California Assembly Bill AB1800 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 1800AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 4, 2016 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Hadley FEBRUARY 8, 2016 An act to add Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 8390) to Division 4.1 of the Public Utilities Code, relating to public utilities. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1800, as amended, Hadley. Utility outage compensation claims: annual posting. Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations, while local publicly owned electric utilities are under the direction of their governing boards. Existing law requires each electrical corporation to report annually on its compliance with specified standards or rules adopted by the commission, including, but not limited to, standards for operation, reliability, and safety during periods of emergency and disaster.    Existing law requires the commission to adopt inspection, maintenance, repair, and replacement standards for the distribution systems of electrical corporations in order to provide high   -quality,   safe, and reliable service. Existing law requires the commission to conduct a review to determine whether the standards have been met and to perform the review after every major outage.   The existing restructuring of the electrical industry within the Public Utilities Act provides for the establishment of an Independent System Operator, or ISO, as a nonprofit public benefit corporation and requires the ISO to ensure efficient use and reliable operation of the electrical transmission grid consistent with achieving planning and operating reserve criteria no less stringent than those established by the Western Electricity Coordinating Council and the North American Electric Reliability Council. Existing law requires the ISO to perform a review after any major outage that affects at least 10% of the customers of the entity providing the local distribution service. If the ISO finds that the operation and maintenance practices of the transmission facility owner or operator prolonged the response time or was responsible for the outage, the ISO is authorized to order appropriate sanctions, subject to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approving that authority.  This bill would require each electrical corporation and local publicly owned electric utility to annually post on its Internet Web site specified information relating to utility outage compensation claims for the previous year.  The bill would make these requirements applicable to   those outages that the ISO, the commission, or the utility has determined are the fault of the utility. By adding reporting requirements that are applicable to local publicly   owned electric utilities, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.   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:  no   yes  . State-mandated local program:  no   yes  . THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 8390) is added to Division 4.1 of the Public Utilities Code, to read: CHAPTER 6. ELECTRICAL UTILITY OUTAGE COMPENSATION CLAIMS  8390. The reporting requirements of this chapter apply only to those outages that the Independent System Operator, the commission, or the electrical corporation or local publicly owned electric utility has determined are the fault of the utility.  8390.   8391.  Each electrical corporation and local publicly owned electric utility shall annually post on its Internet Web site all of the following information relating to utility outage compensation claims for the previous year: (a)  Applications   The number of claims  still open from the previous year. (b)  New applications   The number of new claims  received.  (c) The number of incomplete applications received.   (d) Total number of incomplete applications that were still left incomplete by the end of the year.   (e) Pool of total   (c)     The total number of  applicants awaiting determination or judgment at the end of the year.  (f) Progress on processing applications.   (g) Current average   (d)     The median  time taken to process  applications.   claims once the outage was   determined to be the fault of the utility.   (h)   (e)  The number of  applications   claims  approved.  (i) The percentage of applications approved.   (j)   (f)  The number of  applications   claims  denied.  (k) The average number of days it took to close approved applications.   (l) The average number of days it took to close denied applications.   (m) The number of denied applications that were subsequently appealed.   (n) The number of successful appeals from denied applications.   (o) For the Successful appeals, the average number of days between the submission of the appeal and the closing of the appeal.   (p) The average amount paid for successful claims.   SEC. 2.   No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because a local agency or school district has the authority to levy service charges, fees, or assessments sufficient to pay for the program or level of service mandated by this act, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code.