Bill Text: TX HB3288 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Introduced


Bill Title: Relating to regulation of congestion charges in the electricity market.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-04-08 - Left pending in committee [HB3288 Detail]

Download: Texas-2015-HB3288-Introduced.html
  84R11576 GRM-D
 
  By: Keffer H.B. No. 3288
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to regulation of congestion charges in the electricity
  market.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 13.003(a), Utilities Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (a)  The office:
               (1)  shall assess the effect of utility rate changes
  and other regulatory actions on residential consumers in this
  state;
               (2)  shall advocate in the office's own name a position
  determined by the counsellor to be most advantageous to a
  substantial number of residential consumers;
               (3)  may appear or intervene, as a party or otherwise,
  as a matter of right on behalf of:
                     (A)  residential consumers, as a class, in any
  proceeding before the commission, including an alternative dispute
  resolution proceeding; and
                     (B)  small commercial consumers, as a class, in
  any proceeding in which the counsellor determines that small
  commercial consumers are in need of representation, including an
  alternative dispute resolution proceeding;
               (4)  may initiate or intervene as a matter of right or
  otherwise appear in a judicial proceeding:
                     (A)  that involves an action taken by an
  administrative agency in a proceeding, including an alternative
  dispute resolution proceeding, in which the counsellor is
  authorized to appear; or
                     (B)  in which the counsellor determines that
  residential electricity consumers or small commercial electricity
  consumers are in need of representation;
               (5)  is entitled to the same access as a party, other
  than commission staff, to records gathered by the commission under
  Section 14.204;
               (6)  is entitled to discovery of any nonprivileged
  matter that is relevant to the subject matter of a proceeding or
  petition before the commission;
               (7)  may represent an individual residential or small
  commercial consumer with respect to the consumer's disputed
  complaint concerning utility services that is unresolved before the
  commission;
               (8)  may recommend legislation to the legislature that
  the office determines would positively affect the interests of
  residential and small commercial consumers; [and]
               (9)  may advise persons who are interested parties for
  purposes of Section 37.054 on procedural matters related to
  proceedings before the commission on an application for a
  certificate of convenience and necessity filed under Section
  37.053; and
               (10)  shall advocate for the allocation of congestion
  charges in a power region to ensure timely upgrades and development
  of sufficient transmission and distribution systems designed to
  provide for congestion relief.
         SECTION 2.  Section 39.001, Utilities Code, is amended by
  amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsections (d-1) and (d-2) to
  read as follows:
         (a)  The legislature finds that the production and sale of
  electricity is not a monopoly warranting regulation of rates,
  operations, and services and that the public interest in
  competitive electric markets requires that, except for
  transmission and distribution services and for the recovery of
  stranded costs, electric services, congestion charges, and the
  [their] prices of electric services and congestion charges should
  be determined by customer choices and the normal forces of
  competition. As a result, this chapter is enacted to protect the
  public interest during the transition to and in the establishment
  of a fully competitive electric power industry.
         (d-1)  The legislature finds that congestion charges impede
  fair competition for all retail customer classes, do not protect
  the public interest, disrupt competitive energy services in certain
  power regions, and arbitrarily discriminate against certain
  consumers based on their geographic location.
         (d-2)  A regulatory authority, other than the governing body
  of a municipally owned electric utility that has not opted for
  customer choice or the body vested with the power to manage and
  operate a municipally owned electric utility that has not opted for
  customer choice, shall ensure that the rules it adopts and the
  orders it issues are designed to:
               (1)  correct the disruptive effects congestion charges
  have on the competitive market; and
               (2)  impose the least impairment to competition
  practicable.
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.
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