1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to utilities; requiring correction of fee for 
  1.3             storage of high-level radioactive waste or spent 
  1.4             nuclear fuel; limiting amount spent on contracts for 
  1.5             telecommunication relay systems; providing for 
  1.6             development of midwest regulatory agreement regarding 
  1.7             utilities; requiring investigation and legislative 
  1.8             report on utility rate unbundling; amending Laws 1995, 
  1.9             chapter 254, article 1, section 93; proposing coding 
  1.10            for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 116C. 
  1.11  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.12     Section 1.  [116C.83] [FEE FOR STORAGE OF SPENT NUCLEAR 
  1.13  FUEL; ESCROW ACCOUNT.] 
  1.14     Beginning July 1, 1996, the commissioner of public service 
  1.15  shall collect the fee required under United States Code, title 
  1.16  42, section 10222, from persons generating or holding title to 
  1.17  high-level radioactive waste or spent nuclear fuel in the 
  1.18  state.  The commissioner shall place all revenues collected from 
  1.19  this fee into an interest-bearing escrow account.  The 
  1.20  commissioner shall release the funds in the escrow account to 
  1.21  the secretary of the federal department of energy upon a showing 
  1.22  by the secretary that:  
  1.23     (1) the federal government has accepted title to the 
  1.24  high-level radioactive waste or spent nuclear fuel; and 
  1.25     (2) a federal repository for the long-term storage and 
  1.26  permanent disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level 
  1.27  radioactive waste is operating and currently accepting these 
  1.28  materials.  
  2.1      Sec. 2.  Laws 1995, chapter 254, article 1, section 93, is 
  2.2   amended to read:  
  2.3      Sec. 93.  [SPENDING LIMITATION ON CONTRACTS.] 
  2.4      (a) During the biennium ending June 30, 1997, the aggregate 
  2.5   amount spent by all departments or agencies defined in Minnesota 
  2.6   Statutes, section 15.91, subdivision 1, on professional or 
  2.7   technical service contracts may not exceed 95 percent of the 
  2.8   aggregate amount these departments or agencies spent on these 
  2.9   contracts during the biennium from July 1, 1993, to June 30, 
  2.10  1995.  For purposes of this section, professional or technical 
  2.11  service contracts are as defined in Minnesota Statutes, section 
  2.12  16B.17, but do not include contracts for highway construction or 
  2.13  maintenance, contracts between state agencies, contracts paid 
  2.14  for from insurance trust funds, gift and deposit funds, capital 
  2.15  projects funds, or federal funds, contracts with private 
  2.16  collection agencies, contracts that are entered into in 
  2.17  connection with the agency's distribution of grant funds, or 
  2.18  contracts entered into under Minnesota Statutes, section 
  2.19  16B.35 or 237.54.  The governor or a designated official must 
  2.20  limit or disapprove proposed contracts as necessary to comply 
  2.21  with this section. 
  2.22     (b) During the biennium ending June 30, 1997, the amount 
  2.23  spent by (1) the house of representatives; (2) the senate; and 
  2.24  (3) the legislative coordinating commission and all groups under 
  2.25  its jurisdiction, from direct-appropriated funds on professional 
  2.26  or technical service contracts may not exceed 95 percent of the 
  2.27  amount spent on these contracts from direct-appropriated funds 
  2.28  during the biennium from July 1, 1993, to June 30, 1995.  Each 
  2.29  entity listed in clauses (1), (2), and (3) of this paragraph 
  2.30  must be treated separately for purposes of determining 
  2.31  compliance with this paragraph, except that the legislative 
  2.32  coordinating commission and all groups under its jurisdiction 
  2.33  must be treated as one unit.  For purposes of this paragraph, 
  2.34  "professional or technical service contract" has the meaning 
  2.35  defined in section 16B.17, but does not include contracts for 
  2.36  actuarial services entered into by the legislative commission on 
  3.1   pensions and retirement, or contracts with other legislative or 
  3.2   state executive agencies.  The house of representatives 
  3.3   committee on rules and legislative administration, the senate 
  3.4   committee on rules and administration, and the legislative 
  3.5   coordinating commission must each determine the amount of the 
  3.6   reduction to be made under this paragraph. 
  3.7      Sec. 3.  [REGIONAL REGULATORY AGREEMENT.] 
  3.8      In light of the changing regulatory environment, the 
  3.9   commissioner of the department of public service, in 
  3.10  consultation with the chair of the public utilities commission, 
  3.11  and the attorney general shall initiate discussions with their 
  3.12  regulatory counterparts in the midwest region of the country 
  3.13  regarding the development of an effective interstate regulatory 
  3.14  agreement for the coordination and regulation of public 
  3.15  utilities in the region.  The commissioner shall report to the 
  3.16  house and senate legislative committees with jurisdiction over 
  3.17  the regulation of public utilities on the progress of these 
  3.18  discussions by January 15, 1997, as well as any regulatory or 
  3.19  legislative changes necessary to foster the development of an 
  3.20  agreement. 
  3.21     Sec. 4.  [UNBUNDLED RATES.] 
  3.22     The public utilities commission shall initiate an 
  3.23  investigation into the unbundling of electric utility rates.  
  3.24  The investigation should include inquiries into the extent of 
  3.25  unbundling that should be required, the process for calculating 
  3.26  unbundled rates, the conditions under which unbundling may be 
  3.27  beneficial, the likely impact of unbundled rates on the industry 
  3.28  and on each class of consumer, and the time frame for requiring 
  3.29  utilities to unbundle rates.  The commission shall report the 
  3.30  findings and recommendations of the investigation to the house 
  3.31  and senate legislative committees with jurisdiction over 
  3.32  electric utility regulation by October 31, 1996.