Bill > SB981

This bill modifies the rules for individuals serving on or working for the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), which is the state agency that regulates utility companies. Specifically, it changes the qualifications for becoming a commissioner by prohibiting individuals who have been an "executive officer" (a high-level manager) of a regulated public utility within the two years prior to their appointment, with an exception for those appointed before January 1, 2013. The bill also adds a new section that defines "executive employee of the commission" to include various high-ranking staff members and advisors, and it establishes a two-year "cooling-off period" after leaving the commission for these individuals, as well as for commissioners and the commission's attorney, during which they cannot represent any regulated entity before the PUC in a way that aims to influence commission decisions, with exceptions for court appearances or proceedings before other administrative agencies. Furthermore, the commission itself is prohibited from hiring anyone as an executive employee or appointing an attorney if that person was an executive officer of a regulated utility within the previous two years, with this rule taking effect for hires or appointments made on or after January 1, 2013.