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Public Act 094-1095
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| HB4977 Enrolled |
LRB094 16740 MKM 52011 b |
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AN ACT concerning public utilities.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 5. The Public Utilities Act is amended by adding |
Article XX as follows:
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(220 ILCS 5/Art. XX heading new) |
ARTICLE XX. RETAIL ELECTRIC COMPETITION
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(220 ILCS 5/20-101 new) |
Sec. 20-101. This Article may be cited as the Retail |
Electric Competition Act of 2006.
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(220 ILCS 5/20-102 new) |
Sec. 20-102. Findings and intent.
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(a) A competitive wholesale electricity market alone will |
not deliver the full benefits of competition to Illinois |
consumers. For Illinois consumers to receive products, prices |
and terms tailored to meet their needs, a competitive wholesale |
electricity market must be closely linked to a competitive |
retail electric market. |
(b) To date, as a result of the Electric Service Customer |
Choice and Rate Relief Law of 1997, thousands of large Illinois |
commercial and industrial consumers have experienced the |
benefits of a competitive retail electricity market. |
Alternative electric retail suppliers actively compete to |
supply electricity to large Illinois commercial and industrial |
consumers with attractive prices, terms, and conditions. |
(c) A competitive retail electric market does not yet exist |
for residential and small commercial consumers. As a result, |
millions of residential and small commercial consumers in |
Illinois are faced with escalating heating and power bills and |
are unable to shop for alternatives to the rates demanded by |
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the State's incumbent electric utilities. |
(d) The General Assembly reiterates its findings from the |
Electric Service Customer Choice and Rate Relief Law of 1997 |
that the Illinois Commerce Commission should promote the |
development of an effectively competitive retail electricity |
market that operates efficiently and benefits all Illinois |
consumers.
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(220 ILCS 5/20-105 new)
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Sec. 20-105. Definitions. In this Article: |
"Director" means the Director of the Office of Retail |
Market Development. |
"Office" means the Office of Retail Market |
Development.
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(220 ILCS 5/20-110 new) |
Sec. 20-110. Office of Retail Market Development. Within 90 |
days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the |
94th General Assembly, subject to appropriation, the |
Commission shall establish an Office of Retail Market |
Development and employ on its staff a Director of Retail Market |
Development to oversee the Office. The Director shall have |
authority to employ or otherwise retain at least 2 |
professionals dedicated to the task of actively seeking out |
ways to promote retail competition in Illinois to benefit all |
Illinois consumers. |
The Office shall actively seek input from all interested |
parties and shall develop a thorough understanding and critical |
analyses of the tools and techniques used to promote retail |
competition in other states. |
The Office shall monitor existing competitive conditions |
in Illinois, identify barriers to retail competition for all |
customer classes, and actively explore and propose to the |
Commission and to the General Assembly solutions to overcome |
identified barriers. The Director may include municipal |
aggregation of customers and creating and designing customer |
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choice programs as tools for retail market development. |
Solutions proposed by the Office to promote retail competition |
must also promote safe, reliable, and affordable electric |
service. |
On or before June 30 of each year, the Director shall |
submit a report to the Commission, the General Assembly, and |
the Governor, that details specific accomplishments achieved |
by the Office in the prior 12 months in promoting retail |
electric competition and that suggests administrative and |
legislative action necessary to promote further improvements |
in retail electric competition.
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(220 ILCS 5/20-120 new) |
Sec. 20-120. Residential and small commercial retail |
electric competition. Within 12 months after the effective date |
of this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly, the |
Director shall conduct research, gather input from all |
interested parties and develop and present to the Commission, |
the General Assembly, and the Governor a detailed plan designed |
to promote, in the most expeditious manner possible, retail |
electric competition for residential and small commercial |
electricity consumers while maintaining safe, reliable, and |
affordable service. Interested parties shall be given the |
opportunity to review the plan and provide written comments |
regarding the plan prior to its submission to the Commission, |
the General Assembly, and the Governor. Any written comments |
received by the Office shall be posted on the Commission's web |
site. The final plan submitted to the Commission, the General |
Assembly, and the Governor must include summaries of any |
written comments and must also be posted on the Commission's |
web site. |
To the extent the plan calls for Commission action, the |
Commission shall initiate any proceeding or proceedings called |
for in the final plan within 60 days after receipt of the final |
plan and complete those proceedings within 11 months after |
their initiation. |