House Bill No. 7006 Summary

• Public Utilities Regulatory Authority must establish performance-based regulation framework for electric distribution companies by June 1, 2021, measuring performance on safety, reliability, emergency response, cost efficiency, affordability, equity, resilience, and environmental goals.

• Electric distribution and gas company rate decisions must be issued within 350 days of filing (down from unlimited time), with authority able to extend by 30 days; all other utility rates due within 200 days.

• Electric distribution companies must provide residential customers $25 daily credits for outages exceeding 96 consecutive hours after emergencies, and $250 compensation for spoiled food and medication, effective July 1, 2021.

• Civil penalties for utility non-compliance with emergency response standards increased from 2.5% to 4% of annual distribution revenue, with penalties credited to ratepayers rather than treated as company expenses.

• Out-of-state businesses and employees performing disaster or emergency-related work during declared emergencies are exempt from state registration, licensing, property tax, and income tax requirements during the 60-day disaster response period.