PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 2424 PRINTER'S NO. 3772
No. 271 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY CASORIO, BELARDI, BELFANTI, DALEY, GEORGE,
LEVDANSKY, PALLONE, READSHAW, SHANER, SOLOBAY, STABACK,
SURRA, TANGRETTI, THOMAS, TIGUE, TRAVAGLIO, WALKO,
WOJNAROSKI, YOUNGBLOOD, CURRY, FREEMAN, JOSEPHS, J. WILLIAMS,
STEELMAN AND HABAY, JULY 23, 2001
AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON RULES, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
AS AMENDED, APRIL 29, 2002
A RESOLUTION
1 Establishing a select committee DIRECTING THE COMMITTEE ON <--
2 CONSUMER AFFAIRS to develop an energy strategy.
3 WHEREAS, A report issued by the Keystone Research Center
4 indicates that deregulation of electricity, gas and telephone
5 industries in this Commonwealth has resulted in lower quality
6 service, fewer jobs and less reinvestment in the utility
7 systems; and
8 WHEREAS, In the 1990s the General Assembly began deregulating
9 basic utility services, including the electricity, telephone and
10 natural gas industries and proponents of deregulation promised
11 benefits to consumers and the economy and offered assurances
12 that reliability and quality of service would not suffer; and
13 WHEREAS, From 1994 to 1999 the number of consumers who
14 complained to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission about
15 utility service in the electric, gas and utility industries more
16 than doubled; and
1 WHEREAS, By 1999 the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission
2 received more than 10,000 complaints about utility service; and
3 WHEREAS, Electric utility outages lasted on average 30
4 minutes longer in 1999 than in 1994; and
5 WHEREAS, Gas utilities in 1999, the year Pennsylvania enacted
6 gas deregulation legislation, saw an increase in the number of
7 consumer complaints and the number of distribution system
8 incidents, including explosions or other significant gas leaks
9 leading to an accident of some type; and
10 WHEREAS, In the past six years, Pennsylvania utilities
11 reinvested just 5% of their profits in Pennsylvania utility
12 systems, the remainder amounting to more than $15 billion having
13 been spent in other states or other countries; and
14 WHEREAS, From 1994 to 1999 Pennsylvania utilities decreased
15 their Pennsylvania work force by about 6,500 people, or nearly
16 15%; and
17 WHEREAS, In the electricity, telephone and natural gas
18 industries examined, pay increased for chief executive officers
19 by 76% in inflation-adjusted dollars from 1994 to 1999 while the
20 real wages of typical Pennsylvania workers increased by about
21 5%; therefore be it
22 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives establish a <--
23 select committee to study the impact of deregulation in this
24 Commonwealth; and be it further
25 RESOLVED, That the select committee consist of eight members
26 of the House of Representatives, four from the majority party
27 and four from the minority party; and be it further
28 RESOLVED, That the Speaker of the House of Representatives
29 appoint four members of the select committee; and be it further
30 RESOLVED, That the Minority Leader of the House of
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1 Representatives appoint four members of the select committee;
2 and be it further
3 RESOLVED, That the Speaker of the House of Representatives
4 designate one member of the select committee to serve as
5 chairperson; and be it further
6 RESOLVED, That the Minority Leader of the House of
7 Representatives designate one member of the select committee to
8 serve as minority chairperson; and be it further
9 RESOLVED, That the members of the select committee be
10 appointed within 15 days of the date of adoption of this
11 resolution; and be it further
12 RESOLVED, That the select committee hold hearings, take
13 testimony and make its investigations at such places as it deems
14 necessary within or without this Commonwealth and that each
15 member of the select committee have the power to administer
16 oaths and affirmations to witnesses appearing before the select
17 committee; and be it further
18 RESOLVED, That the Chief Clerk of the House of
19 Representatives be authorized to pay for all necessary,
20 appropriate and proper expenses incurred by the select
21 committee; and be it further
22 RESOLVED, THAT THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DIRECT THE <--
23 COMMITTEE ON CONSUMER AFFAIRS TO EXAMINE, INVESTIGATE AND MAKE A
24 COMPLETE STUDY OF THE IMPACT OF ELECTRIC, NATURAL GAS AND
25 TELEPHONE DEREGULATION IN THE COMMONWEALTH; AND BE IT FURTHER
26 RESOLVED, THAT THE COMMITTEE HOLD HEARINGS, TAKE TESTIMONY
27 AND MAKE ITS INVESTIGATIONS AT SUCH PLACES AS IT DEEMS NECESSARY
28 WITHIN OR WITHOUT THIS COMMONWEALTH; AND BE IT FURTHER
29 RESOLVED, That the select committee make a report of its <--
30 findings and recommendations to the House of Representatives no
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1 later than October 31, 2002.
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