2016 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 16 - Public Service Companies
Chapter 277 - Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. Office of Consumer Counsel. Miscellaneous Provisions
Section 16-2 - Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. Utility commissioners. Staff.

(a) There shall continue to be a Public Utilities Regulatory Authority within the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, which shall consist of three electors of this state, appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of both houses of the General Assembly. Not more than two members of said authority in office at any one time shall be members of any one political party. On or before July 1, 2011, the Governor shall appoint three members to the authority. The first utility commissioner appointed by the Governor on or before July 1, 2011, who is of the same political party as that of the Governor shall serve a term of five years. The second utility commissioner appointed by the Governor on or before July 1, 2011, who is of the same political party as that of the Governor shall serve a term of four years. The first utility commissioner appointed by the Governor on or before July 1, 2011, who is of a different political party as that of the Governor shall serve a term of three years. Any utility commissioner appointed on or after January 1, 2014, shall serve a term of four years. The procedure prescribed by section 4-7 shall apply to such appointments, except that the Governor shall submit each nomination on or before May first, and both houses shall confirm or reject it before adjournment sine die. The utility commissioners shall be sworn to the faithful performance of their duties. The term of any utility commissioner serving on June 30, 2011, shall be terminated.

(b) The authority shall elect a chairperson and vice-chairperson each June for one-year terms starting on July first of the same year. The vice-chairperson shall perform the duties of the chairperson in his or her absence.

(c) Any matter coming before the authority may be assigned by the chairperson to a panel of one or more utility commissioners. Except as otherwise provided by statute or regulation, the panel shall determine whether a public hearing shall be held on the matter, and may designate one or two of its members to conduct such hearing or may assign a hearing officer to ascertain the facts and report thereon to the panel. The decision of the panel, if unanimous, shall be the decision of the authority. If the decision of the panel is not unanimous, the matter shall be approved by a majority vote of the utility commissioners.

(d) The utility commissioners of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority shall serve full time and shall file a statement of financial interests with the Office of State Ethics in accordance with section 1-83. Each utility commissioner shall receive annually a salary equal to that established for management pay plan salary group seventy-five by the Commissioner of Administrative Services, except that the chairperson shall receive annually a salary equal to that established for management pay plan salary group seventy-seven.

(e) To insure the highest standard of public utility regulation, on and after October 1, 2007, any newly appointed utility commissioner of the authority shall have education or training and three or more years of experience in one or more of the following fields: Economics, engineering, law, accounting, finance, utility regulation, public or government administration, consumer advocacy, business management, and environmental management. On and after July 1, 1997, at least three of these fields shall be represented on the authority by individual utility commissioners at all times. Any time a utility commissioner is newly appointed, at least one of the utility commissioners shall have experience in utility customer advocacy.

(f) (1) The chairperson of the authority, with the approval of the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, shall prescribe the duties of the staff assigned to the authority in order to (A) conduct comprehensive planning with respect to the functions of the authority; (B) cause the administrative organization of the authority to be examined with a view to promoting economy and efficiency; and (C) organize the authority into such divisions, bureaus or other units as necessary for the efficient conduct of the business of the authority and may from time to time make recommendations to the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection regarding staff and resources.

(2) The chairperson of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, in order to implement the comprehensive planning and organizational structure established pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection, shall (A) coordinate the activities of the authority and prescribe the duties of the staff assigned to the authority; (B) for any proceeding on a proposed rate amendment in which staff of the authority are to be made a party pursuant to section 16-19j, determine which staff shall appear and participate in the proceedings and which shall serve the members of the authority; (C) enter into such contractual agreements, in accordance with established procedures, as may be necessary for the discharge of the authority’s duties; (D) subject to the provisions of section 4-32, and unless otherwise provided by law, receive any money, revenue or services from the federal government, corporations, associations or individuals, including payments from the sale of printed matter or any other material or services; and (E) require the staff of the authority to have expertise in public utility engineering and accounting, finance, economics, computers and rate design.

(g) No utility commissioner of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority or employee of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection assigned to work with the authority shall have any interest, financial or otherwise, direct or indirect, or engage in any business, employment, transaction or professional activity, or incur any obligation of any nature, which is in substantial conflict with the proper discharge of his or her duties or employment in the public interest and of his or her responsibilities as prescribed in the laws of this state, as defined in section 1-85, concerning any matter within the jurisdiction of the authority; provided, no such substantial conflict shall be deemed to exist solely by virtue of the fact that a utility commissioner of the authority or employee of the department assigned to work with the authority, or any business in which such a person has an interest, receives utility service from one or more Connecticut utilities under the normal rates and conditions of service.

(h) No utility commissioner of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority or employee of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection assigned to work with the authority, during such assignment, shall accept other employment which will either impair his or her independence of judgment as to his or her official duties or employment or require him or her, or induce him or her, to disclose confidential information acquired by him or her in the course of and by reason of his or her official duties.

(i) No utility commissioner of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority or employee of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection assigned to work with the authority, during such assignment, shall wilfully and knowingly disclose, for pecuniary gain, to any other person, confidential information acquired by him or her in the course of and by reason of his or her official duties or employment or use any such information for the purpose of pecuniary gain.

(j) No utility commissioner of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority or employee of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection assigned to work with the authority, during such assignment, shall agree to accept, or be in partnership or association with any person, or a member of a professional corporation or in membership with any union or professional association which partnership, association, professional corporation, union or professional association agrees to accept any employment, fee or other thing of value, or portion thereof, in consideration of his or her appearing, agreeing to appear, or taking any other action on behalf of another person before the authority, the Connecticut Siting Council, the Office of Policy and Management or the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection.

(k) No utility commissioner of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority shall, for a period of one year following the termination of his or her service as a utility commissioner, accept employment: (1) By a public service company or by any person, firm or corporation engaged in lobbying activities with regard to governmental regulation of public service companies; (2) by a certified telecommunications provider or by any person, firm or corporation engaged in lobbying activities with regard to governmental regulation of persons, firms or corporations so certified; or (3) by an electric supplier or by any person, firm or corporation engaged in lobbying activities with regard to governmental regulation of electric suppliers. No such utility commissioner who is also an attorney shall in any capacity, appear or participate in any matter, or accept any compensation regarding a matter, before the authority, for a period of one year following the termination of his or her service as a utility commissioner.

(l) The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority shall include a procurement manager whose duties shall include, but not be limited to, overseeing the procurement of electricity for standard service and who shall have experience in energy markets and procuring energy on a commercial scale.

(m) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, the decisions of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, including, but not limited to, decisions relating to rate amendments arising from the Comprehensive Energy Strategy, the Integrated Resources Plan, the Conservation and Load Management Plan and policies established by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, shall be guided by said strategy and plans and such policies.

(n) Two or more utility commissioners serving on a panel established pursuant to subsection (c) of this section may confer or communicate regarding the matter before such panel. Any such conference or communication that does not occur before the public at a hearing or proceeding shall not constitute a meeting as defined in section 1-200.

(1949, Rev., S. 5391; 1959, P.A. 383, S. 1; P.A. 74-216, S. 1, 8; P.A. 75-486, S. 3, 69; P.A. 77-614, S. 19, 67, 162, 589, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 13, 136; P.A. 80-462, S. 1; P.A. 82-150, S. 1; P.A. 84-342, S. 4, 13; P.A. 85-552, S. 3, 8; P.A. 86-187, S. 4, 10; P.A. 89-291, S. 1, 8; P.A. 94-74, S. 1, 11; 94-77; P.A. 98-28, S. 78, 117; P.A. 99-248, S. 1, 3; 99-286, S. 3, 19; P.A. 00-112, S. 4, 5; P.A. 02-89, S. 22; P.A. 07-242, S. 57; P.A. 11-80, S. 1, 15; P.A. 13-244, S. 25; 13-298, S. 3; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5, S. 466.)

History: 1959 act provided appointment of members be subject to the consent of either house of the general assembly rather than both, provided for minority representation and added provision that appointment procedure of Sec. 4-7 is generally applicable; P.A. 74-216 increased membership from three to five members with not more than three of the same political party, rather than two, reduced terms from six to five years, deleted reference to appointment in odd-numbered years, added provision to cover terms during transition period and added Subsecs. (b) and (c); P.A. 75-486 amended section to replace public utilities commission with public utilities control authority, requiring consent of both houses rather then either house for appointments, increasing terms to six years and providing for transition period and added Subsecs. (d) to (k); P.A. 77-614 replaced personnel policy board with commissioner of administrative services in Subsec. (d), replaced “Connecticut energy agency”, i.e. department of planning and energy policy, with office of policy and management and, effective January 1, 1979, replaced public utilities control authority with division of public utility control within the department of business regulation and revised appointment provisions in Subsec. (a) to cover transition period; P.A. 78-303 restored public utilities control authority; P.A. 80-462 replaced former Subsec. (k) re applicability of Secs. 1-69 to 1-78 with new provisions re employment by public service company after serving as commissioner; P.A. 82-150 updated provisions re appointment of members and election of officers transferred the provisions of Sec. 16-50 to Subsec. (f) and made other technical changes; P.A. 84-342 established position of executive director in Subsec. (f) and replaced “staff” of the authority with “employee of the department” in Subsecs. (g), (h), (i) and (j); P.A. 85-552 amended Subsec. (k) to prohibit any commissioner from accepting employment with entity engaged in lobbying with regard to regulation of public service companies; P.A. 86-187 replaced power facility evaluation council with Connecticut siting council in Subsec. (j); P.A. 89-291 updated salary group references for commissioners in Subsec. (d) and for the chairpersons in Subsec. (f); P.A. 94-74 amended Subsec. (k) by adding provision restricting commissioner’s employment by persons, firms or corporations certified to provide intrastate telecommunication services, effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 94-77 amended Subsec. (e) by adding “prior to July 1, 1997,” in Subdiv. (1) and adding Subdiv. (2) re standards for commissioners on and after July 1, 1997; P.A. 98-28 amended Subsec. (k) by rearranging language, deleting obsolete provisions and adding electric suppliers, effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 99-248 amended Subsec. (d) to increase the salary of commissioners from group seventy-four to group seventy-five, to increase the salary of the chairman from group seventy-six to group seventy-seven and to make a technical change, effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 99-286 amended Subsec. (k)(2) by changing reference to person, firm or corporation certified by the department to “certified telecommunications provider”, effective July 19, 1999; P.A. 00-112 amended Subsec. (d) to make a technical change, effective May 26, 2000; P.A. 02-89 amended Subsec. (e) to delete as obsolete former Subdiv. (1) re qualifications for commissioners prior to July 1, 1997, and to delete Subdiv. (2) designator; P.A. 07-242 amended Subsec. (e) to change qualifications from applying on and after July 1, 1997, to at least three commissioners, to on and after October 1, 2007, to any newly appointed commissioner and to provide that any time a commissioner is newly appointed, at least one commissioner shall have experience in utility customer advocacy; P.A. 11-80 amended Subsec. (a) to change “Public Utilities Control Authority” to “Public Utilities Regulatory Authority within the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection”, reduce number of electors from 5 to 3 and number of members from same political party from 3 to 2, replace former member appointment criteria with requirements re staggered terms for initial appointments and 4-year terms thereafter and end term for any commissioner serving on June 30, 2011, amended Subsec. (c) to reduce panel size from 3 to “one or more”, delete provisions re appointment of examiner and referral to entire authority and add provisions re request for hearing officer appointment and approval by majority vote, amended Subsec. (f) to delete provisions re executive director appointment and duties and add provisions re chairperson duties re authority staff with approval of Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, amended Subsecs. (g) to (j) to add references to department employees “assigned to work with the authority”, changed “commissioner” and “commissioners” to “director” and “directors” throughout and made technical changes, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 13-244 amended Subsec. (d) to replace provision re financial disclosure filed with Secretary of the State with provision re statement of financial interests filed with Office of State Ethics; P.A. 13-298 amended Subsec. (c) to replace “request the appointment of” with “may assign” re hearing officer and to replace “majority vote of the panel” with “majority vote of the utility commissioners”, amended Subsec. (f) by dividing existing provisions into new Subdivs. (1) and (2) and making technical changes therein, deleting former Subdiv. (2) re coordinating the activities of the authority and, in new Subdiv. (2), adding provision re chairperson of the authority implementing comprehensive planning and organizational structure and coordinating activities of the authority, amended Subsec. (g) to delete provision re conflict of interest while serving as utility commissioner and add provision re conflict of interest concerning any matter within the authority’s jurisdiction, added Subsec. (m) re authority’s decision guided by strategy, plans and policies, and replaced “director” with “utility commissioner” and made technical changes throughout, effective July 8, 2013; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5 added Subsec. (n) re conference or communication between utility commissioners serving on a panel, effective June 30, 2015.