BILL ANALYSIS
Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
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| |201(Speier) |
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|Hearing Date: 5/31/01 |Amended: 5/1/01 and |
| |proposed to be amended |
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|Consultant: Lisa Matocq |Policy Vote: E, U & C 5-1 |
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BILL SUMMARY: SB 201:
is intended to enhance consumer and ratepayer advocacy
services of the Office of Ratepayer Advocate (ORA) within
the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), and transfers
$1.85 million from the PUC Utilities' Reimbursement
Account (URA) to the PUC Ratepayer Advocate Account (RAA)
in 2001-02 and appropriates that amount for these
purposes, and
requires the salary of the director of the division of
Ratepayer Advocate to be 90% of the salary of a PUC
commissioner (an increase of probably less than $2,000
annually).
Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2001-02 2002-03
2003-04 Fund
Enhanced ratepayer $1,850* $ 3,700 $3,700
Special*
advocacy Increased costs are potentially offset by
increase fee revenues
*Transfers $1.85 million from the URA to the RAA.
STAFF COMMENTS: SUSPENSE FILE. Current law, until
January 1, 2002, establishes a division within the PUC to
represent the interests of public utility customers in
commission proceedings . This bill specifies that the ORA
shall represent the interests of public utility customers
(regardless of whether or not it relates to commission
proceedings), which arguably expands the ORA's authority.
Effective January 1, 2002, the ORA provisions are repealed
and replaced with a requirement that the PUC establish a
division to represent the interests of customers in
commission proceedings, and authority to assign staff. It
is unclear how the ORA would change effective January 1,
2002. This bill repeals the sunset and deletes the
provisions that would otherwise take effect January 1,
2002, and establishes a permanent, and likely expanded
program.
Existing law also requires that moneys from the URA be
transferred in the annual budget act to the RAA to cover
the costs of the program. The URA receives about $60
million annually from fee revenues. The funds may be used
for specified purposes including the PUC's budget. The
Governor's Budget includes $13.4 million for the ORA. The
increased costs are estimated at $3.7 million annually.
This shift could result in decreased funding for other PUC
operations, or increased fees to cover the costs associated
with enhanced advocacy.