SRC-DBM S.B. 1384 76(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 1384
76R1505 DWS-DBy: Shapleigh
Economic Development
4/11/1999
As Filed


DIGEST 

Currently, the Office of Public Utility Counsel (office), an independent
state agency, represents residential and small business telephone and
electric utility consumers in utility proceedings before the Public Utility
Commission (PUC), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Federal
Communications Commission, and in state and federal courts to ensure that
utility services are available to those consumers at just and reasonable
rates.  Deregulation of the telecommunications industry has brought about
an increasingly competitive environment and significantly increased the
number of regulatory issues before the PUC and utility-related litigation
in both state and federal courts.  The PUC has expanded its use of
alternative dispute resolution (ADR) proceedings to manage its workload and
to resolve regulatory issues more quickly.  Residential and small business
utility consumers often have substantial interests at stake in ADR
proceedings and in utility-related litigation; however, in the absence of
specific statutory authority, the office is unable to represent them in ADR
proceedings before the PUC and other regulatory agencies.  S.B. 1384 would
set forth provisions for the Office of Public Utility Counsel to represent
certain persons in certain proceedings.  

PURPOSE

As proposed, S.B. 1384 sets forth provisions for the Office of Public
Utility Counsel to represent certain persons in certain proceedings. 

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 Section 13.003(a), Utilities Code, to authorize the
Office of Public Utility Counsel to appear or intervene, as a party or
otherwise, as a matter of right on behalf of residential consumers, as a
class, in any preceding before the Public Utility Commission, including an
alternative dispute resolution proceeding; and is authorized to initiate or
intervene as a matter of right or otherwise in a judicial proceeding in
which the public utility counsellor determines that residential consumers
or small business consumers are in need of representation. 

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