Rep. Fred Crespo

Filed: 3/28/2008

 

 


 

 


 
09500HB5378ham003 LRB095 19468 MJR 48637 a

1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 5378

2     AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 5378, AS AMENDED, by
3 replacing everything after the enacting clause with the
4 following:
 
5     "Section 5. The Public Utilities Act is amended by changing
6 Section 9-201 as follows:
 
7     (220 ILCS 5/9-201)  (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 9-201)
8     Sec. 9-201. (a) Unless the Commission otherwise orders, and
9 except as otherwise provided in this Section, no change shall
10 be made by any public utility in any rate or other charge or
11 classification, or in any rule, regulation, practice or
12 contract relating to or affecting any rate or other charge,
13 classification or service, or in any privilege or facility,
14 except after 45 days' notice to the Commission and to the
15 public as herein provided. Such notice shall be given by filing
16 with the Commission and keeping open for public inspection new

 

 

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1 schedules or supplements stating plainly the change or changes
2 to be made in the schedule or schedules then in force, and the
3 time when the change or changes will go into effect, and by
4 publication in a newspaper of general circulation or such other
5 notice to persons affected by such change as may be prescribed
6 by rule of the Commission. The Commission, for good cause
7 shown, may allow changes without requiring the 45 days' notice
8 herein provided for, by an order specifying the changes so to
9 be made and the time when they shall take effect and the manner
10 in which they shall be filed and published.
11     When any change is proposed in any rate or other charge, or
12 classification, or in any rule, regulation, practice, or
13 contract relating to or affecting any rate or other charge,
14 classification or service, or in any privilege or facility,
15 such proposed change shall be plainly indicated on the new
16 schedule filed with the Commission, by some character to be
17 designated by the Commission, immediately preceding or
18 following the item.
19     When any public utility providing water or sewer service
20 proposes any change in any rate or other charge, or
21 classification, or in any rule, regulation, practice, or
22 contract relating to or affecting any rate or other charge,
23 classification or service, or in any privilege or facility,
24 such utility shall, in addition to the other notice
25 requirements of this Act, provide notice of such change to all
26 customers potentially affected by including a notice and

 

 

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1 description of such change, and of Commission procedures for
2 intervention, in the first bill sent to each such customer
3 after the filing of the proposed change.
4     (b) Whenever there shall be filed with the Commission any
5 schedule stating an individual or joint rate or other charge,
6 classification, contract, practice, rule or regulation, the
7 Commission shall have power, and it is hereby given authority,
8 either upon complaint or upon its own initiative without
9 complaint, at once, and if it so orders, without answer or
10 other formal pleadings by the interested public utility or
11 utilities, but upon reasonable notice, to enter upon a hearing
12 concerning the propriety of such rate or other charge,
13 classification, contract, practice, rule or regulation, and
14 pending the hearing and decision thereon, such rate or other
15 charge, classification, contract, practice, rule or regulation
16 shall not go into effect. The period of suspension of such rate
17 or other charge, classification, contract, practice, rule or
18 regulation shall not extend more than 105 days beyond the time
19 when such rate or other charge, classification, contract,
20 practice, rule or regulation would otherwise go into effect
21 unless the Commission, in its discretion, extends the period of
22 suspension for a further period not exceeding 6 months.
23     All rates or other charges, classifications, contracts,
24 practices, rules or regulations not so suspended shall, on the
25 expiration of 45 days from the time of filing the same with the
26 Commission, or of such lesser time as the Commission may grant,

 

 

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1 go into effect and be the established and effective rates or
2 other charges, classifications, contracts, practices, rules
3 and regulations, subject to the power of the Commission, after
4 a hearing had on its own motion or upon complaint, as herein
5 provided, to alter or modify the same.
6     Within 30 days after such changes have been authorized by
7 the Commission, copies of the new or revised schedules shall be
8 posted or filed in accordance with the terms of Section 9-103
9 of this Act, in such a manner that all changes shall be plainly
10 indicated.
11     (c) If the Commission enters upon a hearing concerning the
12 propriety of any proposed rate or other charge, classification,
13 contract, practice, rule or regulation, the Commission shall
14 establish the rates or other charges, classifications,
15 contracts, practices, rules or regulations proposed, in whole
16 or in part, or others in lieu thereof, which it shall find to
17 be just and reasonable. In such hearing, the burden of proof to
18 establish the justness and reasonableness of the proposed rates
19 or other charges, classifications, contracts, practices, rules
20 or regulations, in whole and in part, shall be upon the
21 utility. No rate or other charge, classification, contract,
22 practice, rule or regulation shall be found just and reasonable
23 unless it is consistent with Sections of this Article.
24     (d) Gas utility tariffs that adjust rates and charges
25 between rate proceedings to offset usage per customer declines
26 and guarantee recovery of margin revenues associated with

 

 

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1 specific usage per customer levels shall not be permitted.
2 Existing gas utility tariffs that adjust rates and charges
3 between rate proceedings to offset per customer usage declines
4 and guarantee recovery of margin revenues associated with
5 specific per customer usage levels shall be deemed invalid and
6 cancelled upon the effective date of this amendatory Act of the
7 95th General Assembly. For purposes of this Section, "margin"
8 means the dollar amount of delivery charge revenues, excluding
9 customer charge revenues, approved by the Commission in the
10 utility's most recent rate proceeding for each applicable
11 service classification. Notwithstanding any other rulemaking
12 authority that may exist, neither the Governor nor any agency
13 or agency head under the jurisdiction of the Governor has any
14 authority to make or promulgate rules to implement or enforce
15 the provisions of this amendatory Act of the 95th General
16 Assembly. If, however, the Governor believes that rules are
17 necessary to implement or enforce the provisions of this
18 amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly, the Governor may
19 suggest rules to the General Assembly by filing them with the
20 Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate and by
21 requesting that the General Assembly authorize such rulemaking
22 by law, enact those suggested rules into law, or take any other
23 appropriate action in the General Assembly's discretion.
24 Nothing contained in this amendatory Act of the 95th General
25 Assembly shall be interpreted to grant rulemaking authority
26 under any other Illinois statute where such authority is not

 

 

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1 otherwise explicitly given. For the purposes of this amendatory
2 Act of the 95th General Assembly, "rules" is given the meaning
3 contained in Section 1-70 of the Illinois Administrative
4 Procedure Act, and "agency" and "agency head" are given the
5 meanings contained in Sections 1-20 and 1-25 of the Illinois
6 Administrative Procedure Act to the extent that such
7 definitions apply to agencies or agency heads under the
8 jurisdiction of the Governor.
9 (Source: P.A. 84-617.)
 
10     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
11 becoming law.".