Bill > HB748

This bill establishes a new funding mechanism for the Office of the Public Counsel (OPC), which represents consumer interests in utility regulation. The bill requires the public counsel to estimate annual expenses related to regulating different types of public utilities, including electrical, gas, water, heating, and sewer corporations. These estimates will be used to assess a proportional fee on utilities based on their gross intrastate operating revenues. The total assessment cannot exceed 0.057% of total utility revenues, and utilities can choose to pay the assessment in full by July 15th or in four equal quarterly installments. The collected funds will be deposited into a special "Office of the Public Counsel Fund" dedicated solely to funding the OPC's operations. Any unspent funds at the end of the fiscal year will not revert to the general revenue fund but will instead be applied to reduce the next year's utility assessments. Notably, telephone and telegraph corporations are exempt from this assessment. The bill aims to ensure stable, predictable funding for the OPC while distributing the cost equitably across different utility sectors.

Government Affairs, Transportation and Infrastructure

https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB748&year=2025&code=R