| TO: | Honorable John Carona, Chair, Senate Committee on Business & Commerce |
| FROM: | John S O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | SB1153 by Williams (Relating to the authority of the Public Utility Commission of Texas regarding an electric utility's membership in or control by a regional transmission organization or independent system operator and to participate in certain proceedings before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regarding an electric utility's membership in a power region, regional transmission organization, or independent system operator.), As Introduced |
The bill would amend the Utilities Code to allow the Public Utility Commission (PUC) to order certain electric utilities to interact with, join, or submit to the operation control of a regional transmission organization or independent system operator. The bill would also allow the PUC to engage any consultant, accountant, auditor, engineer or attorney that the commission considers necessary to assist the PUC in a proceeding before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for certain proceedings. The bill would require electric utilities to reimburse the PUC for reasonable costs of such persons.
Based on the analysis of the Public Utility Commission and the Office of the Attorney General, it is assumed that duties and responsibilities associated with implementing the provisions of the bill could be accomplished by utilizing existing resources.
| Source Agencies: | 302 Office of the Attorney General, 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 473 Public Utility Commission of Texas
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| LBB Staff: | JOB, AG, MW, RAN
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