House Panel Approves PSC Reform Bill
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) — A House bill that calls for a number of reforms at the Florida Public Service Commission, including term limits for commissioners, has cleared another hurdle.
On Tuesday, the House Government Operations Appropriations Subcommittee unanimously supported the measure which limits future Public Service Commission members to three consecutive terms, requires commissioners to undergo annual ethics training and requires people lobbying the utility-regulating commission to register as lobbyists.
The bill also would prevent electric utilities from charging higher rates through the extension of billing cycles and require utilities to notify customers of the best available rates.
Bill sponsor Mike La Rosa, R-St. Cloud, said the proposal is intended to clarify regulatory practices and enhance public confidence in the commission.
Susan Glickman, Florida director for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, said based upon past decisions made by the commission "this bill does not go nearly far enough."
The proposal also needs to be approved by the House Regulatory Affairs Committee before it can reach the House floor.
A mostly similar Senate bill (SB 288) has cleared one committee and awaits a hearing in the Senate Appropriations Committee before it can reach the Senate floor. Another Senate proposal (SB 230) focused on prohibiting rate hikes through the extension of billing cycles has cleared two committees, with one to go. A third Senate bill (SB 170) that would limit future commissioners to two consecutive terms hasn't been heard in any committees.
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.