AB 1180 — Rates and charges for water service: payment transaction fees.

Summary

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical, gas, and water corporations. Existing law authorizes the commission to fix the rates and charges for every public utility, and requires that those rates and charges be just and reasonable. Existing law authorizes an electrical, gas, or water corporation to offer credit card and debit card bill payment options, if approved by the commission, and, upon approval, authorizes an electrical, gas, or water corporation to recover, through an individual customer transaction fee, reasonable transaction costs incurred by the electrical, gas, or water corporation from those customers that choose those methods of payment. Existing law includes statements of legislative intent relative to electrical, gas, and water corporations offering customers the option to pay by credit card or debit card. This bill would, until January 1, 2022, authorize a water corporation with more than 10,000 service connections to seek commission approval, through its general rate case application, to operate a pilot program designed to evaluate customer interest in, and utilization of, bill payment options, including, but not limited to, credit card, debit card, and prepaid card bill payment options, and to assess the cost-effectiveness of, and customer interests served by, customer access to those bill payment options. The bill would limit the duration of a pilot program to the duration of the water corporation's rate case cycle. The bill would require the commission to allow a water corporation to recover the reasonable expenses incurred by the water corporation in providing its customers with these bill payment options, and to allow water corporations to not impose a transaction fee on its customers for using these bill payment options. The bill would prohibit the costs of a pilot program from being collected from low-income customers who participate in specified programs, and would require a water corporation that is operating a pilot program to provide certain notifications to its customers. The bill would require the commission, in consultation with the Low-Income Oversight Board, by July 1, 2020, to submit a report to specified legislative committees that, based on specified assessments, evaluates the usefulness of an individual customer transaction fee and includes a recommendation regarding individual customer transaction fees for credit card, debit card, and prepaid card bill payments accepted by water corporations.

Bill Text

• Chaptered 09/09/16 - Chaptered Current pdf September 09, 2016
• Enrolled 08/23/16 - Enrolled pdf August 23, 2016
• Amended 08/08/16 - Amended Senate pdf August 08, 2016
• Amended 06/06/16 - Amended Senate pdf June 06, 2016
• Amended 01/13/16 - Amended Assembly pdf January 13, 2016
• Amended 01/04/16 - Amended Assembly pdf January 04, 2016
• Amended 04/09/15 - Amended Assembly pdf April 09, 2015
• Introduced 02/27/15 - Introduced pdf February 27, 2015
• AB1180 View text html

Action History

1. September 09, 2016

   Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 254, Statutes of 2016.

2. September 09, 2016

   Approved by the Governor.

3. August 26, 2016

   Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4:30 p.m.

4. August 22, 2016

   Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 75. Noes 0. Page 6040.).

5. August 16, 2016

   In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after August 18 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.

6. August 15, 2016

   Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 4980.).

7. August 09, 2016

   Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

8. August 08, 2016

   Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

9. June 28, 2016

   Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

10. June 27, 2016

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (June 27).

11. June 14, 2016

    Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

12. June 14, 2016

    Withdrawn from committee.

13. June 14, 2016

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on N.R. & W. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (June 13). Re-referred to Com. on N.R. & W.

14. June 06, 2016

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on E., U., & C.

15. February 04, 2016

    Referred to Coms. on E., U., & C. and N.R. & W.

16. January 25, 2016

    In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

17. January 25, 2016

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 71. Noes 3. Page 3477.)

18. January 21, 2016

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

19. January 21, 2016

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 17. Noes 0.) (January 21).

20. January 21, 2016

    In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.

21. January 14, 2016

    Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

22. January 13, 2016

    Read second time and amended.

23. January 12, 2016

    From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (January 11).

24. January 04, 2016

    Re-referred to Com. on U. & C.

25. January 04, 2016

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on U. & C. Read second time and amended.

26. April 13, 2015

    In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.

27. April 13, 2015

    Re-referred to Com. on U. & C.

28. April 09, 2015

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on U. & C. Read second time and amended.

29. March 23, 2015

    Referred to Com. on U. & C.

30. March 02, 2015

    Read first time.

31. March 01, 2015

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 31.

32. February 27, 2015

    Introduced. To print.

Sponsors

• Robert Garcia · Primary

Votes

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