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94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2005 and 2006 HB4977
Introduced 1/20/2006, by Rep. George Scully, Jr. SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: |
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220 ILCS 5/Art. XX heading new |
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220 ILCS 5/20-101 new |
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220 ILCS 5/20-102 new |
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220 ILCS 5/20-105 new |
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220 ILCS 5/20-110 new |
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220 ILCS 5/20-120 new |
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Amends the Public Utilities Act. Creates a new Article concerning retail electric competition. Requires the Illinois Commerce Commission to establish an Office of Retail Market Development and employ a Director of Retail Market Development. Sets forth the powers and duties of the Office. Requires the Director to present to the Commission, the General Assembly, and the Governor a detailed plan designed to promote retail electric competition for residential and small commercial electricity consumers. Requires the Commission to post the plan on its web site. Provides for a period of public comment on the plan. Effective immediately.
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A BILL FOR
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HB4977 |
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LRB094 16740 MKM 52011 b |
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| AN ACT concerning public utilities.
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| Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| represented in the General Assembly:
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| Section 5. The Public Utilities Act is amended by adding |
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| Sections 20-101, 20-102, 20-105, 20-110, and 20-120 and the |
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| heading of Article XX as follows: |
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| (220 ILCS 5/Art. XX heading new) |
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| ARTICLE XX. RETAIL ELECTRIC COMPETITION |
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| (220 ILCS 5/20-101 new) |
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| Sec. 20-101. This Article may be cited as the Retail |
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| Electric Competition Act of 2006. |
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| (220 ILCS 5/20-102 new) |
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| Sec. 20-102. Findings and intent.
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| (a) A competitive wholesale electricity market alone will |
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| not deliver the full benefits of competition to Illinois |
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| consumers. For Illinois consumers to receive products, prices |
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| and terms tailored to meet their needs, a competitive wholesale |
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| electricity market must be closely linked to a competitive |
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| retail electric market. |
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| (b) To date, as a result of the Electric Service Customer |
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| Choice and Rate Relief Law of 1997, thousands of large Illinois |
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| commercial and industrial consumers have experienced the |
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| benefits of a competitive retail electricity market. |
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| Alternative electric retail suppliers actively compete to |
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| supply electricity to large Illinois commercial and industrial |
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| consumers with attractive prices, terms, and conditions. |
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| (c) A competitive retail electric market does not yet exist |
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| for residential and small commercial consumers. As a result, |
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| millions of residential and small commercial consumers in |
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| Illinois are faced with escalating heating and power bills and |
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HB4977 |
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LRB094 16740 MKM 52011 b |
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| are unable to shop for alternatives to the rates demanded by |
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| the State's incumbent electric utilities. |
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| (d) The General Assembly reiterates its findings from the |
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| Electric Service Customer Choice and Rate Relief Law of 1997 |
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| that the Illinois Commerce Commission should promote the |
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| development of an effectively competitive retail electricity |
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| market that operates efficiently and benefits all Illinois |
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| consumers. |
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| (220 ILCS 5/20-105 new)
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| Sec. 20-105. Definitions. In this Article: |
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| "Director" means the Director of the Office of Retail |
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| Market Development. |
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| "Office" means the Office of Retail Market |
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| Development. |
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| (220 ILCS 5/20-110 new) |
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| Sec. 20-110. Office of Retail Market Development.
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| Within 90 days after the effective date of this amendatory |
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| Act of the 94th General Assembly, the Commission shall |
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| establish an Office of Retail Market Development and employ on |
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| its staff a Director of Retail Market Development to oversee |
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| the Office. The Director shall have authority to employ or |
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| otherwise retain at least 2 professionals dedicated to the task |
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| of actively seeking out ways to promote retail competition in |
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| Illinois to benefit all Illinois consumers. |
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| The Office shall actively seek input from all interested |
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| parties and shall develop a thorough understanding and critical |
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| analyses of the tools and techniques used to promote retail |
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| competition in other states. |
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| The Office shall monitor existing competitive conditions |
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| in Illinois, identify barriers to retail competition for all |
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| customer classes, and actively explore and propose to the |
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| Commission and to the General Assembly solutions to overcome |
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| identified barriers. Solutions proposed by the Office to |
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| promote retail competition must also promote safe, reliable, |
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LRB094 16740 MKM 52011 b |
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| and affordable electric service. |
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| On or before June 30 of each year, the Director shall |
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| submit a report to the Commission, the General Assembly, and |
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| the Governor, that details specific accomplishments achieved |
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| by the office in the prior 12 months in promoting retail |
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| electric competition and that suggests administrative and |
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| legislative action necessary to promote further improvements |
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| in retail electric competition. |
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| (220 ILCS 5/20-120 new) |
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| Sec. 20-120. Residential and small commercial retail |
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| electric competition. |
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| Within 12 months after the effective date of this |
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| amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly, the Director shall |
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| conduct research, gather input from all interested parties and |
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| develop and present to the Commission, the General Assembly, |
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| and the Governor a detailed plan designed to promote, in the |
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| most expeditious manner possible, retail electric competition |
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| for residential and small commercial electricity consumers |
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| while maintaining safe, reliable, and affordable service. |
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| Interested parties shall be given the opportunity to review the |
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| plan and provide written comments regarding the plan prior to |
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| its submission to the Commission, the General Assembly, and the |
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| Governor. Any written comments received by the Office shall be |
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| posted on the Commission's web site. The final plan submitted |
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| to the Commission, the General Assembly, and the Governor must |
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| include summaries of any written comments and must also be |
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| posted on the Commission's web site. |
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| To the extent the plan calls for Commission action, the |
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| Commission shall initiate any proceeding or proceedings called |
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| for in the final plan within 60 days after receipt of the final |
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| plan and complete those proceedings within 11 months after |
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| their initiation. |
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| Nothing in this Section shall prevent the Commission from |
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| acting earlier to remove identified barriers to retail electric |
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| competition for residential and small commercial consumers.
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