BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 1055
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Date of Hearing: August 3, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Lorena Gonzalez, Chair
SB 1055
(Hueso) - As Introduced February 16, 2016
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|Policy |Utilities and Commerce |Vote:|15 - 0 |
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
This bill eliminates the Payphone Service Providers Committee
(PSPC), and its corresponding fund, from the Public Utilities
Code.
FISCAL EFFECT:
SB 1055
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According to the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC),
the remaining PSPC fund balance of $5,000 would be transferred
to the General Fund. Elimination of the fund would not affect
the PUC's continued enforcement activities, which in 2015
included the inspection of 5,000 payphones.
COMMENTS:
1)Purpose. According to the author, the purpose of this bill is
to help modernize the Public Utilities Code and ensure it is
accurately reflecting the work of the PUC.
2)Background. The PSPC and its corresponding fund were
established in 1999 through SB 669 (Polanco), Chapter 677,
Statutes of 1999. The PSPC was created to advise the PUC on
the development, implementation, and administration of
programs to educate pay phone service providers, ensure
compliance with operations requirements, and educate
consumers.
In 2008, the PUC issued Decision 08-06-020 to eliminate the
PSPC while still acknowledging the important role of pay
phones, especially in emergency situations. After the PSPC
ceased operation, its corresponding fund became unused and no
longer functional. The PUC's Safety Enforcement Division
inherited pay phone enforcement responsibilities after the
PSPC ceased operations. According to the PUC, the remaining
funds in the PSPC Fund (approximately $5,000) are no longer in
the PUC's budget and are in the process of being
administratively eliminated and transferred back to the
General Fund by the Department of Finance.
This bill eliminates the PSPC, and its corresponding fund,
from the Public Utilities Code.
SB 1055
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Analysis Prepared by:Jennifer Galehouse / APPR. / (916)
319-2081