AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) created the "Power to Choose" website as a tool for consumers to make more informed choices when selecting retail electric providers (REPs) due to the deregulation of the electricity market in Texas. While this an important tool for consumers, several improvements need to be made to ensure consumers are getting enough information to make fully informed purchasing decisions.

 

S.B. 950 seeks to improve a consumer's access to important information necessary to make a fully informed decision when choosing an electric provider. It requires PUC to post on www.powertochoose.com information including complaints submitted to PUC about each REP and enforcement actions initiated and finalized by PUC against REPs, and to update this information not less than once every three months. S.B. 950 also requires that the information be easily accessible on the website.

 

As proposed, S.B. 602 amends current law relating to retail electric provider customer choice information.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the Public Utility Commission of Texas in SECTION 1 (Section 39.113, Utilities Code) of this bill.

 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1.  Amends Subchapter C, Chapter 39, Utilities Code, by adding Section 39.113, as follows:

 

Sec. 39.113.  ONLINE CUSTOMER CHOICE INFORMATION.  (a) Requires the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC), except to the extent that the information is specifically made confidential under other law, to provide access at www.powertochoose.com, or the successor website of www.powertochoose.com, to information regarding complaints submitted to PUC about each retail electric provider, enforcement actions initiated by PUC against each retail electric provider, and final enforcement actions taken by PUC against each retail electric provider.

 

(b) Requires PUC by rule to prescribe the manner in which the information must be presented and to ensure that the information is easily accessible and presented in a format that does not identify customers.

 

(c) Requires PUC by rule to require each retail electric provider to submit the information described by Subsection (a) to PUC if PUC requests the information.

 

(d)  Requires PUC to update the information described by Subsection (a) at least once every three months.

 

SECTION 2.  Effective date: September 1, 2013.