House committee advances bill to require geographic representation on Public Utilities Commission

Representative (sponsor) Jim Martinez on Monday urged the House Finance Committee to approve House Bill 11-26, a measure that would change the Public Utilities Commission from a three‑member body to a five‑member commission with statutory geographic representation.

The bill’s sponsor, Representative Jim Martinez, said the change would increase regional diversity on the PUC and give historically under‑represented parts of the state “a seat at the table.” “It’s been 99 years since we’ve had a PUC commissioner that lived in Pueblo and 63 years since we’ve had a commissioner that’s lived in the Southeast Region,” Martinez said during his opening remarks.

The committee heard multiple opponents during the witness phase. Rebecca White, director of the Public Utilities Commission, said the agency is “in an opposed position on House Bill 11‑26.” She told the panel that many of the structural questions the bill raises will be examined in the PUC’s upcoming sunset review and cautioned that passage would “leapfrog that important effort.”

Speakers from environmental and clean‑energy nonprofits also urged a no vote. Parks Barroso of Western Resource Advocates said Colorado’s low electric bills and experiences in other states support keeping a three‑commissioner model without geographic allocations. Barroso testified the bill carries a large fiscal note and that the fixed utility fund — paid into by utilities and ultimately borne by ratepayers — would be the main source for added costs.

Other witnesses, including representatives of Colorado Communities for Climate Action, the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project and community groups such as Green Latinos, raised concerns about cost, potential politicization and whether the proposed regions were balanced by population. Sponsor Martinez said he would work with committee members on region boundaries if the bill advanced.

In committee action, members adopted an amendment (L4) that allows certain remote work options during the first year of implementation to reduce out‑year costs, and the panel voted to advance the bill to the Committee on Appropriations with a favorable recommendation. The committee reported the bill as passing the Finance Committee 8‑5.

Why it matters: The PUC sets rates and rules that affect utilities, energy infrastructure and ratepayers statewide. Backers said geographic representation would bring more perspectives from rural and frontier communities to those decisions; opponents warned of added costs that could be passed through to customers and urged that structural changes be considered as part of the formal sunset review of the agency.

What’s next: House Bill 11‑26 moves to the Appropriations Committee for further review and any fiscal action.