SB3016 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB099 19666 MLM 44063 b

99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2015 and 2016
SB3016

Introduced 2/18/2016, by Sen. Sue Rezin

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

220 ILCS 5/8-512 new

Amends the Public Utilities Act. Requires natural gas utilities that provide gas service to at least 500,000 retail customers in Illinois and an electric utility that services at least 1,000,000 retail customers in Illinois to create seamless move and enrollment programs. Requires the utilities to create a program to allow seamless and continued competitive supply service when that customer moves to another premise and allows the customer who moves premises within the same utility service territory to retain the same alternative retail gas supplier or alternative retail electric supplier and to keep certain terms of service. Requires the program to be implemented no later than 120 days after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Requires the utilities to create a program to allow customers the option of enrolling with an alternative retail electric supplier or an alternative gas supplier using information generally known to the customer, including information or identifiers carried on the customer's person. Requires the Illinois Commerce Commission to adopt rules concerning the allowed identifiers. Requires the program to be implemented no later than 120 days after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Effective immediately.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning regulation.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Public Utilities Act is amended by adding Section 8-512 as follows:

(220 ILCS 5/8-512 new)

Sec. 8-512. Retail customer choice enrollment access program. It is the policy of the State to allow for effective customer choice in retail electric and retail natural gas service. In order to ensure customers of alternative retail gas suppliers and alternative retail electric suppliers have fair, adequate, and efficient access to offers and pricing from these suppliers, a natural gas utility that provides gas service to at least 500,000 retail customers in Illinois and an electric utility that serves at least 1,000,000 retail customers in Illinois shall create the following seamless move and enrollment programs to facilitate the supply choices of its customers:

(1) A program to allow customers seamless and continued competitive supply service when that customer moves to another premise, which shall be implemented no later than 120 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly. The program shall be designed to allow a customer who moves premises within the same utility service territory to retain the same alternative retail gas supplier or alternative retail electric supplier. Early termination fees shall not apply for the first 6 months after a customer move. The program shall be designed to allow a customer to receive their existing supplier price terms and conditions as of the first day of service at the new address. An alternative retail electric supplier or an alternative retail electric supplier who chooses to use the seamless move program must receive affirmative consent from the customer.

(2) A program to allow customers the option of enrolling with an alternative retail electric supplier or an alternative gas supplier using information generally known to the customer, including information or identifiers carried on the customer's person, which shall be implemented no later than 120 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly. The program shall require the alternative retail electric supplier or alternative retail gas supplier receive affirmative confirmation of a customer's identity. The Commission shall adopt rules to determine allowed identifiers that would be known to a customer at any point in enrollment.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.