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AB-1434 Public Utilities Commission: commissioner compensation.(2023-2024)



Current Version: 02/17/23 - Introduced

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AB1434:v99#DOCUMENT


CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 1434


Introduced by Assembly Member Sanchez

February 17, 2023


An act to add Section 304.5 to the Public Utilities Code, relating to public utilities.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 1434, as introduced, Sanchez. Public Utilities Commission: commissioner compensation.
The California Constitution establishes the Public Utilities Commission and prescribes its membership. The Public Utilities Act requires the commissioners to be civil executive officers and their salaries to be fixed and paid in the same manner as those of other state officers. Existing law prescribes the annual salary of the commissioners and a method by which the annual salary may be increased.
This bill would prohibit the annual salary and any other compensation, as defined, paid to each commissioner from being funded with revenues collected from a fee or charge imposed on ratepayers. The bill would express the Legislature’s intent that funds used to compensate each commissioner are appropriated from the General Fund or another source of funding not collected from ratepayers.
Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime.
Because the above provision would be part of the act and a violation of a commission action implementing this bill’s requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: YES  

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


SECTION 1.

 Section 304.5 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read:

304.5.
 (a) Notwithstanding Section 304, the annual salary of each commissioner, and any other compensation, as defined in Section 706, paid to each commissioner, shall not be funded with revenues collected from a fee or charge imposed on ratepayers.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature that any funds used to compensate each commissioner are appropriated from the General Fund or another source of funding not collected from ratepayers.

SEC. 2.

 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.