SRC-JRN S.B. 1371 75(R)   BILL ANALYSIS



Senate Research Center   S.B. 1371
By: Patterson
State Affairs
3-21-97
As Filed


DIGEST 

Currently, no state law provides for the consolidation of multiple bills
into one bill.  Some large retail or wholesale businesses with multiple
outlets in the certificated area of any utility company are paying one
bill per site, creating multiple billing.  This bill allows a utility
company to combine the billing into one bill for customers having multiple
billing locations. 

PURPOSE

As proposed, S.B. 1371 allows a utility company to combine the billing
into one bill for customers having multiple billing locations. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, institution, or agency. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Article 1446c-0, V.T.C.S., (Public Utility Regulatory
Act of 1995), by adding Section 2.157, as follows: 

Sec. 2.157.  CUSTOMER ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT.  Authorizes a person that
purchases electricity from an investor-owned electric utility in more than
one metered location to have the option to receive a single bill based on
the aggregated load for any or all of its metered locations within the
utility's certificated service area, notwithstanding any other provision
in this Act.  Requires a customer who chooses this option to notify the
utility in writing.  Requires the utility to have 30 days from the date it
receives notification in which to convert that person's accounts. 

SECTION 2. Emergency clause.
  Effective date: upon passage.