BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                             


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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                  AB 1658|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses   |                         |
|1020 N Street, Suite 524          |                         |
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                       THIRD READING
                              

Bill No:  AB 1658
Author:   Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee
Amended:  8/17/99 in Senate
Vote:     21

  
  SENATE ENERGY, U.&C. COMMITTEE  :  10-0, 7/13/99
AYES:  Bowen, Alarcon, Baca, Brulte, Hughes, Kelley, Peace,  
  Solis, Speier, Vasconcellos
NOT VOTING:  Mountjoy

  SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE  :  Senate Rule 28.8

  ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  76-0, 5/20/99 (Passed on Consent) - See  
  last page for vote
 

  SUBJECT  :    Public utilities

  SOURCE  :     Author

 
  DIGEST  :    This bill is predominantly a technical cleanup  
bill on various provisions relating to the California  
Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and with two exceptions,  
no policy changes are proposed by this bill.

  ANALYSIS  :    In 1998, the CPUC engaged the various  
industries subject to its jurisdiction, as well as various  
stakeholder groups, in an effort to update the codes.  The  
CPUC held a number of meetings with the groups and  
developed AB 1605, which was ultimately vetoed because of a  
chaptering-out problem.  This bill is a reincarnation of AB  
1605 (Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee) with a few  
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                                                     AB 1658
                                                       Page  
2

added provisions which, with two exceptions, are technical.

This bill, like AB 1605, makes most of its changes in the  
transportation area, where federal preemption of much of  
the state's authority over railroads and some forms of  
trucking is recognized.  Other updates are to recognize the  
change in name of various organizations, both inside and  
outside of the CPUC.  The bill also deletes some obsolete  
code provisions and routine reporting requirements.  The  
provisions of the bill were agreed to by the  
transportation, energy, water, and telecommunications  
industries, as well as consumer and environmental groups.

This bill includes two non-technical changes that weren't  
present in AB 1605.  The first is a provision dealing with  
CPUC decisions regarding water utilities and exempts  
routine decisions and decisions regarding uncontested  
matters from the requirement of a 30-day public review and  
comment period.  These review provisions were initially  
created for all utilities by SB 779 (Calderon), Chapter  
886, Statutes of 1998, but water utilities argue they were  
supposed to be exempted from the new requirement because  
they are still regulated monopolies.  The exemption was  
reportedly agreed to by all of the parties that worked on  
SB 779, but it was inadvertently omitted due to a drafting  
error.  

The second non-technical change to the bill requires  
applicants for a household goods carriers (i.e. movers)  
permit to submit fingerprints of all of its owners,  
partners, officers and managers, thus mirroring the  
existing fingerprint requirement that applies to electric  
service providers.  These fingerprints are to be submitted  
to the Department of Justice to determine if the applicant  
has a criminal history.  Existing license-holders are not  
required to submit fingerprints. 

  FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  Yes   Fiscal Com.:  Yes    
Local:  No


  SUPPORT  :   (Verified  8/30/99)

California Water Association (CWA)







                                                     AB 1658
                                                       Page  
3

California Public Utilities Commission


  ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :
AYES:  Aanestad, Ackerman, Alquist, Aroner, Ashburn,  
  Baldwin, Bates, Battin, Baugh, Bock, Brewer, Briggs,  
  Calderon, Cardenas, Cardoza, Corbett, Correa, Cox,  
  Cunneen, Davis, Dickerson, Ducheny, Dutra, Florez, Floyd,  
  Frusetta, Gallegos, Granlund, Havice, Hertzberg, Honda,  
  House, Jackson, Kaloogian, Keeley, Knox, Kuehl, Leach,  
  Lempert, Leonard, Longville, Lowenthal, Machado, Maddox,  
  Maldonado, Margett, Mazzoni, McClintock, Migden, Nakano,  
  Olberg, Oller, Robert Pacheco, Rod Pacheco, Papan,  
  Pescetti, Reyes, Romero, Runner, Scott, Shelley, Soto,  
  Steinberg, Strickland, Strom-Martin, Thompson, Thomson,  
  Torlakson, Washington, Wayne, Wesson, Wiggins, Wildman,  
  Wright, Zettel, Villaraigosa
NOT VOTING:  Campbell, Cedillo, Firebaugh, Vincent


NC:sl  8/31/99   Senate Floor Analyses 

               SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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