HOMELAND SECURITY: Requests the Select Committee on Homeland Security to investigate the recent power outage initiated by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator in southeastern La.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Mike Bayham

HR 257 asks Louisiana's Select Committee on Homeland Security to investigate the MISO-initiated Southeastern Louisiana outage, review decisions and impacts, and propose fixes.

Taken by the Clerk of the House and presented to the Secretary of State in accordance with the Rules of the House.

Purpose / Intent

HR 257 is a resolution requesting that the legislature’s Select Committee on Homeland Security undertake an investigation into a recent power outage in southeastern Louisiana that was initiated by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO). The stated intent is to examine the causes, decision-making, and consequences of MISO’s action and to inform any needed policy, operational, or oversight responses.

Key provisions (as indicated by title/summary)

Requests the Select Committee on Homeland Security to investigate the recent outage in southeastern Louisiana that was initiated by MISO.

Directs the committee to review facts surrounding the outage, including the timeline of decisions, communications among operators and state agencies, and impacts on public safety and critical infrastructure.

Implied objectives include producing findings and (potentially) recommendations for legislative or administrative action to prevent or mitigate similar events in the future.

Note: The floor text provided to the analyst did not include the full, consistent resolution language for this specific HR 257; instead, the provided document contains multiple unrelated resolutions. The above items reflect the bill title and bill-level metadata rather than a complete printed resolution text.

Who would be affected

Residents, businesses, and public institutions in the impacted areas of southeastern Louisiana.

MISO (Midcontinent Independent System Operator) and its personnel responsible for the operational decision.

State agencies involved in emergency response, public safety, utilities regulation, and homeland security.

Local utilities and regional partners that coordinate with MISO or were involved in outage response and restoration.

Procedural status & timeline (from legislative actions)

Introduced: January 9, 2025.

Passed/Adopted by the House: Read by title; roll called — yeas 89, nays 0; adopted June 10, 2025.

Enrolled and signed by the Speaker: June 10, 2025.

Presented to Secretary of State (taken by Clerk): June 11, 2025. (Several other docket entries in the supplied materials appear to reference unrelated resolutions from other jurisdictions and should not be conflated with this item.)

Potential outcomes / impact

A committee investigation could produce a public report outlining causes, accountability, gaps in coordination, and recommendations for statutory, regulatory, or operational changes.

Possible outcomes include proposals for improved emergency coordination, changes to how regional transmission organizations coordinate with state authorities, enhanced reporting or oversight requirements, or follow‑up hearings and subpoenas (depending on the committee’s authority and the final resolution text).

Important caveat / recommendation

The provided document contains multiple, disparate texts (memorial resolutions, state‑level oversight resolutions, a school sports congratulatory resolution) that do not match the homeland security investigation described by the bill title. For definitive language on investigatory scope, powers granted to the Select Committee, authorized timeline, and any subpoena/compulsion authority, consult the official enrolled resolution text filed with the Secretary of State or the legislative clerk’s office.

Bill