Amended in Assembly April 24, 2014

Amended in Assembly April 10, 2014

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 2218

Introduced by Assembly Member Bradford

February 20, 2014

An act to add Section 739.3 to the Public Utilities Code, relating to energy.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 2218, as amended, Bradford. Electricity and natural gas rates.

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations and gas corporations, as defined. Existing law authorizes the commission to fix the rates and charges for every public utility, and requires that those rates and charges be just and reasonable. Existing law requires the commission to establish a program of assistance to low-income electric and gas customers, referred to as the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program.

This bill would require begin insert each end insert electrical begin delete corporations end delete begin insert corporation end insert and gas begin delete corporations end delete begin insert corporation end insert to develop and implement a program of rate assistance to eligible food banks, as defined, subject to direction and supervision by the commission.

Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime.

Because the provisions of this bill would be a part of the act and because a violation of an order or decision of the commission implementing its requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program by creating a new crime.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 739.3 is added to the Public Utilities
Code, to read:

739.3.  

Subject to direction and supervision by the commission,
begin insert each end insert electrical begin delete corporations end delete begin insert corporation end insert and gas begin delete corporations end delete
begin insert corporation end insert shall develop and implement a program of rate
assistance to eligible food banks. begin insert The funding source for the rate
assistance program is subject to the approval of the commission. end insert
For purposes of this section, “eligible food bank” means a public
or charitable institution that participates in The Emergency Food
Assistance Program administered by the Food and Nutrition Service
of the United States Department of Agriculture.

SEC. 2.  

No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to
Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because
the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school
district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or
infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty
for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of
the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within
the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California
Constitution.