Bill Text: CA SB1409 | 2013-2014 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Public Utilities Commission: safety investigations.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2014-09-25 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 563, Statutes of 2014. [SB1409 Detail]

Download: California-2013-SB1409-Amended.html

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BILL NUMBER: SB 1409	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  AUGUST 21, 2014
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  AUGUST 5, 2014
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JUNE 4, 2014
	AMENDED IN SENATE  APRIL 21, 2014
	AMENDED IN SENATE  APRIL 2, 2014

INTRODUCED BY   Senator Hill

                        FEBRUARY 21, 2014

   An act to  amend Section 321.6 of   add
Section 915 to  the Public Utilities Code, relating to the
Public Utilities Commission.



	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 1409, as amended, Hill. Public Utilities Commission: safety
investigations.
   The California Constitution establishes the Public Utilities
Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities and
authorizes the commission to establish its own procedures, subject to
statutory limitations or directions and constitutional requirements
of due process.  Existing law   The Public
Utilities Act requires the commission to publish and maintain certain
documents and information and make specified materials available on
the commission's Internet Web site. The act  requires the
commission to submit certain information about its activities to the
Governor and the Legislature no later than February 1 of each year,
including a work plan describing its scheduled ratemaking
proceedings, an accounting of its transactions and proceedings, and a
report on the number of cases where resolution of the case exceeded
the time periods prescribed in scoping memos and on the number of
days that commissioners presided in hearings. 
   This bill, with respect to this annual submission of information,
would also require the commission to provide a succinct description
of each open staff safety investigation and each staff safety
investigation concluded during the prior calendar year, including the
month of the safety incident, the reason for the investigation, the
facility type involved, and the owner of the facility.  

   This bill would require the commission, beginning February 1,
2016, to annually publish a report that includes all investigations
into gas or electric service safety incidents reported, pursuant to
commission requirements, by any gas corporation or electrical
corporation including the month of the safety incident, the reason
for the investigation, the facility type involved, and the owner of
the facility. The bill would require that the report succinctly
describe safety investigations concluded during the prior calendar
year and investigations that remain open. The bill would require that
the work plan submitted to the Governor and the Legislature include
a summary of staff safety investigations concluded during the prior
calendar year and staff safety investigations that remain open for
any gas corporation or electrical corporation, with a link to the
Internet Web site with the report that contains the above-described
information that the commission is required to annually report. 

   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   SECTION 1.    Section 915 is added to the  
Public Utilities Code  , to read:  
   915.  (a) Beginning February 1, 2016, the commission shall
annually publish a report that includes all investigations into gas
or electric service safety incidents reported, pursuant to commission
requirements, by any gas corporation or electrical corporation. The
report shall succinctly describe each safety investigation concluded
during the prior calendar year and each investigation that remains
open. The categories within the description shall include the month
of the safety incident, the reason for the investigation, the
facility type involved, and the owner of the facility.
   (b) The commission shall include in its work plan required
pursuant Section 321.6, a summary of the staff safety investigations
concluded during the prior calendar year and the staff safety
investigations that remain open for any gas corporation or electrical
corporation, with a link to the Internet Web site with the report
that contains the information required pursuant to subdivision (a).
 
  SECTION 1.    Section 321.6 of the Public
Utilities Code is amended to read:
   321.6.  (a) The commission shall do all of the following:
   (1) Develop, publish, and annually update an annual work plan that
describes in clear detail the scheduled ratemaking proceedings and
other decisions that may be considered by the commission during the
calendar year. The plan shall include, but is not limited to,
information on how members of the public and ratepayers can gain
access to the commission's ratemaking process and information
regarding the specific matters to be decided. The plan shall also
include information on the operation of the office of the public
adviser and identify the names and telephone numbers of those contact
persons responsible for specific cases and matters to be decided.
The plan shall also include a statement that specifies activities
that the commission proposes to reduce the costs of, and rates for,
energy, including electricity, and for improving the competitive
opportunities for state agriculture and other rural energy consumers.
The commission shall post the plan under the official documents area
of its Internet Web site and shall develop a program to disseminate
the information in the plan utilizing computer mailing lists to
provide regular updates on the information to those members of the
public and organizations which request that information.
   (2) Produce a complete accounting of its transactions and
proceedings for the preceding year, together with other facts,
suggestions, and recommendations that it deems of value to the people
of the state and a statement that specifies the activities and
achievements of the commission in reducing the costs of, and rates
for, energy, including electricity, for state agriculture and other
rural energy consumers.
   (3) Create a report on the number of cases where resolution
exceeded the time periods prescribed in scoping memos and the days
that commissioners presided in hearings.
   (4) Describe succinctly in a report each open staff safety
investigation and each staff safety investigation concluded during
the prior calendar year. The categories within the description shall
include the month of the safety incident, the reason for the
investigation, the facility type involved, and the owner of the
facility.
   (5) Submit annually the work plan, accounting, and reports
required by paragraphs (1), (2), (3), and (4) to the Governor and
Legislature no later than February 1 of each year.
   (b) The president of the commission shall annually appear before
the appropriate policy committees of the Senate and Assembly to
report on the annual work plan access guide of the commission
required pursuant to this section.
   (c) The president of the commission shall annually appear before
the appropriate policy committees of the Senate and Assembly to
report on the annual report of the commission on the number of cases
where resolution exceeded the time periods prescribed in scoping
memos and the days that commissioners presided in hearings, pursuant
to Section 13 of Chapter 856 of the Statutes of 1996.