Rep. Ed Sullivan, Jr.

Filed: 3/27/2012

 

 


 

 


 
09700HB4761ham001LRB097 17273 CEL 68163 a

1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 4761

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 4761 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
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 and counties.
9    (a) The corporate authorities of a municipality or county
10board of a county may adopt an ordinance under which it may
11aggregate in accordance with this Section residential and small
12commercial retail electrical loads located, respectively,
13within the municipality or the unincorporated areas of the
14county and, for that purpose, may solicit bids and enter into
15service agreements to facilitate for those loads the sale and
16purchase of electricity and related services and equipment.

 

 

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1    The corporate authorities or county board may also exercise
2such authority jointly with any other municipality or county.
3Two or more municipalities or counties, or a combination of
4both, may initiate a process jointly to authorize aggregation
5by a majority vote of each particular municipality or county as
6required by this Section.
7    If the corporate authorities or the county board seek to
8operate the aggregation program as an opt-out program for
9residential and small commercial retail customers, then prior
10to the adoption of an ordinance with respect to aggregation of
11residential and small commercial retail electric loads, the
12corporate authorities of a municipality or the county board of
13a county shall submit a referendum to its residents to
14determine whether or not the aggregation program shall operate
15as an opt-out program for residential and small commercial
16retail customers.
17    In addition to the notice and conduct requirements of the
18general election law, notice of the referendum shall state
19briefly the purpose of the referendum. The question of whether
20the corporate authorities or the county board shall adopt an
21opt-out aggregation program for residential and small
22commercial retail customers shall be submitted to the electors
23of the municipality or county board at a regular election and
24approved by a majority of the electors voting on the question.
25The corporate authorities or county board must certify to the
26proper election authority, which must submit the question at an

 

 

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1election in accordance with the Election Code.
2    The election authority must submit the question in
3substantially the following form:
4        Shall the (municipality or county in which the question
5    is being voted upon) have the authority to arrange for the
6    supply of electricity for its residential and small
7    commercial retail customers who have not opted out of such
8    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 or county
12board may implement an opt-out aggregation program for
13residential and small commercial retail customers.
14    A referendum must pass in each particular municipality or
15county that is engaged in the aggregation program. If the
16referendum fails, then the corporate authorities or county
17board shall operate the aggregation program as an opt-in
18program for residential and small commercial retail customers.
19    An ordinance under this Section shall specify whether the
20aggregation will occur only with the prior consent of each
21person owning, occupying, controlling, or using an electric
22load center proposed to be aggregated. Nothing in this Section,
23however, authorizes the aggregation of electric loads that are
24served or authorized to be served by an electric cooperative as
25defined by and pursuant to the Electric Supplier Act or loads
26served by a municipality that owns and operates its own

 

 

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1electric distribution system. No aggregation shall take effect
2unless approved by a majority of the members of the corporate
3authority or county board voting upon the ordinance.
4    A governmental aggregator under this Section is not a
5public utility or an alternative retail electric supplier.
6    (b) Upon the applicable requisite authority under this
7Section, the corporate authorities or the county board, with
8assistance from the Illinois Power Agency, shall develop a plan
9of operation and governance for the aggregation program so
10authorized. Before adopting a plan under this Section, the
11corporate authorities or county board shall hold at least 2
12public hearings on the plan. Before the first hearing, the
13corporate authorities or county board shall publish notice of
14the hearings once a week for 2 consecutive weeks in a newspaper
15of general circulation in the jurisdiction. The notice shall
16summarize the plan and state the date, time, and location of
17each hearing. Any load aggregation plan established pursuant to
18this Section shall:
19        (1) provide for universal access to all applicable
20    residential customers and equitable treatment of
21    applicable residential customers;
22        (2) describe demand management and energy efficiency
23    services to be provided to each class of customers; and
24        (3) meet any requirements established by law
25    concerning aggregated service offered pursuant to this
26    Section.

 

 

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1    (c) The process for soliciting bids for electricity and
2other related services and awarding proposed agreements for the
3purchase of electricity and other related services shall be
4conducted in the following order:
5        (1) The corporate authorities or county board may
6    solicit bids for electricity and other related services.
7        (2) Notwithstanding Section 16-122 of the Public
8    Utilities Act and Section 2HH of the Consumer Fraud and
9    Deceptive Business Practices Act, an electric utility that
10    provides residential and small commercial retail electric
11    service in the aggregate area must, upon request of the
12    corporate authorities or the county board in the aggregate
13    area, submit to the requesting party, in an electronic
14    format, those account numbers, names, and addresses of
15    residential and small commercial retail customers in the
16    aggregate area that are reflected in the electric utility's
17    records at the time of the request. Any corporate authority
18    or county board receiving customer information from an
19    electric utility shall be subject to the limitations on the
20    disclosure of the information described in Section 16-122
21    of the Public Utilities Act and Section 2HH of the Consumer
22    Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, and an electric
23    utility shall not be held liable for any claims arising out
24    of the provision of information pursuant to this item (2).
25    (d) If the corporate authorities or county board operate
26under an opt-in program for residential and small commercial

 

 

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1retail customers, then the corporate authorities or county
2board shall comply with all of the following:
3        (1) Within 60 days after receiving the bids, the
4    corporate authorities or county board shall allow
5    residential and small commercial retail customers to
6    commit to the terms and conditions of a bid that has been
7    selected by the corporate authorities or county board.
8        (2) If (A) the corporate authorities or county board
9    award proposed agreements for the purchase of electricity
10    and other related services and (B) an agreement is reached
11    between the corporate authorities or county board for those
12    services, then customers committed to the terms and
13    conditions according to item (1) of this subsection (d)
14    shall be committed to the agreement.
15    (e) If the corporate authorities or county board operate as
16an opt-out program for residential and small commercial retail
17customers, then it shall be the duty of the aggregated entity
18to fully inform residential and small commercial retail
19customers in advance that they have the right to opt out of the
20aggregation program. The disclosure shall prominently state
21all charges to be made and shall include full disclosure of the
22cost to obtain service pursuant to Section 16-103 of the Public
23Utilities Act, how to access it, and the fact that it is
24available to them without penalty, if they are currently
25receiving service under that Section. The Illinois Power Agency
26shall furnish, without charge, to any citizen a list of all

 

 

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1supply options available to them in a format that allows
2comparison of prices and products.
3    (f) All licensed electric brokers or consultants in the
4State shall disclose to their municipal clients and to the
5Commission on an annual basis all payments received from an
6alternative retail energy supplier resulting from a municipal
7aggregation program.
8    (g) The Illinois Power Agency shall provide assistance to
9municipalities, counties, or associations working with
10municipalities to help complete the plan and bidding process.
11    (h) This Section does not prohibit municipalities or
12counties from entering into an intergovernmental agreement to
13aggregate residential and small commercial retail electric
14loads.
15(Source: P.A. 96-176, eff. 1-1-10; 97-338, eff. 8-12-11.)
 
16    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
17becoming law.".