad doing business in Indiana.

     (d) The deputy consumer counselor may establish and maintain an office in Washington, D.C. The deputy consumer counselor may, with the approval of the consumer counselor, the governor, and the budget agency employ and fix the compensation of accountants, utility economists, engineers, attorneys, stenographers, or other assistance necessary to carry out the duties of the office of the deputy consumer counselor. The compensation of the deputy consumer counselor and the 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 the contingency fund established under IC 8-1-6-1.

     (e) The deputy consumer counselor may employ, with the approval of the consumer counselor, 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 consumer counselor, the governor, and the budget agency may approve for a particular case or investigation. The compensation for 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 the 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.

     (f) Any expenses incurred by the regular staff of the office of the deputy consumer counselor and approved by the deputy consumer counselor shall be charged and paid from the contingency fund established under IC 8-1-6-1.

As added by P.L.1-1990, SEC.101. Amended by P.L.9-2024, SEC.278.