Rep. Robert W. Pritchard

Filed: 2/27/2013

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 1743

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 1743 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, townships, and counties.
9    (a) The corporate authorities of a municipality, township
10board, or county board of a county may adopt an ordinance under
11which it may aggregate in accordance with this Section
12residential and small commercial retail electrical loads
13located, respectively, within the municipality, the township,
14or the unincorporated areas of the county and, for that
15purpose, may solicit bids and enter into service agreements to
16facilitate for those loads the sale and purchase of electricity

 

 

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1and related services and equipment.
2    The corporate authorities, township board, or county board
3may also exercise such authority jointly with any other
4municipality, township, or county. Two or more municipalities,
5townships, or counties, or a combination of both, may initiate
6a process jointly to authorize aggregation by a majority vote
7of each particular municipality, township, or county as
8required by this Section.
9    If the corporate authorities, township board, or the county
10board seek to operate the aggregation program as an opt-out
11program for residential and small commercial retail customers,
12then prior to the adoption of an ordinance with respect to
13aggregation of residential and small commercial retail
14electric loads, the corporate authorities of a municipality,
15the township board, or the county board of a county shall
16submit a referendum to its residents to determine whether or
17not the aggregation program shall operate as an opt-out program
18for residential and small commercial retail customers. Any
19county board that seeks to submit such a referendum to its
20residents shall do so only in unincorporated areas of the
21county where no electric aggregation ordinance has been
22adopted.
23    In addition to the notice and conduct requirements of the
24general election law, notice of the referendum shall state
25briefly the purpose of the referendum. The question of whether
26the corporate authorities, the township board, or the county

 

 

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1board shall adopt an opt-out aggregation program for
2residential and small commercial retail customers shall be
3submitted to the electors of the municipality, township board,
4or county board at a regular election and approved by a
5majority of the electors voting on the question. The corporate
6authorities, township board, or county board must certify to
7the proper election authority, which must submit the question
8at an election in accordance with the Election Code.
9    The election authority must submit the question in
10substantially the following form:
11        Shall the (municipality, township, or county in which
12    the question is being voted upon) have the authority to
13    arrange for the supply of electricity for its residential
14    and small commercial retail customers who have not opted
15    out of such program?
16The election authority must record the votes as "Yes" or "No".
17    If a majority of the electors voting on the question vote
18in the affirmative, then the corporate authorities, township
19board, or county board may implement an opt-out aggregation
20program for residential and small commercial retail customers.
21    A referendum must pass in each particular municipality,
22township, or county that is engaged in the aggregation program.
23If the referendum fails, then the corporate authorities,
24township board, or county board shall operate the aggregation
25program as an opt-in program for residential and small
26commercial 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, township board, or county board voting upon the
12ordinance.
13    A governmental aggregator under this Section is not a
14public utility or an alternative retail electric supplier.
15    For purposes of this Section, "township" means the portion
16of a township that is an unincorporated portion of a county
17that is not otherwise a part of a municipality. In addition to
18such other limitations as are included in this Section, a
19township board shall only have authority to aggregate
20residential and small commercial customer loads in accordance
21with this Section if the county board of the county in which
22the township is located (i) is not also submitting a referendum
23to its residents at the same general election that the township
24board proposes to submit a referendum under this subsection
25(a), (ii) has not received authorization through passage of a
26referendum to operate an opt-out aggregation program for

 

 

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1residential and small commercial retail customers under this
2subsection (a), and (iii) has not otherwise enacted an
3ordinance under this subsection (a) authorizing the operation
4of an opt-in aggregation program for residential and small
5commercial retail customers as described in this Section.
6    (b) Upon the applicable requisite authority under this
7Section, the corporate authorities, the township board, or the
8county board, with assistance from the Illinois Power Agency,
9shall develop a plan of operation and governance for the
10aggregation program so authorized. Before adopting a plan under
11this Section, the corporate authorities, township board, or
12county board shall hold at least 2 public hearings on the plan.
13Before the first hearing, the corporate authorities, township
14board, or county board shall publish notice of the hearings
15once a week for 2 consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general
16circulation in the jurisdiction. The notice shall summarize the
17plan and state the date, time, and location of each hearing.
18Any load aggregation plan established pursuant to this Section
19shall:
20        (1) provide for universal access to all applicable
21    residential customers and equitable treatment of
22    applicable residential customers;
23        (2) describe demand management and energy efficiency
24    services to be provided to each class of customers; and
25        (3) meet any requirements established by law
26    concerning aggregated service offered pursuant to this

 

 

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1    Section.
2    (c) The process for soliciting bids for electricity and
3other related services and awarding proposed agreements for the
4purchase of electricity and other related services shall be
5conducted in the following order:
6        (1) The corporate authorities, township board, or
7    county board may solicit bids for electricity and other
8    related services.
9        (1.5) A township board shall request from the electric
10    utility those residential and small commercial customers
11    within their aggregate area either by zip code or zip codes
12    or other means as determined by the electric utility. The
13    electric utility shall then provide to the township board
14    the residential and small commercial customers, including
15    the names and addresses of residential and small commercial
16    customers, electronically. The township board shall be
17    responsible for authenticating the residential and small
18    commercial customers contained in this listing and
19    providing edits of the data to affirm, add, or delete the
20    residential and small commercial customers located within
21    its jurisdiction. The township board shall provide the
22    edited list to the electric utility in an electronic format
23    or other means selected by the electric utility and certify
24    that the information is accurate.
25        (2) Notwithstanding Section 16-122 of the Public
26    Utilities Act and Section 2HH of the Consumer Fraud and

 

 

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1    Deceptive Business Practices Act, an electric utility that
2    provides residential and small commercial retail electric
3    service in the aggregate area must, upon request of the
4    corporate authorities, township board, or the county board
5    in the aggregate area, submit to the requesting party, in
6    an electronic format, those account numbers, names, and
7    addresses of residential and small commercial retail
8    customers in the aggregate area that are reflected in the
9    electric utility's records at the time of the request;
10    provided, however, that any township board has first
11    provided an accurate customer list to the electric utility
12    as provided for herein.
13    Any corporate authority, township board, or county board
14receiving customer information from an electric utility shall
15be subject to the limitations on the disclosure of the
16information described in Section 16-122 of the Public Utilities
17Act and Section 2HH of the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive
18Business Practices Act, and an electric utility shall not be
19held liable for any claims arising out of the provision of
20information pursuant to this item (2).
21    (d) If the corporate authorities, township board, or county
22board operate under an opt-in program for residential and small
23commercial retail customers, then the corporate authorities,
24township board, or county board shall comply with all of the
25following:
26        (1) Within 60 days after receiving the bids, the

 

 

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1    corporate authorities, township board, or county board
2    shall allow residential and small commercial retail
3    customers to commit to the terms and conditions of a bid
4    that has been selected by the corporate authorities,
5    township board, or county board.
6        (2) If (A) the corporate authorities, township board,
7    or county board award proposed agreements for the purchase
8    of electricity and other related services and (B) an
9    agreement is reached between the corporate authorities,
10    township board, or county board for those services, then
11    customers committed to the terms and conditions according
12    to item (1) of this subsection (d) shall be committed to
13    the agreement.
14    (e) If the corporate authorities, township board, or county
15board operate as an opt-out program for residential and small
16commercial retail customers, then it shall be the duty of the
17aggregated entity to fully inform residential and small
18commercial retail customers in advance that they have the right
19to opt out of the aggregation program. The disclosure shall
20prominently state all charges to be made and shall include full
21disclosure of the cost to obtain service pursuant to Section
2216-103 of the Public Utilities Act, how to access it, and the
23fact that it is available to them without penalty, if they are
24currently receiving service under that Section. The Illinois
25Power Agency shall furnish, without charge, to any 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    (f) Any person or entity retained by a municipality or
3county, or jointly by more than one such unit of local
4government, to provide input, guidance, or advice in the
5selection of an electricity supplier for an aggregation program
6shall disclose in writing to the involved units of local
7government the nature of any relationship through which the
8person or entity may receive, either directly or indirectly,
9commissions or other remuneration as a result of the selection
10of any particular electricity supplier. The written disclosure
11must be made prior to formal approval by the involved units of
12local government of any professional services agreement with
13the person or entity, or no later than October 1, 2012 with
14respect to any such professional services agreement entered
15into prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of the
1697th General Assembly. The disclosure shall cover all direct
17and indirect relationships through which commissions or
18remuneration may result, including the pooling of commissions
19or remuneration among multiple persons or entities, and shall
20identify all involved electricity suppliers. The disclosure
21requirements in this subsection (f) are to be liberally
22construed to ensure that the nature of financial interests are
23fully revealed, and these disclosure requirements shall apply
24regardless of whether the involved person or entity is licensed
25under Section 16-115C of the Public Utilities Act. Any person
26or entity that fails to make the disclosure required under this

 

 

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1subsection (f) is liable to the involved units of local
2government in an amount equal to all compensation paid to such
3person or entity by the units of local government for the
4input, guidance, or advice in the selection of an electricity
5supplier, plus reasonable attorneys fees and court costs
6incurred by the units of local government in connection with
7obtaining such amount.
8    (g) The Illinois Power Agency shall provide assistance to
9municipalities, townships, counties, or associations working
10with municipalities to help complete the plan and bidding
11process.
12    (h) This Section does not prohibit municipalities or
13counties from entering into an intergovernmental agreement to
14aggregate residential and small commercial retail electric
15loads.
16(Source: P.A. 96-176, eff. 1-1-10; 97-338, eff. 8-12-11;
1797-823, eff. 7-18-12; 97-1067, eff. 8-24-12; revised
189-20-12.)".