Amend CSSB 20 (house committee report) by adding the following appropriately numbered SECTION and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of the bill accordingly:
SECTION ____. Subchapter C, Chapter 2003, Government Code, is amended by adding Section 2003.0495 to read as follows:
Sec. 2003.0495. CERTAIN GAS UTILITY RATEMAKING HEARINGS. (a) In this section, "railroad commission" means the Railroad Commission of Texas.
(b) The railroad commission shall contract with the office to have the utility division perform contested case hearings for contested cases related to ratemaking proceedings involving a municipal gas utility matter.
(c) For the purposes of the contract required by this section, the railroad commission shall develop and execute a statement of work to initiate services under the contract, as defined by Section 2157.0685, and is subject the requirements of that section.
(d) The office shall conduct all contested case hearings governed by railroad commission rules that:
(1) are related to ratemaking procedures;
(2) were proposed by the railroad commission after January 1, 2014; and
(3) become effective on or after September 1, 2015.
(e) This section does not affect the jurisdiction or authority of the railroad commission in relation to a contested case hearing that is not subject to a rule or policy governing ratemaking proceedings, discovery limitations, alignment of parties, reimbursement of a municipality's reasonable cost of participating in ratemaking proceedings, or collection of rate case expenses from ratepayers of gas utilities described by Subsection (d).
(f) The railroad commission by rule shall require the gas utility that is a party to a proceeding under this section to pay for the costs associated with the contested case as provided by Section 103.022, Utilities Code.
(g) The comptroller, in conjunction with the office of the governor, shall evaluate the benefits of consolidating all contested utility matters within the office. The comptroller shall report these findings in the report required under Section 403.03057.