Bill Text: CA SB605 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Public Utilities Commission: proceedings.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2020-06-29 - Referred to Com. on U. & E. [SB605 Detail]
Download: California-2019-SB605-Amended.html
Amended
IN
Senate
January 06, 2020 |
Introduced by Senator Hueso |
February 22, 2019 |
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations and gas corporations, and can establish its own procedures, subject to statutory limitations or directions and constitutional requirements of due process. Existing law requires the commission to designate a baseline quantity of electricity and gas necessary for a significant portion of the reasonable energy needs of the average residential customer, and to establish a higher energy allowance above the baseline for residential customers dependent on life-support equipment. Existing law requires the commission to develop policies, rules, or regulations with a goal of reducing, by January 1, 2024, the statewide level of gas and electric service disconnections for nonpayment by residential customers, as specified.
This
bill would make a nonsubstantive change to the provisions requiring the development of those service-disconnection reduction policies, rules, or regulation.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee:Bill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 1701.1 of the Public Utilities Code is amended to read:1701.1.
(a) The commission shall determine whether each proceeding is a quasi-legislative, an adjudication, a ratesetting, or a catastrophic wildfire proceeding. The commission’s decision as to the nature of the proceeding shall be subject to a request for rehearing within 10 days of the date of that decision or of any subsequent ruling that expands the scope of the proceeding. Only those parties who have requested a rehearing within that time period shall subsequently have standing for judicial review and that review shall only be available at the conclusion of the proceeding. The commission shall render its decision regarding the rehearing within 30 days. The commission shall establish rules regarding ex parte communication on case categorization issues.(2)
SEC. 2.
Section 1701.3 of the Public Utilities Code is amended to read:1701.3.
(a) Except as specified in subdivision (h), this section shall apply only to ratesetting cases, except, if the commissioner assigned pursuant to Section 1701.1 has determined that a ratesetting case does not require a hearing, the procedures prescribed by subdivisions (b), (d), (f), and (i) shall not apply.(6)(A)The commission may establish a “quiet period” during which no oral or written ex parte communications may be permitted and the commission may meet in closed session during that period.
(B)A quiet period may be established only during the following periods:
(i)After a proposed decision or order is issued and is scheduled for a vote.
(ii)After a proposed decision is scheduled for a vote, but is then held and rescheduled for a vote.
(C)The commission shall establish a quiet period during the three business days before the commission’s scheduled vote on a decision.
(D)Notwithstanding subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C), the commission may meet in closed session on any proposed decision in a catastrophic wildfire proceeding and may establish a quiet period during the three business days before the commission’s scheduled vote on the decision, during which time no written or oral ex parte communications may be permitted.
(E)(i)Any meeting of the commission during a quiet period shall require a minimum of three days’ advance public notice.
(ii)The requirement specified in subparagraph (F) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 11123 of the Government Code shall not apply to a meeting of the commission during a quiet period that is held by teleconference.
SEC. 3.
Section 1701.8 of the Public Utilities Code is amended to read:1701.8.
(a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:(5)Notwithstanding any other law, the commission may meet in closed session at any point during the pendency of the catastrophic wildfire proceeding with a three-day notice to the public if the commission establishes a quiet period pursuant to paragraph (6) of subdivision (h) of Section 1701.3.
SEC. 4.
Section 1701.9 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read:1701.9.
The following provisions apply during the pendency of a commission proceeding, except these provisions do not apply during an adjudicatory or quasi-legislative proceeding:SEC. 5.
No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.(a)The commission shall develop policies, rules, or regulations with a goal of reducing, by January 1, 2024, the statewide level of gas and electric service disconnections for nonpayment by residential customers, including policies, rules, or regulations specific to the four gas and electrical corporations that have the greatest number of customers. The commission shall convene stakeholders, including, but not limited to, public health officials, consumer advocates, and organizations representing low-income communities, to assist with the development of the policies, rules, or regulations.
(b)(1)In each gas and electrical corporation general rate case, the commission shall do both of the following:
(A)Designate the impact of any proposed increase in rates on disconnections for nonpayment as an issue in the scope of the proceeding.
(B)Conduct an assessment of and properly identify the impact of any proposed increase in rates on disconnections for nonpayment, which shall be included in the record of the proceeding.
(2)The commission shall adopt residential utility disconnections for nonpayment as a metric. The commission shall incorporate the metric into each gas and electrical corporation general rate case.