BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                          AB 301
                                                          Page  1

Date of Hearing:   April 28, 1999

              ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS 
                    Carole Migden, Chairwoman

          AB 301 (Wright) - As Amended: April 13, 1999 

Policy Committee:                              Utilities and  
Commerce     Vote:                             10-0

Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local  
Program:NoReimbursable:            

  SUMMARY  :

This bill: 

1)Requires the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to amend its  
  rules of practice and procedure to allow interested persons to  
  petition the commission to adopt, amend or repeal a regulation  
  and for the commission to consider any petition generally  
  within six months.  

2)Appropriates $136,435 to fund the cost of implementing the  
  bill for the six months between January 1, 1999 and June 30,  
  1999.

  FISCAL EFFECT  :

The PUC estimates ongoing costs of about $290,000 annually from  
the Public Utilities Commission Reimbursement Account related to  
an average of 12 petitions and 3 additional rulemaking  
proceedings annually.

  COMMENTS  :

  1)Purpose  .  The bill is intended to codify a process for persons  
  to file petitions for regulatory change at the PUC.  There is  
  currently no guarantee that a petition, once filed, would be  
  addressed by the PUC at any time certain.  The author believes  
  that deregulation of the telecommunications industry,  
  restructuring in the gas and electric industries, and the  
  overall proliferation of changes at the PUC necessitates the  
  ability to request changes in a uniform manner, and that  
  establishing a clear process for change will assure  








                                                          AB 301
                                                          Page  2

  stakeholders their concerns will be addressed within a time  
  certain.

  2)Prior Legislation  . Chapter 886, Statutes of 1998 (SB 779,  
  Calderon), was enacted to implement several changes impacting  
  the PUC in an effort to expand both public access to PUC  
  actions and proceedings, and judicial review of PUC decisions.  
   SB 779 also required that changes to CPUC procedures be  
  reviewed and approved by the Office of Administrative Law.  AB  
  301 is intended to further expand public access to PUC actions  
  and proceedings and embraces the policies and principles  
  contained in the Administrative Procedures Act. 

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