HB1745 EnrolledLRB098 05687 JDS 35726 b

1    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Illinois Power Agency Act is amended by
5changing Section 1-92 as follows:
 
6    (20 ILCS 3855/1-92)
7    Sec. 1-92. Aggregation of electrical load by
8municipalities, townships, and counties.
9    (a) The corporate authorities of a municipality, township
10board, or county board of a county may adopt an ordinance under
11which it may aggregate in accordance with this Section
12residential and small commercial retail electrical loads
13located, respectively, within the municipality, the township,
14or the unincorporated areas of the county and, for that
15purpose, may solicit bids and enter into service agreements to
16facilitate for those loads the sale and purchase of electricity
17and related services and equipment.
18    The corporate authorities, township board, or county board
19may also exercise such authority jointly with any other
20municipality, township, or county. Two or more municipalities,
21townships, or counties, or a combination of both, may initiate
22a process jointly to authorize aggregation by a majority vote
23of each particular municipality, township, or county as

 

 

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1required by this Section.
2    If the corporate authorities, township board, or the county
3board seek to operate the aggregation program as an opt-out
4program for residential and small commercial retail customers,
5then prior to the adoption of an ordinance with respect to
6aggregation of residential and small commercial retail
7electric loads, the corporate authorities of a municipality,
8the township board, or the county board of a county shall
9submit a referendum to its residents to determine whether or
10not the aggregation program shall operate as an opt-out program
11for residential and small commercial retail customers. Any
12county board that seeks to submit such a referendum to its
13residents shall do so only in unincorporated areas of the
14county where no electric aggregation ordinance has been
15adopted.
16    In addition to the notice and conduct requirements of the
17general election law, notice of the referendum shall state
18briefly the purpose of the referendum. The question of whether
19the corporate authorities, the township board, or the county
20board shall adopt an opt-out aggregation program for
21residential and small commercial retail customers shall be
22submitted to the electors of the municipality, township board,
23or county board at a regular election and approved by a
24majority of the electors voting on the question. The corporate
25authorities, township board, or county board must certify to
26the proper election authority, which must submit the question

 

 

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1at an election in accordance with the Election Code.
2    The election authority must submit the question in
3substantially the following form:
4        Shall the (municipality, township, or county in which
5    the question is being voted upon) have the authority to
6    arrange for the supply of electricity for its residential
7    and small commercial retail customers who have not opted
8    out of such program?
9The election authority must record the votes as "Yes" or "No".
10    If a majority of the electors voting on the question vote
11in the affirmative, then the corporate authorities, township
12board, or county board may implement an opt-out aggregation
13program for residential and small commercial retail customers.
14    A referendum must pass in each particular municipality,
15township, or county that is engaged in the aggregation program.
16If the referendum fails, then the corporate authorities,
17township board, or county board shall operate the aggregation
18program as an opt-in program for residential and small
19commercial retail customers.
20    An ordinance under this Section shall specify whether the
21aggregation will occur only with the prior consent of each
22person owning, occupying, controlling, or using an electric
23load center proposed to be aggregated. Nothing in this Section,
24however, authorizes the aggregation of electric loads that are
25served or authorized to be served by an electric cooperative as
26defined by and pursuant to the Electric Supplier Act or loads

 

 

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1served by a municipality that owns and operates its own
2electric distribution system. No aggregation shall take effect
3unless approved by a majority of the members of the corporate
4authority, township board, or county board voting upon the
5ordinance.
6    A governmental aggregator under this Section is not a
7public utility or an alternative retail electric supplier.
8    For purposes of this Section, "township" means the portion
9of a township that is an unincorporated portion of a county
10that is not otherwise a part of a municipality. In addition to
11such other limitations as are included in this Section, a
12township board shall only have authority to aggregate
13residential and small commercial customer loads in accordance
14with this Section if the county board of the county in which
15the township is located (i) is not also submitting a referendum
16to its residents at the same general election that the township
17board proposes to submit a referendum under this subsection
18(a), (ii) has not received authorization through passage of a
19referendum to operate an opt-out aggregation program for
20residential and small commercial retail customers under this
21subsection (a), and (iii) has not otherwise enacted an
22ordinance under this subsection (a) authorizing the operation
23of an opt-in aggregation program for residential and small
24commercial retail customers as described in this Section.
25    (b) Upon the applicable requisite authority under this
26Section, the corporate authorities, the township board, or the

 

 

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1county board, with assistance from the Illinois Power Agency,
2shall develop a plan of operation and governance for the
3aggregation program so authorized. Before adopting a plan under
4this Section, the corporate authorities, township board, or
5county board shall hold at least 2 public hearings on the plan.
6Before the first hearing, the corporate authorities, township
7board, or county board shall publish notice of the hearings
8once a week for 2 consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general
9circulation in the jurisdiction. The notice shall summarize the
10plan and state the date, time, and location of each hearing.
11Any load aggregation plan established pursuant to this Section
12shall:
13        (1) provide for universal access to all applicable
14    residential customers and equitable treatment of
15    applicable residential customers;
16        (2) describe demand management and energy efficiency
17    services to be provided to each class of customers; and
18        (3) meet any requirements established by law
19    concerning aggregated service offered pursuant to this
20    Section.
21    (c) The process for soliciting bids for electricity and
22other related services and awarding proposed agreements for the
23purchase of electricity and other related services shall be
24conducted in the following order:
25        (1) The corporate authorities, township board, or
26    county board may solicit bids for electricity and other

 

 

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1    related services.
2        (1.5) A township board shall request from the electric
3    utility those residential and small commercial customers
4    within their aggregate area either by zip code or zip codes
5    or other means as determined by the electric utility. The
6    electric utility shall then provide to the township board
7    the residential and small commercial customers, including
8    the names and addresses of residential and small commercial
9    customers, electronically. The township board shall be
10    responsible for authenticating the residential and small
11    commercial customers contained in this listing and
12    providing edits of the data to affirm, add, or delete the
13    residential and small commercial customers located within
14    its jurisdiction. The township board shall provide the
15    edited list to the electric utility in an electronic format
16    or other means selected by the electric utility and certify
17    that the information is accurate.
18        (2) Notwithstanding Section 16-122 of the Public
19    Utilities Act and Section 2HH of the Consumer Fraud and
20    Deceptive Business Practices Act, an electric utility that
21    provides residential and small commercial retail electric
22    service in the aggregate area must, upon request of the
23    corporate authorities, township board, or the county board
24    in the aggregate area, submit to the requesting party, in
25    an electronic format, those account numbers, names, and
26    addresses of residential and small commercial retail

 

 

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1    customers in the aggregate area that are reflected in the
2    electric utility's records at the time of the request;
3    provided, however, that any township board has first
4    provided an accurate customer list to the electric utility
5    as provided for herein.
6    Any corporate authority, township board, or county board
7receiving customer information from an electric utility shall
8be subject to the limitations on the disclosure of the
9information described in Section 16-122 of the Public Utilities
10Act and Section 2HH of the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive
11Business Practices Act, and an electric utility shall not be
12held liable for any claims arising out of the provision of
13information pursuant to this item (2).
14    (d) If the corporate authorities, township board, or county
15board operate under an opt-in program for residential and small
16commercial retail customers, then the corporate authorities,
17township board, or county board shall comply with all of the
18following:
19        (1) Within 60 days after receiving the bids, the
20    corporate authorities, township board, or county board
21    shall allow residential and small commercial retail
22    customers to commit to the terms and conditions of a bid
23    that has been selected by the corporate authorities,
24    township board, or county board.
25        (2) If (A) the corporate authorities, township board,
26    or county board award proposed agreements for the purchase

 

 

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1    of electricity and other related services and (B) an
2    agreement is reached between the corporate authorities,
3    township board, or county board for those services, then
4    customers committed to the terms and conditions according
5    to item (1) of this subsection (d) shall be committed to
6    the agreement.
7    (e) If the corporate authorities, township board, or county
8board operate as an opt-out program for residential and small
9commercial retail customers, then it shall be the duty of the
10aggregated entity to fully inform residential and small
11commercial retail customers in advance that they have the right
12to opt out of the aggregation program. The disclosure shall
13prominently state all charges to be made and shall include full
14disclosure of the cost to obtain service pursuant to Section
1516-103 of the Public Utilities Act, how to access it, and the
16fact that it is available to them without penalty, if they are
17currently receiving service under that Section. The Illinois
18Power Agency shall furnish, without charge, to any citizen a
19list of all supply options available to them in a format that
20allows comparison of prices and products.
21    (f) Any person or entity retained by a municipality or
22county, or jointly by more than one such unit of local
23government, to provide input, guidance, or advice in the
24selection of an electricity supplier for an aggregation program
25shall disclose in writing to the involved units of local
26government the nature of any relationship through which the

 

 

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1person or entity may receive, either directly or indirectly,
2commissions or other remuneration as a result of the selection
3of any particular electricity supplier. The written disclosure
4must be made prior to formal approval by the involved units of
5local government of any professional services agreement with
6the person or entity, or no later than October 1, 2012 with
7respect to any such professional services agreement entered
8into prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of the
997th General Assembly. The disclosure shall cover all direct
10and indirect relationships through which commissions or
11remuneration may result, including the pooling of commissions
12or remuneration among multiple persons or entities, and shall
13identify all involved electricity suppliers. The disclosure
14requirements in this subsection (f) are to be liberally
15construed to ensure that the nature of financial interests are
16fully revealed, and these disclosure requirements shall apply
17regardless of whether the involved person or entity is licensed
18under Section 16-115C of the Public Utilities Act. Any person
19or entity that fails to make the disclosure required under this
20subsection (f) is liable to the involved units of local
21government in an amount equal to all compensation paid to such
22person or entity by the units of local government for the
23input, guidance, or advice in the selection of an electricity
24supplier, plus reasonable attorneys fees and court costs
25incurred by the units of local government in connection with
26obtaining such amount.

 

 

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1    (g) The Illinois Power Agency shall provide assistance to
2municipalities, townships, counties, or associations working
3with municipalities to help complete the plan and bidding
4process.
5    (h) This Section does not prohibit municipalities or
6counties from entering into an intergovernmental agreement to
7aggregate residential and small commercial retail electric
8loads.
9(Source: P.A. 96-176, eff. 1-1-10; 97-338, eff. 8-12-11;
1097-823, eff. 7-18-12; 97-1067, eff. 8-24-12; revised 9-20-12.)