BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 2490
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 8, 2002

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                              Darrell Steinberg, Chair

                 AB 2490 (Canciamilla) - As Amended:  April 18, 2002 

          Policy Committee:                              Utilities and  
          Commerce     Vote:                            15-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:               

           SUMMARY  

          This bill requires the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to  
          issue decisions within specific time periods and report to the  
          Legislature whenever it misses a statutory decision deadline.   
          Specifically, this bill: 

          1)Requires PUC to issue a decision in any pending matter not  
            more than 210 days after the matter is submitted for decision  
            or not more than 120 days after a proposed decision is issued  
            by an administrative law judge or a commissioner. 

          2)Allows PUC to issue an order extending the above time periods  
            for its vote on a final decision as follows: 

             a)   For 60 additional days if PUC states the cause for the  
               delay in the continuance order. 

             b)   For 90 additional days if an alternate decision is  
               issued. 

          3)Requires the PUC to submit a report to the Legislature and the  
            Governor within 10 days after missing a statutory deadline to  
            meet or act on a pending matter.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          1)The PUC indicates that meeting the deadlines will not increase  
            PUC costs.  

          2)The PUC could incur minor absorbable special fund costs to  
            submit the required report after missing a statutory deadline.








                                                                  AB 2490
                                                                  Page  2


           COMMENTS  

           Purpose  .  It is the author's intent to speed resolution of PUC  
          ratesettings, rulemakings and adjudications.  In establishing  
          the 210-day and 120-day time frames, this bill attempts to  
          define the outer limits of what the author believes is a  
          reasonable time that PUC may take to issue a final decision on a  
          proposed decision.  Current law requires the PUC to issue a  
          final decision not less than 30 days following the filing of a  
          proposed decision but provides no time limit for a final  
          decision.

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081