SF 3533

as introduced - 89th Legislature (2015 - 2016) Posted on 04/15/2016 08:53am

A bill for an act
relating to commerce; public utilities; providing supplemental appropriations;
creating a utility assessment account; appropriating money; amending
Minnesota Statutes 2014, sections 115C.13; 216B.62, subdivision 2, by adding
a subdivision; Laws 2015, First Special Session chapter 1, article 1, sections
8, subdivisions 1, 7; 9.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 115C.13, is amended to read:

115C.13 REPEALER.

Sections 115C.01, 115C.02, 115C.021, 115C.03, 115C.04, 115C.045, 115C.05,
115C.06, 115C.065, 115C.07, 115C.08, 115C.09, 115C.093, 115C.094, 115C.10, 115C.11,
115C.112, 115C.113, 115C.12, and 115C.13, are repealed effective June 30, deleted text begin 2017 deleted text end new text begin 2022 new text end .

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 216B.62, subdivision 2, is amended to read:

Subd. 2.

Assessing specific utility.

Whenever the commission or department, in a
proceeding upon its own motion, on complaint, or upon an application to it, shall deem it
necessary, in order to carry out the duties imposed under this chapter (1) to investigate the
books, accounts, practices, and activities of, or make appraisals of the property of, any
public utility, (2) to render any engineering or accounting services to any public utility, or
(3) to intervene before an energy regulatory agency, the public utility shall pay the expenses
reasonably attributable to the investigation, appraisal, service, or intervention. The
commission and department shall ascertain the expenses, and the department shall render
a bill therefor to the public utility, either at the conclusion of the investigation, appraisal,
or services, or from time to time during its progress, which bill shall constitute notice of
the assessment and a demand for payment. The amount of the bills so rendered by the
department shall be paid by the public utility into the state treasury within 30 days from the
date of rendition. The total amount, in any one calendar year, for which any public utility
shall become liable, by reason of costs incurred by the commission within that calendar
year, shall not exceed two-fifths of one percent of the gross operating revenue from retail
sales of gas, or electric service by the public utility within the state in the last preceding
calendar year. Where, pursuant to this subdivision, costs are incurred within any calendar
year which are in excess of two-fifths of one percent of the gross operating revenues, the
excess costs shall not be chargeable as part of the remainder under subdivision 3, but shall
be paid out of the general appropriation new text begin or special revenue fund new text end to the department and
commission. In the case of public utilities offering more than one public utility service
only the gross operating revenues from the public utility service in connection with which
the investigation is being conducted shall be considered when determining this limitation.

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 216B.62, is amended by adding a subdivision
to read:

new text begin Subd. 9. new text end

new text begin Utility assessment account; appropriation. new text end

new text begin The utility assessment
account is created as a separate account in the special revenue fund in the state treasury.
Funds received by the department for the assessment of costs related to the energy
planning and advocacy unit under subdivisions 2 and 3 must be deposited into this
account and are annually appropriated to the commissioner of commerce. Earnings,
such as interest, dividends, and any other earnings arising from account assets, must be
credited to the account. Assessments dated June 1, 2016, or later will be paid into the
utility assessment account.
new text end

Sec. 4.

Laws 2015, First Special Session chapter 1, article 1, section 8, subdivision 1,
is amended to read:

Subdivision 1. Total Appropriation

$

34,003,000

$

deleted text begin 34,073,000 deleted text end new text begin 32,073,000 new text end

Appropriations by Fund
	2016	2017
General	30,960,000	deleted text begin 31,030,000 deleted text end new text begin 29,030,000 new text end
Special Revenue	1,240,000	1,240,000
Petroleum Tank	1,052,000	1,052,000
Workers' Compensation	751,000	751,000

The amounts that may be spent for each
purpose are specified in the following
subdivisions.

Sec. 5.

Laws 2015, First Special Session chapter 1, article 1, section 8, subdivision 7,
is amended to read:

Subd. 7. Energy Resources

3,848,000

deleted text begin 3,845,000 deleted text end new text begin 1,845,000 new text end

$150,000 each year is for grants to
providers of low-income weatherization
services to install renewable energy
equipment in households that are eligible for
weatherization assistance under Minnesota's
weatherization assistance program state
plan as provided for in Minnesota Statutes,
section 216C.264.

$424,000 in fiscal year 2016 and $430,000
in fiscal year 2017 are for costs associated
with competitive rates for energy-intensive,
trade-exposed electric utility customers.
All general fund appropriations for costs
associated with competitive rates for
energy-intensive, trade-exposed electric
utility customers are recovered through
assessments under Minnesota Statutes,
section 216B.62.

Sec. 6.

Laws 2015, First Special Session chapter 1, article 1, section 9, is amended to
read:

Sec. 9. PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION

$

deleted text begin 6,966,000 deleted text end new text begin 7,191,000 new text end

$

deleted text begin 6,930,000 deleted text end new text begin 7,507,000 new text end

new text begin The general fund base for the Public Utilities
Commission is $7,444,000 in fiscal year
2018 and $7,444,000 in fiscal year 2019.
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