97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
HB1370

 

Introduced 2/9/2011, by Rep. Thomas Holbrook

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
20 ILCS 3855/1-92

    Amends the Illinois Power Agency Act. In provisions concerning the aggregation of retail electrical load of residential and small commercial retail customers by municipalities and counties, provides that any aggregation program that operates as an opt-out program shall apply solely to residential and small commercial retail customers that are taking service from the electric utility through fixed-price bundled service tariffs. Provides that the corporate authorities or the county board shall allow new residents outside of an opt-out period and non-applicable residential and small commercial retail customers who were not eligible to receive the opt-out notice to affirmatively commit to the terms and conditions of an opt-out program at any time during the length of the program under a process disclosed in the plan of operation and governance. Sets forth provisions concerning the plan of operation and governance for an opt-out program. Sets forth provisions concerning requests made by the corporate authorities or the county board in the aggregate area for certain information from the electric utility related to applicable residential and small commercial retail customers in the aggregate area. Provides that the Illinois Commerce Commission shall adopt rules to implement the provisions of the amendatory Act, including, but not limited to, protection of customers already under contract with an alternative retail electric supplier, utility processes for enrollment of opt-out customers, minimum disclosure requirements for opt-out aggregation programs and licensing of municipalities. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY
HOME RULE NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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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 retail electrical load of
8residential and small commercial retail customers by
9municipalities and counties.
10    (a) The corporate authorities of a municipality or county
11board of a county may adopt an ordinance under which it may
12aggregate, in accordance with this Section, residential and
13small commercial retail electrical loads of applicable
14residential and small commercial retail customers located,
15respectively, within the municipality or the unincorporated
16areas of the county and, for that purpose, may solicit bids and
17enter into service agreements to facilitate for those loads the
18sale and purchase of electricity and related services and
19equipment.
20    If the corporate authorities or the county board seek to
21operate the aggregation program as an opt-out program, then the
22program applies solely to residential and small commercial
23retail customers that are taking service from the electric

 

 

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1utility through fixed-price bundled service tariffs. The
2corporate authorities or the county board shall allow new
3residents outside of an opt-out period, and non-applicable
4residential and small commercial retail customers who were not
5eligible to receive the opt-out notice, to affirmatively commit
6to the terms and conditions of an opt-out program at any time
7during the length of the program under a process disclosed in
8the plan of operation and governance.
9    The corporate authorities or county board may also exercise
10such authority jointly with any other municipality or county.
11Two or more municipalities or counties, or a combination of
12both, may initiate a process jointly to authorize aggregation
13by a majority vote of each particular municipality or county as
14required by this Section.
15    If the corporate authorities or the county board seek to
16operate the aggregation program as an opt-out program for
17residential and small commercial retail customers, then prior
18to the adoption of an ordinance with respect to aggregation of
19residential and small commercial retail electric loads, the
20corporate authorities of a municipality or the county board of
21a county shall submit a referendum to its residents to
22determine whether or not the aggregation program shall operate
23as an opt-out program for residential and small commercial
24retail customers.
25    In addition to the notice and conduct requirements of the
26general election law, notice of the referendum shall state

 

 

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1briefly the purpose of the referendum. The question of whether
2the corporate authorities or the county board shall adopt an
3opt-out aggregation program for residential and small
4commercial retail customers shall be submitted to the electors
5of the municipality or county board at a regular election and
6approved by a majority of the electors voting on the question.
7The corporate authorities or county board must certify to the
8proper election authority, which must submit the question at an
9election in accordance with the Election Code.
10    The election authority must submit the question in
11substantially the following form:
12        Shall the (municipality or county in which the question
13    is being voted upon) have the authority to arrange for the
14    supply of electricity for its residential and small
15    commercial retail customers who have not opted out of such
16    program?
17The election authority must record the votes as "Yes" or "No".
18    If a majority of the electors voting on the question vote
19in the affirmative, then the corporate authorities or county
20board may implement an opt-out aggregation program for
21residential and small commercial retail customers.
22    A referendum must pass in each particular municipality or
23county that is engaged in the aggregation program. If the
24referendum fails, then the corporate authorities or county
25board shall operate the aggregation program as an opt-in
26program for residential and small commercial retail customers.

 

 

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1    An ordinance under this Section shall specify whether the
2aggregation will occur only with the prior consent of each
3person owning, occupying, controlling, or using an electric
4load center proposed to be aggregated. Nothing in this Section,
5however, authorizes the aggregation of electric loads that are
6served or authorized to be served by an electric cooperative as
7defined by and pursuant to the Electric Supplier Act or loads
8served by a municipality that owns and operates its own
9electric distribution system. No aggregation shall take effect
10unless approved by a majority of the members of the corporate
11authority or county board voting upon the ordinance.
12    A governmental aggregator under this Section is not a
13public utility, agent, broker, consultant, or an alternative
14retail electric supplier.
15    (b) Upon the applicable requisite authority under this
16Section, the corporate authorities or the county board, with
17assistance from the Illinois Power Agency, shall develop a plan
18of operation and governance for the aggregation program so
19authorized.
20    For an opt-out program, the plan shall specify the process
21and associated timelines for applicable residential and small
22commercial retail customers choosing to opt out of the program
23as well as for non-applicable customers affirmatively choosing
24to join the aggregation program. The plan for an opt-out
25program must ensure that applicable residential and small
26commercial retail customers are able to leave the aggregation

 

 

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1program at any time without penalties or fees, but at a minimum
2must be offered the opportunity to opt out every 3 years. The
3plan for the aggregation program must not interfere, conflict,
4or otherwise abrogate any existing contracts between an
5alternative retail electric supplier and residential and small
6commercial retail customers and contracts that are in effect
7pursuant to Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act and
8the applicable provisions of this Act as any such procurement
9plans have been approved by the Commission. In addition, the
10plan for the aggregation program should be properly integrated
11with any Commission-approved Illinois Power Agency procurement
12plan.
13    Before adopting a plan under this Section, the corporate
14authorities or county board shall hold at least 2 public
15hearings on the plan. Before the first hearing, the corporate
16authorities or county board shall publish notice of the
17hearings once a week for 2 consecutive weeks in a newspaper of
18general circulation in the jurisdiction. The notice shall
19summarize the plan and state the date, time, and location of
20each hearing. Any load aggregation plan established pursuant to
21this Section shall:
22        (1) provide for universal access to all applicable
23    residential customers and equitable treatment of
24    applicable residential customers;
25        (2) describe demand management and energy efficiency
26    services to be provided to each class of customers; and

 

 

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1        (3) meet any requirements established by law
2    concerning aggregated service offered pursuant to this
3    Section.
4    (c) The process for soliciting bids for electricity and
5other related services and awarding proposed agreements for the
6purchase of electricity and other related services shall be
7conducted in the following order:
8        (1) The corporate authorities or county board may
9    solicit bids for electricity and other related services.
10        (2) Notwithstanding Section 16-122 of the Public
11    Utilities Act and Section 2HH of the Consumer Fraud and
12    Deceptive Business Practices Act, an electric utility that
13    provides residential and small commercial retail electric
14    service in the aggregate area must, upon request of the
15    corporate authorities or the county board in the aggregate
16    area, submit to the requesting party, in an electronic
17    format, those account numbers, names, and addresses of
18    applicable residential and small commercial retail
19    customers in the aggregate area of the municipality or
20    unincorporated areas of the county that are reflected in
21    the electric utility's records at the time of the request.
22    An electric utility must exclude any customer already
23    switched to an alternative retail electric supplier from
24    the information provided to the corporate authority or
25    county board in the aggregate area. Upon receiving
26    enrollments from an opt-out aggregation, an electric

 

 

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1    utility must design system processes to reject any opt-out
2    aggregation enrollment that would result in the switch of a
3    customer already under service with an alternative retail
4    electric supplier. An electric utility may recover costs
5    for system changes from all residential and small
6    commercial customers. Any corporate authority or county
7    board receiving customer information from an electric
8    utility shall only disclose the information for the purpose
9    of the opt-out aggregation and shall be subject to the
10    limitations on the disclosure of the information described
11    in Section 16-122 of the Public Utilities Act and Section
12    2HH of the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices
13    Act, and an electric utility shall not be held liable for
14    any claims arising out of the provision of information
15    pursuant to this item (2).
16    (d) If the corporate authorities or county board operate
17under an opt-in program for residential and small commercial
18retail customers, then the corporate authorities or county
19board shall comply with all of the following:
20        (1) Within 60 days after receiving the bids, the
21    corporate authorities or county board shall allow
22    residential and small commercial retail customers to
23    commit to the terms and conditions of a bid that has been
24    selected by the corporate authorities or county board.
25        (2) If (A) the corporate authorities or county board
26    award proposed agreements for the purchase of electricity

 

 

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1    and other related services and (B) an agreement is reached
2    between the corporate authorities or county board for those
3    services, then customers committed to the terms and
4    conditions according to item (1) of this subsection (d)
5    shall be committed to the agreement.
6    (e) If the corporate authorities or county board operate as
7an opt-out program for residential and small commercial retail
8customers, then it shall be the duty of the aggregated entity
9to fully inform applicable residential and small commercial
10retail customers in advance that they have the right to opt out
11of the aggregation program. The disclosure shall prominently
12state all charges to be made and shall include full disclosure
13of the cost to obtain service pursuant to Section 16-103 of the
14Public Utilities Act, how to access it, and the fact that it is
15available to them without penalty, if they are currently
16receiving service under that Section.
17    The Illinois Commerce Commission shall adopt rules to
18implement the provisions of this amendatory Act of the 97th
19General Assembly, including, but not limited to, protection of
20customers already under contract with an alternative retail
21electric supplier, utility processes for enrollment of opt-out
22customers, minimum disclosure requirements for opt-out
23aggregation programs and licensing of municipalities.
24    The Illinois Power Agency shall furnish, without charge, to
25any residential and small commercial retail customer citizen a
26list of all supply options available to them in a format that

 

 

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1allows comparison of prices and products.
2    The Illinois Power Agency shall provide assistance to
3municipalities, counties, or associations working with
4municipalities to help complete the plan and bidding process.
5    This Section does not prohibit municipalities or counties
6from entering into an intergovernmental agreement to aggregate
7residential and small commercial retail electric loads.
8(Source: P.A. 96-176, eff. 1-1-10.)
 
9    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
10becoming law.