Public utilities: bills and notices: consolidation and transparency., the official text

An act to add Section 739.17 to the Public Utilities Code, relating to utilities.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations and gas corporations. Existing law authorizes the commission to fix the rates and charges for every public utility and requires that those rates and charges be just and reasonable. Existing law requires each electrical corporation and gas corporation to disclose on the billing statement of a residential customer certain information, including itemized components in the bill to identify state and local taxes, identification of delivery, generation, public purpose, and other charges, and the contact information for the commission’s Consumer Affairs Branch.
This bill would require the commission, on or before June 1, 2026, to evaluate all customer billing and noticing requirements existing on January 1, 2026, that apply to gas or electric utilities, and to identify and consider potential avenues to consolidate and enhance billing transparency, including avenues that clearly show the source and value of each charge within each customer’s bill, as specified, and use the most cost-effective communications channels, as provided. The bill would authorize the commission to seek and consider input from utilities and other relevant stakeholders to inform its evaluation and identification and consideration of potential avenues to consolidate notices and enhance billing transparency.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.
Section 739.17 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read:
739.17.
(a) On or before June 1, 2026, the commission shall do both of the following:
(1) Evaluate all customer billing and noticing requirements existing on January 1, 2026, that apply to gas or electric utilities.
(2) Identify and consider potential avenues to consolidate notices and enhance billing transparency, including, but not limited to, avenues that would do both of the following:
(A) Clearly show the source and value of each charge within each customer’s bill, including, but not limited to, commodities, taxes, public purpose programs, and community choice aggregator charges.
(B) Use the most cost-effective communications channels, which may include, but are not limited to, email, an online portal, or a mobile application.
(b) The commission may seek and consider input from utilities and other relevant stakeholders to inform its evaluation and identification and consideration of potential avenues to consolidate notices and enhance billing transparency.