Public Utility Assessment
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Official record
Bill Summary - 21LSO-0042 Bill No.: HB0030 Effective: 7/1/2021 12:00:00 AM LSO No.: 21LSO-0042 Enrolled Act No.: HEA No. 0013 Chapter No.: 19 Prime Sponsor: Joint Revenue Interim Committee Catch Title: Public utility assessment. Subject: Funding for the Public Service Commission. Summary/Major Elements: Current law provides that the Public Service Commission is funded through the collection of an assessment applied to the gross Wyoming intrastate retail revenues of public utilities. The assessment is calculated to provide funding for the Public Service Commission's legislatively-approved budget and cannot exceed three-thousandths (.003) of the gross Wyoming intrastate retail revenue. This act allows the State to collect an additional utility assessment, not to exceed two-thousandths (.002) of the gross intrastate Wyoming retail revenues of certain types of public utilities, to fund the Public Service Commission. The above summary is not an official publication of the Wyoming Legislature and is not an official statement of legislative intent. While the Legislative Service Office endeavored to provide accurate information in this summary, it should not be relied upon as a comprehensive abstract of the bill.
Public statements
Last checked Aug 8, 6:38 AM
R · H08
Why they voted this way
The lawmaker supports the measure as a precautionary step to address potential future downturns or changes in electricity usage by large providers.
Why they voted this way
The lawmaker urges a no vote to maintain the committee's work and position on the bill for potential future consideration.
R · H37
Why they voted this way
The lawmaker supports concurrence because it is warranted given that the public service commission serves as the front line for the economy and to avoid further bicameral debate.
Why they voted this way
The lawmaker opposes the amendment because they believe the agency should be fully funded to effectively advocate for consumers and keep electric bills low.
Why they voted this way
The lawmaker opposes the amendment because they believe it reduces potential revenue for the agency, which would limit its ability to save consumers money through rate hearings.
Why they voted this way
The lawmaker opposes the amendment because they believe the proposed reduction creates a margin of error that is too small given the agency's projected income drop.
Why they voted this way
The lawmaker supports the amendment because they feel more comfortable with a 3.5% cap than higher amounts, viewing it as providing an adequate cushion without overburdening taxpayers.
Why they voted this way
The lawmaker opposes the amendment because they believe the Public Service Commission needs adequate funding to handle complex utility law and regulate large industrial utilities effectively.
Why they voted this way
The lawmaker opposes the amendment because they believe having expert oversight of utility monopolies is invaluable for ensuring reliability and correct rate setting.
Why they voted this way
The lawmaker supports increasing the mill levy because no increase has occurred in 47 years, making this adjustment warranted.
H60
Why they voted this way
The lawmaker states they cannot support the full bill if their amendment to lower the mill levy cap is not adopted.
H55
Why they voted this way
The lawmaker supports adding 'knowingly' to the theft statute amendment out of an abundance of caution, even though they believe it may not significantly change the criminal standard.
R · H11
Why they voted this way
The lawmaker opposes removing 'knowingly' from the statute because keeping it creates an unreasonably high burden of proof for prosecutors, making it difficult to prove that a thief intended to deprive the owner of their property's use.
Why they voted this way
The lawmaker supports adding 'knowingly' back into the theft statute to prevent misunderstandings from being prosecuted as crimes, citing a recent period where Wyoming lacked a functioning theft law.
R · H40
Why they voted this way
The lawmaker opposes adding 'knowingly' to the theft statute, arguing that it is redundant because the first instance of the word already applies to all subsequent parts of the law.
If a lawmaker is not listed, we couldn't find a published reason.
Wyoming roll calls
7 roll calls
Official activity
Changes
6 stored
The amendment removes a previous change that increased the utility assessment rate from two-thousandths (.002) to five-ten thousandths (.0005).
The amendment modifies the bill by adding conditions that require a public service commission to have a moratorium on retiring coal-fired power plants before certain utility assessments can be increased.
The amendment adds a time-limited condition that restricts the collection of an increased utility assessment based on whether the Public Service Commission has a moratorium on retiring coal-fired power plants.
The amendment removes a previous change and replaces the utility assessment rate from two-thousandths (.002) to five-ten thousandths (.0005).
The amendment changes the maximum utility assessment rate from two-thousandths (.002) to one-thousandth (.001).
The amendment changes the maximum utility assessment rate from one-thousandth to two-thousandths of a dollar.