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1 | AN ACT concerning regulation.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | ||||||
3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Public Utilities Act is amended by adding | ||||||
5 | Section 16-131 as follows: | ||||||
6 | (220 ILCS 5/16-131 new) | ||||||
7 | Sec. 16-131. Commission consumer education program for | ||||||
8 | energy conservation. | ||||||
9 | (a) The Commission shall implement and maintain a consumer | ||||||
10 | education program for energy conservation to provide | ||||||
11 | residential and small commercial retail customers with | ||||||
12 | information to help them understand their options concerning | ||||||
13 | energy conservation. | ||||||
14 | (b) The Commission shall form a working group following the | ||||||
15 | enactment of this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly. | ||||||
16 | This group shall consist of 5 representatives of the | ||||||
17 | investor-owned electric utilities in this State, 2 of which | ||||||
18 | shall be appointed by electric utilities serving over 1,000,000 | ||||||
19 | retail customers in this State; 2 representatives of | ||||||
20 | alternative retail electric suppliers; 3 representatives of | ||||||
21 | organizations representing the interests of residential and | ||||||
22 | small commercial retail customers; and the Commission. | ||||||
23 | (c) By January 1, 2008, educational materials for small |
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1 | commercial customers and residential customers, the working | ||||||
2 | group appointed pursuant to this Section shall develop a | ||||||
3 | package of printed educational materials which meet the | ||||||
4 | requirements of subsection (d) and shall submit such package to | ||||||
5 | the Commission for approval, along with recommendations for | ||||||
6 | implementing this consumer education program for energy | ||||||
7 | conservation. Such materials shall consider the needs of | ||||||
8 | different types of consumers in this State, such as elderly, | ||||||
9 | low-income, multilingual, minority, rural and disabled | ||||||
10 | customers. The working group shall issue recommendations to the | ||||||
11 | Commission on how such education program can be implemented | ||||||
12 | through a variety of communication methods, including | ||||||
13 | specifically mass media, distribution of printed material, | ||||||
14 | public service announcements, and posting on the Internet. | ||||||
15 | (d) At a minimum, the materials constituting the consumer | ||||||
16 | education program submitted to the Commission by the working | ||||||
17 | group shall include concise explanations or descriptions of the | ||||||
18 | following: | ||||||
19 | (1) information about how customers may conserve | ||||||
20 | energy and | ||||||
21 | (2) additional information available from the
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22 | Commission upon request. | ||||||
23 | (e) Within 45 days following the submission required of the | ||||||
24 | working group by subsection (d) of this Section, the Commission | ||||||
25 | shall approve or disapprove the educational materials and | ||||||
26 | recommendations for program implementation. The Commission |
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1 | shall be deemed to have approved the educational program | ||||||
2 | materials and recommendations unless the Commission | ||||||
3 | disapproves of any such material or recommendation within 45 | ||||||
4 | days following the date of receipt. | ||||||
5 | (f) Once approved by the Commission, materials comprising | ||||||
6 | the consumer education program contemplated by this Section | ||||||
7 | shall be distributed as follows: | ||||||
8 | (1) Electric utilities shall mail printed
educational | ||||||
9 | materials specified by the working group and approved by | ||||||
10 | the Commission (a) to all residential and small commercial | ||||||
11 | retail customers within a reasonable period as determined | ||||||
12 | by the Commission; and (b) to all new residential and small | ||||||
13 | commercial retail customers at the time that such customers | ||||||
14 | begin taking services from the electric utility. | ||||||
15 | (2) Both electric utilities and alternative retail
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16 | electric suppliers shall provide such materials at no | ||||||
17 | charge to residential and small commercial retail | ||||||
18 | customers upon request. | ||||||
19 | (g) The costs of printing educational materials approved by | ||||||
20 | the Commission pursuant to this Section shall be payable solely | ||||||
21 | from funding as provided in this subsection (g).
Each year the | ||||||
22 | General Assembly shall appropriate money to the Commission from | ||||||
23 | the General Revenue Fund for the expenses of the Commission | ||||||
24 | associated with this Section. The cost of the consumer | ||||||
25 | education program for energy conservation contemplated by this | ||||||
26 | Section shall not exceed the amount of such appropriation. In |
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1 | no event shall any electric utility, alternative retail | ||||||
2 | electric supplier or customer be liable for the costs of | ||||||
3 | printing consumer education program material in accordance | ||||||
4 | with this Section. The obligations associated with this | ||||||
5 | consumer education program shall not exceed the amounts | ||||||
6 | appropriated for this program pursuant to this Section. | ||||||
7 | (h) The Commission shall study the effectiveness of the | ||||||
8 | consumer education program for energy conservation. Such study | ||||||
9 | shall include a notice and an opportunity for participation and | ||||||
10 | comment by all interested and potentially affected parties. | ||||||
11 | Such study shall be completed by June 30th of each year and a | ||||||
12 | summary thereof, together with any legislative | ||||||
13 | recommendations, shall be included in the Commission's Annual | ||||||
14 | Report due in accordance with Section 4-304 of this Act.
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15 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
16 | becoming law.
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