Bill Text: CA SB720 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended

California Senate Bill 720

Bill Title: Gas corporations: safety: proceedings: employee organization participation.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Engrossed) 2024-08-07 - August 7 set for first hearing. Placed on suspense file. [SB720 Detail]

Download: California-2023-SB720-Amended.html

Amended IN Assembly July 03, 2024

Amended IN Assembly June 10, 2024

Amended IN Assembly July 10, 2023

Amended IN Assembly June 19, 2023

Amended IN Senate May 02, 2023

Amended IN Senate March 30, 2023

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill

No. 720

Introduced by Senator Durazo

February 16, 2023

An act to add Section 962 to the Public Utilities Code, relating to gas corporations.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 720, as amended, Durazo. Gas corporations: ~~safety culture investigations:~~ safety: proceedings: employee organization participation.

Existing law requires each gas corporation to develop a plan for the safe and reliable operation of its Public Utilities Commission-regulated gas pipeline facility. Existing law requires the commission and gas corporation to provide opportunities for meaningful, substantial, and ongoing participation by the gas corporation workforce in the development and implementation of the plan, with the objective of developing an industrywide culture of safety that will minimize accidents, explosions, fires, and dangerous conditions for the protection of the public and the gas corporation workforce.

This bill would, for safety culture investigation proceedings regarding gas corporations that are opened between January 1, 2023, and January 1, 2025, require the commission to facilitate the participation of an employee organization with party status in those investigation proceedings.
This bill would require the commission, whenever it opens a proceeding related directly or indirectly to gas corporation safety, to notify all employee organizations representing the gas corporation’s employees and to grant party status to those organizations before the first prehearing conference. If the commission conducts a phase, track, or other part of a safety-related proceeding subsequent to the initial phase, track, or part, the bill would require the commission to conduct a new prehearing conference and to notify those employee organizations. The bill would specify that these requirements apply to all safety-related proceedings open as of January 1, 2025.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) Subdivision (e) of Section 961 of the Public Utilities Code requires the Public Utilities Commission to “provide opportunities for meaningful, substantial, and ongoing participation by the gas corporation workforce in the development and implementation of the plan, with the objective of developing an industrywide culture of safety that will minimize accidents, explosions, fires, and dangerous conditions for the protection of the public and the gas corporation workforce.”

(b) That provision was intended to include employee organizations representing the gas corporation workforce in safety culture assessments.

(c) In commission Investigation 19-06-014 (June 27, 2019), Order Instituting Investigation on the Commission’s Own Motion to Determine Whether Southern California Gas Company’s and Sempra Energy’s Organizational Culture and Governance Prioritize Safety (U904G), the commission ~~failed to provide~~ rejected the notice of intent to seek intervenor compensation to filed by an impacted employee organization, thus leading to inadequate representation for the gas corporation workforce.

SEC. 2.Section 962 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read:
962.
For a safety culture investigation proceeding regarding a gas corporation that is opened between January 1, 2023, and January 1, 2025, the commission shall facilitate the participation of an employee organization with party status in that investigation proceeding.

SEC. 2.

Section 962 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read:

962.
(a) (1) Whenever the commission opens a proceeding related directly or indirectly to gas corporation safety, the commission shall notify all employee organizations representing the gas corporation’s employees and shall grant party status to those organizations before the first prehearing conference.
(2) If the commission conducts a phase, track, or other part of a safety-related proceeding subsequent to the initial phase, track, or part, the commission shall conduct a new prehearing conference and shall notify all employee organizations representing the gas corporation’s employees.
(b) Subdivision (a) applies to all safety-related proceedings that are open as of January 1, 2025.