| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to the funding for and user friendliness of the website |
|
|
operated by the Public Utility Commission of Texas to provide |
|
|
information regarding the power to choose retail electric |
|
|
providers. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that |
|
|
(a) The Public Utility Commission of Texas operates a |
|
|
website regarding the power to choose retail electric providers on |
|
|
which offers by those providers are published; |
|
|
(b) The website is not easily usable and does not provide |
|
|
the transparency necessary for consumers; |
|
|
(c) The State of Texas pays for the website and consumer |
|
|
education of electricity rates that in fiscal year 2010-2011 cost |
|
|
$750,000; |
|
|
(d) The Legislative Budget Board of Texas has proposed |
|
|
drastic cuts to the budget for the website and consumer education of |
|
|
electricity rates in fiscal year 2012-2013; and |
|
|
(a) Any such cuts may affect a consumer's power to choose |
|
|
retail electric providers. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 39, Utilities Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 39.111 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 39.111. PRIVATIZATION OF THE POWER TO CHOOSE WEBSITE. |
|
|
(a) The Public Utilities Commission of Texas shall |
|
|
privatize the power to choose website at a cost of a minimum of |
|
|
twenty-five percent less than the current cost to the State of Texas |
|
|
and allow a request for proposal for privatization; |
|
|
(b) The Public Utilities Commission of Texas by rule shall |
|
|
prohibit companies that are headquartered outside of the State of |
|
|
Texas or that are owned, operated or controlled by a retail electric |
|
|
provider, as defined by the Public Utilities Commission of Texas, |
|
|
from participating in the request for proposal; |
|
|
(c) The Public Utilities Commission of Texas by rule shall |
|
|
establish additional protocols relating to the request for proposal |
|
|
through which competitive bids will be accepted; |
|
|
(d) The Public Utilities Commission of Texas by rule shall |
|
|
require any request for proposal to bid the redesign of the website |
|
|
to be more user friendly and the redevelopment of the website |
|
|
content and usability that truly benefit a consumer's power to |
|
|
choose; |
|
|
(e) The commission by rule shall establish protocols |
|
|
relating to the frequency with which information posted on the |
|
|
website is updated. |
|
|
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011. |