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<ns0:Id>20250AB__261199INT</ns0:Id>
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<ns0:Action>
<ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
<ns0:ActionDate>2026-02-20</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:SessionYear>2025</ns0:SessionYear>
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<ns0:MeasureType>AB</ns0:MeasureType>
<ns0:MeasureNum>2611</ns0:MeasureNum>
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<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Assembly Member Bains</ns0:AuthorText>
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<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>LEAD_AUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>ASSEMBLY</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Bains</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Title> An act to add 739.20 to the Public Utilities Code, relating to electricity. </ns0:Title>
<ns0:RelatingClause>electricity</ns0:RelatingClause>
<ns0:GeneralSubject>
<ns0:Subject>Electrical rate schedules: hardships: hot climate zones.</ns0:Subject>
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<html:p>Existing law requires the Public Utilities Commission to designate a baseline quantity of gas and electricity that is necessary to supply a significant portion of the reasonable energy needs of the average residential customer. Existing law requires every electrical corporation and gas corporation to file a schedule of rates and charges providing baseline rates, as provided. Existing law requires the commission, in establishing residential electrical and gas rates, including baseline rates, to ensure that the rates are sufficient to enable the electrical corporation or gas corporation to recover a just and reasonable amount of revenue from residential customers as a class, while observing the principle that electricity and gas services are necessities, for which a low affordable rate is desirable, as provided.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would require the
commission to ensure that each electrical rate schedule does not cause an unreasonable hardship on public schools, or economically vulnerable residential customers, in hot climate zones, as specified. The bill would define several terms for that purpose, including, among others, “unreasonable hardship” to mean an electrical rate schedule that imposes a rate on a public school or economically vulnerable residential customer above the baseline rate during any hour when the temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit for the duration of the hour, as provided.</html:p>
<html:p>Under existing law, a violation of any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime.</html:p>
<html:p>Because a violation of a commission action implementing this bill’s requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.</html:p>
<html:p>The California Constitution requires
the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.</html:p>
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<ns0:VoteRequired>MAJORITY</ns0:VoteRequired>
<ns0:Appropriation>NO</ns0:Appropriation>
<ns0:FiscalCommittee>YES</ns0:FiscalCommittee>
<ns0:LocalProgram>YES</ns0:LocalProgram>
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<ns0:Urgency>NO</ns0:Urgency>
<ns0:TaxLevy>NO</ns0:TaxLevy>
<ns0:Election>NO</ns0:Election>
<ns0:UsualCurrentExpenses>NO</ns0:UsualCurrentExpenses>
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<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
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<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
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Section 739.20 is added to the
<ns0:DocName>Public Utilities Code</ns0:DocName>
, to read:
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<ns0:Num>739.20.</ns0:Num>
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(a)
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For purposes of this section, all of the following definitions apply:
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(1)
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“Economically vulnerable residential customer” means a customer that is eligible for the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program described in Section 739.1 or the Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) program described in Section 739.12, regardless of whether the customer is enrolled in the CARE program or the FERA program.
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(2)
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“Hot climate zone” means zone 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, or 15, as determined by the Energy Commission in the building climate zones established in Part 6 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations, or any additional climate zone as determined by the Energy
Commission.
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(3)
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“Public school” means a school operated by a school district, county office of education, a charter school, or a community college district.
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(4)
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“Unreasonable hardship” means an electrical rate schedule that imposes a rate on a public school or economically vulnerable residential customer above the baseline rate during any hour when the temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit for the duration of the hour, as determined by the National Weather Service.
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(b)
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The commission shall ensure that each electrical rate schedule does not impose an unreasonable hardship on a public schools or economically vulnerable residential customer in a hot climate zone.
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(c)
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This section supplements, and does not supplant, the baseline quantity of electricity
identified in Section 739.
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<ns0:Num>SEC. 2.</ns0:Num>
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No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII
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B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII
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B of the California Constitution.
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