Rhode Island 2025 Regular Session

Rhode Island Senate Bill S0599 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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5	5	2025 -- S 0599
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7	7	LC001349
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9	9	S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
10	10	IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
11	11	JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
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13	13
14	14	A N A C T
15	15	RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
16	16	Introduced By: Senators Sosnowski, Murray, and Britto
17	17	Date Introduced: March 06, 2025
18	18	Referred To: Senate Commerce
19	19	(Division of Public Utilities & Carriers)
20	20
21	21	It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
22	22	SECTION 1. Section 39-1-26 of the General Laws in Chapter 39-1 entitled "Public Utilities 1
23	23	Commission" is hereby amended to read as follows: 2
24	24	39-1-26. Public utilities reserve fund created — Appropriations — Recovery of 3
25	25	expenses from utility companies. 4
26	26	(a) There is hereby created a fund to be known as the public utilities reserve account, an 5
27	27	account within the public utilities commission in the general fund. Such account, hereinafter 6
28	28	referred to as the “fund,” shall be used for the purpose of providing the financial means for the 7
29	29	commission and division to purchase materials, and to employ on a contract or other basis, legal 8
30	30	counsel, official stenographers, engineers, accountants, economists, and other expert witnesses, and 9
31	31	for other necessary expenses of the commission and division in investigations and hearings related 10
32	32	to applications and filings made by public utilities, or commission- or division-initiated 11
33	33	investigations into utility operating practices, or related appeals to state or federal courts or in 12
34	34	relevant regulatory matters before federal agencies. The general assembly shall annually 13
35	35	appropriate to the fund a sum equal to twenty-five one thousandths of one percent (.00025%) of 14
36	36	the gross, annual operating revenues of gas, electric, and telephone companies attributable to their 15
37	37	conduct of intrastate operations in this state during the year next preceding; provided, however, that 16
38	38	if at June 30, in any year the balance in the fund shall be in excess of one hundred thousand dollars 17
39	39	($100,000), the amount of the excess shall forthwith be transferred to the general fund of the state. 18
40	40	Prebilled revenue shall be excluded from an excess balance to be transferred to the general fund. 19
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43	43	LC001349 - Page 2 of 4
44	44	The state controller is authorized and directed to draw his or her orders upon the general treasurer 1
45	45	for the payment from the fund of such sums as may be required from time to time upon receipt by 2
46	46	him or her of proper vouchers approved by the administrator. 3
47	47	(b) The public utility making an application or filing to the commission or division, or 4
48	48	subject to a commission- or division-initiated investigation, or any public utility distributing 5
49	49	electricity or gas whose retail rates would be affected by a proceeding before an agency of the 6
50	50	federal government or a federal court, shall be charged with and shall pay a portion of the expenses 7
51	51	reasonably so incurred by the commission and by the division for the purchase of materials and for 8
52	52	the employment of legal counsel, official stenographers, engineers, accountants, and expert 9
53	53	witnesses, and for travel and other necessary expenses as are reasonably attributable to the 10
54	54	investigation or the hearing of the proposal by the commission and the division, or to the 11
55	55	administrator’s representation of the state before federal or state courts or an agency of the federal 12
56	56	government. The administrator or the commission chairperson, as appropriate, shall ascertain the 13
57	57	expenses and shall determine the amount to be paid by the public utility company or companies, 14
58	58	and bills shall be rendered therefor either at the conclusion of the investigation or hearing, or from 15
59	59	time to time during its progress, and the amount of each bill so rendered shall be paid by the public 16
60	60	utility to the administrator or the commission, as appropriate, within thirty (30) days from the date 17
61	61	of its rendition unless, within the thirty-day (30) time period, the public utility so billed shall request 18
62	62	an opportunity to be heard by the commission as to the amount thereof. The commission shall 19
63	63	comply with any such request. Any amount of the bill not paid within thirty (30) days from the date 20
64	64	of service of the determination upon the hearing, or, if none shall be requested, within thirty (30) 21
65	65	days from the date of rendition of the bill, shall draw interest at the rate of twelve percent (12%) 22
66	66	per annum. At the discretion of the administrator, or the commission chairperson, as appropriate, 23
67	67	utility companies may be prebilled for contractual services utilized by the commission or division. 24
68	68	Any revenue received from public utilities not expended upon the completion of the case will be 25
69	69	promptly reimbursed to the utility company. The total amount that may be charged to any public 26
70	70	utility under authority of this section for proceedings before the commission or division or in related 27
71	71	appeals before state or federal courts in any calendar year shall not exceed seven hundred and fifty 28
72	72	thousand dollars ($750,000), provided that any indirect one million dollars ($1,000,000). Indirect 29
73	73	cost recovery obligations pursuant to § 35-4-27 shall constitute a separate and additional assessment 30
74	74	to public utilities to be added to the foregoing expense assessment limit limits; in addition, the total 31
75	75	amount that may be charged against any public utility under authority of this section for the 32
76	76	administrator’s representation of the state before agencies of the federal government in any calendar 33
77	77	year shall not exceed two hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) five hundred thousand 34
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81	81	dollars ($500,000). All moneys collected by the administrator or the commission pursuant to this 1
82	82	section shall be paid by him or her monthly to the general treasurer to be added to the public utilities 2
83	83	reserve fund. 3
84	84	(c) The division of public utilities and carriers shall adopt by regulation, a fee schedule for 4
85	85	all telecommunications filings, including initial applications and annual registrations, by 5
86	86	telecommunications providers that are not otherwise subject to the provisions of subsection (a) or 6
87	87	(b) of this section. The money assessed and paid shall be paid into the general fund and shall not 7
88	88	be a part of the public utilities reserve fund. 8
89	89	(d) The general assembly shall annually appropriate such sums as it may deem necessary 9
90	90	for the salaries of the commissioners and their expenses incurred in the performance of their duties, 10
91	91	and for the operations of the commission and the division and payment of such office expenses and 11
92	92	assistance as from time to time may be required. The state controller is authorized and directed to 12
93	93	draw his or her orders upon the general treasurer for the payment of such sum, or so much thereof, 13
94	94	as may be required from time to time upon receipt by him or her of vouchers approved by the 14
95	95	administrator or his or her authorized agent. 15
96	96	SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 16
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103	103	EXPLANATION
104	104	BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
105	105	OF
106	106	A N A C T
107	107	RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
108	108	***
109	109	This act would increase the public utilities reserve fund cap and the cap on expenses 1
110	110	relating to the public utilities commission and the division of public utilities and carriers 2
111	111	representing the state before federal agencies. 3
112	112	This act would take effect upon passage. 4
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