BILL NUMBER: AB 1524	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Committee on Utilities and Commerce (Assembly Members
Rendon (Chair), Achadjian, Bonilla, Burke, Eggman, Cristina Garcia,
Hadley, Roger Hernández, Quirk, Santiago, and Williams)

                        MARCH 16, 2015

   An act to amend Section 343 of the Public Utilities Code, relating
to electricity.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 1524, as introduced, Committee on Utilities and Commerce.
Electricity: energy crisis litigation.
   Existing law, until January 1, 2016, requires the Attorney General
to represent the Department of Finance and to succeed to all rights,
claims, powers, and entitlements of the Electricity Oversight Board
in any litigation or settlement to obtain ratepayer recovery for the
effects of the 2000-02 energy crisis. Existing law additionally
prohibits the Attorney General from expending the proceeds of any
settlements of those claims, except as specified.
   This bill would instead repeal the above-described requirements on
January 1, 2018.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 343 of the Public Utilities Code is amended to
read:
   343.  (a) The Attorney General shall represent the Department of
Finance and shall succeed to, and may exercise, all rights, claims,
powers, and entitlements of the Electricity Oversight Board in any
litigation or settlement to obtain ratepayer recovery for the effects
of the 2000-02 energy crisis. This section does not require the
Attorney General to litigate any claim, or take any other action, as
successor to the Electricity Oversight Board.
   (b) The Attorney General shall not distribute or expend the
proceeds of any settlements of claims described in subdivision (a),
except in accordance with Article 9.5 (commencing with Section
16428.1) of Chapter 2 of Part 2 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the
Government Code and Division 27 (commencing with Section 80000) of
the Water Code.
   (c) The Attorney General shall not distribute or expend the
proceeds of any settlements of claims allocated to the Electricity
Oversight Board.
   (d) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1,
 2016,   2018,  and as of that date is
repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before
January 1,  2016,   2018,  deletes or
extends that date.