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Committee votes to table bill that would limit PUC review of settlement agreements
Summary
By a 9-8 vote the committee recommended ITL (Inexpedient to Legislate) on HB 535, which sought to define and narrow the Public Utilities Commission's authority regarding settlement agreements and adjudicative proceedings.
The Science, Technology and Energy Committee voted 9-8 to recommend ITL (Inexpedient to Legislate) on HB 535, a bill that would have clarified the respective roles of the Department of Energy and the Public Utilities Commission and limited the PUC's ability to alter or reject settlements presented by parties in certain cases.
Supporters of ITL argued the bill would improperly restrict the PUC's adjudicative authority. Representative Bernardi said the PUC must retain the power to examine evidence and ask questions in contested proceedings and should not be forced to accept settlements presented to it without review. Opponents of ITL argued there is existing friction between the Department of Energy and the PUC and that statutory clarification could reduce role confusion.
The bill's opponents emphasized that the proposed changes were intended to clarify boundaries after testimony about the PUC stepping into policy-making areas. Supporters of ITL said the adjudicative process is the PUC's primary function and removing its discretion could allow parties to bypass regulatory review.
The committee ultimately agreed to recommend ITL on a 9-8 vote. Representative Bernardi will write the majority report recommending ITL. Representative Korman announced she would prepare a minority report supporting the bill and had until 7 a.m. the next morning to file it, per committee practice.
