Full Text of HB4977 94th General Assembly
HB4977 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
|
|
|
94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2005 and 2006 HB4977
Introduced 1/20/2006, by Rep. George Scully, Jr. SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: |
|
220 ILCS 5/Art. XX heading new |
|
220 ILCS 5/20-101 new |
|
220 ILCS 5/20-102 new |
|
220 ILCS 5/20-105 new |
|
220 ILCS 5/20-110 new |
|
220 ILCS 5/20-120 new |
|
|
Amends the Public Utilities Act. Creates a new Article concerning retail electric competition. Requires the Illinois Commerce Commission to establish an Office of Retail Market Development and employ a Director of Retail Market Development. Sets forth the powers and duties of the Office. Requires the Director to present to the Commission, the General Assembly, and the Governor a detailed plan designed to promote retail electric competition for residential and small commercial electricity consumers. Requires the Commission to post the plan on its web site. Provides for a period of public comment on the plan. Effective immediately.
|
| |
|
|
| FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY | |
|
|
A BILL FOR
|
|
|
|
|
HB4977 |
|
LRB094 16740 MKM 52011 b |
|
| 1 |
| AN ACT concerning public utilities.
| 2 |
| Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
| 3 |
| represented in the General Assembly:
| 4 |
| Section 5. The Public Utilities Act is amended by adding | 5 |
| Sections 20-101, 20-102, 20-105, 20-110, and 20-120 and the | 6 |
| heading of Article XX as follows: | 7 |
| (220 ILCS 5/Art. XX heading new) | 8 |
| ARTICLE XX. RETAIL ELECTRIC COMPETITION | 9 |
| (220 ILCS 5/20-101 new) | 10 |
| Sec. 20-101. This Article may be cited as the Retail | 11 |
| Electric Competition Act of 2006. | 12 |
| (220 ILCS 5/20-102 new) | 13 |
| Sec. 20-102. Findings and intent.
| 14 |
| (a) A competitive wholesale electricity market alone will | 15 |
| not deliver the full benefits of competition to Illinois | 16 |
| consumers. For Illinois consumers to receive products, prices | 17 |
| and terms tailored to meet their needs, a competitive wholesale | 18 |
| electricity market must be closely linked to a competitive | 19 |
| retail electric market. | 20 |
| (b) To date, as a result of the Electric Service Customer | 21 |
| Choice and Rate Relief Law of 1997, thousands of large Illinois | 22 |
| commercial and industrial consumers have experienced the | 23 |
| benefits of a competitive retail electricity market. | 24 |
| Alternative electric retail suppliers actively compete to | 25 |
| supply electricity to large Illinois commercial and industrial | 26 |
| consumers with attractive prices, terms, and conditions. | 27 |
| (c) A competitive retail electric market does not yet exist | 28 |
| for residential and small commercial consumers. As a result, | 29 |
| millions of residential and small commercial consumers in | 30 |
| Illinois are faced with escalating heating and power bills and |
|
|
|
HB4977 |
- 2 - |
LRB094 16740 MKM 52011 b |
|
| 1 |
| are unable to shop for alternatives to the rates demanded by | 2 |
| the State's incumbent electric utilities. | 3 |
| (d) The General Assembly reiterates its findings from the | 4 |
| Electric Service Customer Choice and Rate Relief Law of 1997 | 5 |
| that the Illinois Commerce Commission should promote the | 6 |
| development of an effectively competitive retail electricity | 7 |
| market that operates efficiently and benefits all Illinois | 8 |
| consumers. | 9 |
| (220 ILCS 5/20-105 new)
| 10 |
| Sec. 20-105. Definitions. In this Article: | 11 |
| "Director" means the Director of the Office of Retail | 12 |
| Market Development. | 13 |
| "Office" means the Office of Retail Market | 14 |
| Development. | 15 |
| (220 ILCS 5/20-110 new) | 16 |
| Sec. 20-110. Office of Retail Market Development.
| 17 |
| Within 90 days after the effective date of this amendatory | 18 |
| Act of the 94th General Assembly, the Commission shall | 19 |
| establish an Office of Retail Market Development and employ on | 20 |
| its staff a Director of Retail Market Development to oversee | 21 |
| the Office. The Director shall have authority to employ or | 22 |
| otherwise retain at least 2 professionals dedicated to the task | 23 |
| of actively seeking out ways to promote retail competition in | 24 |
| Illinois to benefit all Illinois consumers. | 25 |
| The Office shall actively seek input from all interested | 26 |
| parties and shall develop a thorough understanding and critical | 27 |
| analyses of the tools and techniques used to promote retail | 28 |
| competition in other states. | 29 |
| The Office shall monitor existing competitive conditions | 30 |
| in Illinois, identify barriers to retail competition for all | 31 |
| customer classes, and actively explore and propose to the | 32 |
| Commission and to the General Assembly solutions to overcome | 33 |
| identified barriers. Solutions proposed by the Office to | 34 |
| promote retail competition must also promote safe, reliable, |
|
|
|
HB4977 |
- 3 - |
LRB094 16740 MKM 52011 b |
|
| 1 |
| and affordable electric service. | 2 |
| On or before June 30 of each year, the Director shall | 3 |
| submit a report to the Commission, the General Assembly, and | 4 |
| the Governor, that details specific accomplishments achieved | 5 |
| by the office in the prior 12 months in promoting retail | 6 |
| electric competition and that suggests administrative and | 7 |
| legislative action necessary to promote further improvements | 8 |
| in retail electric competition. | 9 |
| (220 ILCS 5/20-120 new) | 10 |
| Sec. 20-120. Residential and small commercial retail | 11 |
| electric competition. | 12 |
| Within 12 months after the effective date of this | 13 |
| amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly, the Director shall | 14 |
| conduct research, gather input from all interested parties and | 15 |
| develop and present to the Commission, the General Assembly, | 16 |
| and the Governor a detailed plan designed to promote, in the | 17 |
| most expeditious manner possible, retail electric competition | 18 |
| for residential and small commercial electricity consumers | 19 |
| while maintaining safe, reliable, and affordable service. | 20 |
| Interested parties shall be given the opportunity to review the | 21 |
| plan and provide written comments regarding the plan prior to | 22 |
| its submission to the Commission, the General Assembly, and the | 23 |
| Governor. Any written comments received by the Office shall be | 24 |
| posted on the Commission's web site. The final plan submitted | 25 |
| to the Commission, the General Assembly, and the Governor must | 26 |
| include summaries of any written comments and must also be | 27 |
| posted on the Commission's web site. | 28 |
| To the extent the plan calls for Commission action, the | 29 |
| Commission shall initiate any proceeding or proceedings called | 30 |
| for in the final plan within 60 days after receipt of the final | 31 |
| plan and complete those proceedings within 11 months after | 32 |
| their initiation. | 33 |
| Nothing in this Section shall prevent the Commission from | 34 |
| acting earlier to remove identified barriers to retail electric | 35 |
| competition for residential and small commercial consumers.
|
|
|
|
HB4977 |
- 4 - |
LRB094 16740 MKM 52011 b |
|
| 1 |
| Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | 2 |
| becoming law.
|
|