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AB-1182 Public Utilities Commission: work plan access guide.(2005-2006)



Current Version: 09/29/05 - Chaptered

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AB1182:v95#DOCUMENT

Assembly Bill No. 1182
CHAPTER 372

An act to amend Section 321.6 of, and to add Section 322.5 to, the Public Utilities Code, relating to public utilities.

[ Approved by Governor  September 29, 2005. Filed with Secretary of State  September 29, 2005. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 1182, Calderon. Public Utilities Commission: work plan access guide.
Existing law requires the Public Utilities Commission to develop, publish, and annually update an annual work plan access guide describing the scheduled ratemaking proceedings and other decisions that may be considered by the commission during the calendar year, and containing specific information regarding the ratemaking process and access to that process. Existing law requires the commission to develop a program to disseminate the information in the guide utilizing computer mailing lists to provide regular updates on the information to those members of the public and organizations that request that information.
This bill would rename the annual work plan access guide the annual work plan and would require the commission to post the annual work plan on its Internet Web site. The bill would require the commission to determine the feasibility of submitting advice letters to the commission through electronic means, as described, and if determined to be feasible, to propose a plan for submitting advice letters by electronic means within 6 months of the date of that determination.
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) It is in the interest of the people of the state of California that the Public Utilities Commission refrain from requiring public utilities to deliver paper copies of information supplied to the commission when that information can be made available to the commission electronically.
(b) Allowing public utilities to make information requested by the commission available electronically will help decrease the costs of regulation by reducing the need to reproduce, on paper, one or more copies of reports and other information for use by the commission.
(c) It is in the interest of the state’s economy that the businesses that fuel that economy be allowed to interact with government in the most efficient manner. Authorizing businesses to supply information requested by regulatory agencies via the Internet promotes that goal.

SEC. 2.

 Section 321.6 of the Public Utilities Code is amended to read:

321.6.
 The commission shall 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 advisor and identify the names and telephone numbers of those contact persons responsible for specific cases and matters to be decided. 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. The annual work plan shall be transmitted to the Legislature between January 15 and February 1 of each year.

SEC. 3.

 Section 322.5 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read:

322.5.
 The commission shall determine, as part of the proceeding in Rulemaking 98‑07‑038 (Rulemaking for purposes of Revising General Order 96‑A Regarding Informal Filings at the Commission) or any other appropriate proceeding, as determined by the commission, the feasibility of submitting advice letters to the commission through electronic means. If determined to be feasible, the commission shall, within six months, propose a plan for submitting advice letters by electronic means. For purposes of this section, “electronic means” include electronic mail and electronic forms developed or approved by the commission and submitted through the commission’s Internet Web site.