HR0361 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0361 LRB095 12017 MJR 35650 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The citizens of Illinois are entitled to safe, affordable, and reliable electric service; and

WHEREAS, Electricity is an essential service for Illinois' 12.5 million citizens; and

WHEREAS, The General Assembly passed the Electric Service Customer Choice and Rate Relief Law of 1997, which gave Illinois residential consumers a rate reduction and froze their electric rates from 1997 through 2006; and

WHEREAS, In 2007, most Illinois electric utilities no longer own generation facilities and must procure energy in the wholesale marketplace on behalf of Illinois residential customers; and

WHEREAS, Illinois residential electric consumers are seeing massive increases to their electric bills in 2007; and

WHEREAS, All parties in this dispute, including the electrical service providers, have expressed the willingness to work together to moderate the effects of electrical rate increases upon all affected customers; and

WHEREAS, There is an urgent need to develop an agreed transitional program to reduce electrical rates to affected consumers, and the vast majority of both parties serving in both houses of the General Assembly would willingly vote for such a plan; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the convocation of a summit of the Governor and the four legislative leaders to meet with consumer advocates, commercial and industrial consumers of electricity, electrical service providers, and the Illinois Commerce Commission to develop legislation to create an agreed electrical pricing policy for the State of Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be presented to the Governor of Illinois, the Speaker of the House, the House Minority Leader, the President of the Senate, and the Senate Minority Leader.