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House hearing on bill to fold Office of Consumer Advocate into Department of Energy draws wide testimony
Summary
Lawmakers spent hours hearing competing views on HB 610, a proposal by Rep. Ross Berry to transfer the Office of the Consumer Advocate into the Department of Energy. Supporters argued the move would streamline advocacy for residential ratepayers; opponents said it would strip an independent watchdog and reduce protections for households.
Representative Ross Berry introduced House Bill 610 in the House Science, Technology and Energy Committee hearing, arguing the measure would fold the five-person Office of the Consumer Advocate into the much larger Department of Energy and refocus the DOE on lowering residential utility rates.
Berry said the Office of the Consumer Advocate (OCA) has about five staff and an approximately $1 million annual budget funded by an assessment on ratepayers, and that the Department of Energy has roughly 80 employees. "The consumer advocate themselves is either required to be an attorney or their assistant is required to be an attorney, mostly staffed by attorneys versus the department of energy has about 80 employees," Representative Ross Berry said in his…
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