House Study Bill 189 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE _____
BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE
ON COMMERCE BILL BY
CHAIRPERSON LUNDGREN)
A BILL FOR
1 An Act relating to rate increase notice requirements for public
2 utilities.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
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1 Section 1. Section 476.6, subsection 2, Code 2023, is
2 amended to read as follows:
3 2. Written notice of increase. All public utilities,
4 except those exempted from rate regulation by section 476.1
5 and telecommunications service providers registered pursuant
6 to section 476.95A, shall give written notice of a proposed
7 increase of any rate or charge to all affected customers
8 served by the public utility no more than sixty-two thirty
9 days prior to the time the application for the increase is
10 filed with the board. Public utilities exempted from rate
11 regulation by section 476.1, except telecommunications service
12 providers registered pursuant to section 476.95A, shall give
13 written notice of a proposed increase of any rate or charge to
14 all affected customers served by the public utility at least
15 thirty days prior to the effective date of the increase. If
16 the public utility is subject to rate regulation, the written
17 notice to affected customers shall also include an estimate of
18 the total bill impact on a typical customer in each affected
19 customer class, provide a general explanation of the board’s
20 rate increase review process, and state that the customer has a
21 right to file a written objection to the rate increase and that
22 the affected customers may request the board to hold a public
23 hearing to determine if the rate increase should be allowed.
24 The board shall prescribe the manner and method that the
25 written notice to each affected customer of the public utility
26 shall be served in the manner in which the customer elects to
27 receive bills and other communications from the public utility.
28 EXPLANATION
29 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
30 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
31 This bill relates to rate increase notice requirements for
32 public utilities.
33 The bill modifies the date specified public utilities
34 shall notify their customers of a proposed rate or charge
35 increase from 62 to 30 days before the public utility files an
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1 application with the Iowa utilities board for the proposed rate
2 or charge increase. The bill provides that a notice relating
3 to rate increase information shall include an estimate of the
4 bill impact for a typical customer, an explanation of the Iowa
5 utilities board’s rate increase review process, and that the
6 customer has a right to file an objection and request a public
7 hearing. The bill provides that written notice of the increase
8 shall be delivered in the same method that the customer elects
9 to receive bills and other communications from the utility.
10 The bill removes the requirement that the Iowa utilities board
11 prescribe the manner and method that the notice is to be
12 served.
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