HF 6

1st Engrossment - 90th Legislature (2017 - 2018) Posted on 03/23/2017 04:31pm

A bill for an act
relating to utilities; modifying membership on the Public Utilities Commission;
amending Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 216A.03, subdivision 1, by adding a
subdivision.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 216A.03, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

Members.

The Public Utilities Commission shall consist of deleted text begin five deleted text end new text begin nine new text end
members new text begin , eight of whom shall each represent one of the state's congressional districts, and
one member appointed at large. At the time of appointment, each member, except for the
at-large appointee, must reside in the congressional district the member is to represent new text end . The
terms of members shall be six years and until their successors have been appointed and
qualified. Each commissioner shall be appointed by the governor by and with the advice
and consent of the senate. Not more than deleted text begin three deleted text end new text begin five new text end commissioners shall belong to the same
political party. deleted text begin At least one commissioner must have been domiciled at the time of
appointment outside the seven-county metropolitan area. If the membership of the
commission after July 31, 1986, does not consist of at least one member domiciled at the
time of appointment outside the seven-county metropolitan area, the membership shall
conform to this requirement following normal attrition of the present commissioners. deleted text end The
governor when selecting commissioners shall give consideration to persons learned in the
law or persons who have engaged in the profession of engineering, public accounting,
property and utility valuation, finance, physical or natural sciences, production agriculture,
or natural resources as well as being representative of the general public.

deleted text begin For purposes of this subdivision, "seven-county metropolitan area" means Anoka, Carver,
Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington Counties.
deleted text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment.
new text end

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 216A.03, is amended by adding a subdivision to
read:

new text begin Subd. 2a. new text end

new text begin Transition. new text end

new text begin (a) Until the governor has appointed commissioners from each
congressional district and one at-large commissioner, this subdivision governs membership
of the commission.
new text end

new text begin (b) Members of the commission as of July 1, 2017, shall continue to serve until the
expiration of their terms.
new text end

new text begin (c) No later than October 1, 2017, the governor shall appoint commissioners from the
first, second, seventh, and eighth congressional districts for terms to begin January 2, 2018.
new text end

new text begin (d) No later than October 1, 2018, the governor shall appoint a commissioner from the
third congressional district for a term to begin January 8, 2019.
new text end

new text begin (e) No later than October 1, 2019, the governor shall appoint a commissioner from the
fourth congressional district for a term to begin January 7, 2020.
new text end

new text begin (f) No later than October 1, 2020, the governor shall appoint a commissioner from the
fifth congressional district for a term to begin January 5, 2021.
new text end

new text begin (g) No later than October 1, 2021, the governor shall appoint a commissioner from the
sixth congressional district for a term to begin January 4, 2022.
new text end

new text begin (h) No later than October 1, 2022, the governor shall appoint a commissioner to serve
at large for a term to begin January 4, 2023.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment.
new text end