Bill > SB599

This bill makes several changes to provisions related to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) in California: 1. It expands the PUC's annual reporting requirements on the progress of women, minority, disabled veteran, and LGBTQ business enterprise development programs to include electric service providers and additional utilities. 2. It repeals a requirement for the PUC to submit an annual assessment on the success of the California Solar Initiative program, effective January 1, 2024. 3. It establishes new procedures for the PUC's handling of "catastrophic wildfire proceedings" related to wildfires caused by electrical corporations, including allowing the PUC to meet in closed session and establish "quiet periods" before decisions. 4. It requires the PUC to develop and implement outreach programs to inform and recruit diverse businesses to apply for procurement contracts with larger utilities and electric service providers. 5. It expands the criminal penalties for falsely representing a business as a diverse enterprise when seeking utility procurement contracts. 6. It authorizes eligible corporations to consider certain measures to include diverse and small businesses in their contracting.

Budget and Finance, Transportation and Infrastructure

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB599