BILL ANALYSIS Ó SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair 2015 - 2016 Regular Session SB 1222 (Hertzberg) - Public Utilities Commission: reports ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Version: April 27, 2016 |Policy Vote: E., U., & C. 11 - | | | 0 | | | | |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Urgency: No |Mandate: No | | | | |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| |Hearing Date: May 16, 2016 |Consultant: Narisha Bonakdar | ----------------------------------------------------------------- This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File. Bill Summary: SB 1222 changes the date by which the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) must submit specified reports, changes the contents of specified reports, reassigns the PUC's duty to prepare a specified report to the California Energy Commission (CEC), and repeals provisions requiring the CPUC to submit specified reports. Fiscal Impact: Unknown, but likely significant costs (General Fund), for the CEC to contract for development of the energy efficiency programs report. Unknown reduction in costs (Public Utilities Commission Utilities Reimbursement Account) to the CPUC to resulting from the transition of the ratepayer funded energy efficiency programs to the CEC. Background: There are several dozen reports required of the CPUC by the Legislature ranging from an annual work plan report, to triennial reports on energy efficiency programs, to quarterly reports related to progress meeting the RPS. Many of these SB 1222 (Hertzberg) Page 1 of ? report requirements have been scattered throughout the code and several are now outdated, with deadlines that have long passed. In an effort to better organize the Public Utilities Code and to have all required reports of the CPUC to the Legislature located in one area, last year, the CPUC sponsored legislation, SB 697 (Hertzberg, 2015), to shift many of these requirements to one location within the code, in the 910s area. This bill builds off the efforts from last year's bill, in what likely should be a committee or chair authored bill. Proposed Law: This bill: 1)Changes dates by which the CPUC must submit specified reports. 2)Changes the contents of specified reports. 3)Repeals provisions requiring the CPUC to submit specified reports. 4)Transfers responsibility for developing the triennial ratepayer funded energy efficiency programs report from the CPUC to the CEC, and expands the required reporting requirements. 5)Makes technical changes to clarify the Public Utilities Code. Related Legislation: SB 697 (Hertzberg, Chapter 612, Statutes of 2015) repealed the requirement of the CPUC to issue a decal to charter-party carriers of passengers, extends the sunset date by on year on the CPUC's authority to issue financing orders, allows for the electronic filing of legislative reports, and makes additional codifying and technical changes to the Public Utilities Code related to reports. SB 1222 (Hertzberg) Page 2 of ? Staff Comments: The bill does not specify a funding source. The CEC's basic funding source is the Energy Program Resource Account (ERPA), which is currently oversubscribed and cannot support new activities. However, given that ERPA is funded through a tax, it is General Fund fungible. -- END --