SB147-SSA1, s. 12 21Section 12. 196.26 (2) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB147-SSA1,5,422 196.26 (2) (b) The commission shall give the public utility, mobile home park
23contractor or mobile home park operator
which is the subject of a complaint filed
24under sub. (1) (1m) and the complainant 10 days' notice of the time and place of the
25hearing and the matter to be considered and determined at the hearing. The

1complainant and the public utility, mobile home park contractor or mobile home park
2operator
may be heard. The commission may subpoena any witness at the request
3of the public utility, mobile home park contractor, mobile home park operator or
4complainant.
SB147-SSA1, s. 13 5Section 13. 196.28 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB147-SSA1,5,116 196.28 (1) If the commission believes that any rate or charge is unreasonable
7or unjustly discriminatory or that any service is inadequate or cannot be obtained
8or that an investigation of any matter relating to any public utility or to any provision
9of water or sewer service by a mobile home park operator or mobile home park
10contractor
should for any reason be made, the commission on its own motion
11summarily may investigate with or without notice.
SB147-SSA1, s. 14 12Section 14. 196.28 (3) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB147-SSA1,5,2013 196.28 (3) Notice of the time and place for a hearing under sub. (2) shall be
14given to the public utility, mobile home park contractor or mobile home park
15operator,
and to such other interested persons as the commission deems necessary.
16After the notice has been given, proceedings shall be had and conducted in reference
17to the matter investigated as if a complaint had been filed with the commission under
18s. 196.26 (1) (1m) relative to the matter investigated. The same order or orders may
19be made in reference to the matter as if the investigation had been made on complaint
20under s. 196.26.
SB147-SSA1, s. 15 21Section 15. 196.498 of the statutes is created to read:
SB147-SSA1,6,6 22196.498 Regulation of water and sewer service to mobile home parks.
23(2)
Rules. The commission shall promulgate rules that establish standards for
24providing water or sewer service by a mobile home park operator or mobile home
25park contractor to a mobile home park occupant, including requirements for

1metering, billing, deposits, deferred payment arrangements, installation of service,
2refusing or discontinuing service and resolving disputes with respect to service.
3Rules promulgated under this subsection shall ensure that any charge for water or
4sewer service is reasonable and not unjustly discriminatory, that the water or sewer
5service is reasonably adequate and that any practice relating to providing the service
6is just and reasonable.
SB147-SSA1,6,10 7(3) Permanent improvements. A mobile home park operator may make a
8reasonable recovery of capital costs for permanent improvements related to the
9provision of water or sewer service to mobile home park occupants through ongoing
10rates for water or sewer service.
SB147-SSA1,6,15 11(4) Enforcement. (a) Notwithstanding s. 196.44, on its own motion or upon
12a complaint filed by a mobile home park occupant, the commission may issue an
13order or commence a civil action against a mobile home park operator or mobile home
14park contractor to enforce this section, any rule promulgated under sub. (2) or any
15order issued under this paragraph.
SB147-SSA1,6,1716 (b) The department of justice, after consulting with the commission, or any
17district attorney may commence an action in circuit court to enforce this section.
SB147-SSA1,6,21 18(5) Private cause of action. Any person suffering pecuniary loss because of
19a violation of any rule promulgated under sub. (2) or order issued under sub. (4) (a)
20may sue for damages and shall recover twice the amount of any pecuniary loss,
21together with costs, and, notwithstanding s. 814.04 (1), reasonable attorney fees.
SB147-SSA1,6,24 22(6) Penalties. (a) Any person who violates any rule promulgated under sub.
23(2) or any order issued under sub. (4) (a) shall forfeit not less than $25 nor more than
24$5,000. Each violation and each day of violation constitutes a separate offense.
SB147-SSA1,7,4
1(b) Any person who intentionally violates any rule promulgated under sub. (2)
2or order issued under sub. (4) (a) shall be fined not less than $25 nor more than $5,000
3or imprisoned not more than one year in the county jail or both. Each violation and
4each day of violation constitutes a separate offense.
SB147-SSA1, s. 16 5Section 16. 196.85 (title) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB147-SSA1,7,6 6196.85 (title) Payment of commission's expenditures by utilities.
SB147-SSA1, s. 17 7Section 17. 196.85 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB147-SSA1,8,108 196.85 (1) If the commission in a proceeding upon its own motion, on complaint,
9or upon an application to it deems it necessary in order to carry out the duties
10imposed upon it by law to investigate the books, accounts, practices and activities of,
11or make appraisals of the property of any public utility, power district , mobile home
12park operator
or sewerage system or to render any engineering or accounting
13services to any public utility, power district, mobile home park operator or sewerage
14system, the public utility, power district, mobile home park operator or sewerage
15system shall pay the expenses attributable to the investigation, including the cost
16of litigation, appraisal or service. The commission shall mail a bill for the expenses
17to the public utility, power district, mobile home park operator or sewerage system
18either at the conclusion of the investigation, appraisal or services, or during its
19progress. The bill constitutes notice of the assessment and demand of payment. The
20public utility, power district, mobile home park operator or sewerage system shall,
21within 30 days after the mailing of the bill, pay to the commission the amount of the
22special expense for which it is billed. Ninety percent of the payment shall be credited
23to the appropriation account under s. 20.155 (1) (g), except that 100% of all payments
24received from mobile home park operators shall be credited to the appropriation
25account under s. 20.155 (1) (i)
. The total amount in any one calendar year for which

1any public utility, power district or sewerage system is liable, by reason of costs
2incurred by the commission within the calendar year, including charges under s.
3184.10 (3), may not exceed four-fifths of one percent of its gross operating revenues
4derived from intrastate operations in the last preceding calendar year. Nothing in
5this subsection shall prevent the commission from rendering bills in one calendar
6year for costs incurred within a previous year. For the purpose of calculating the
7costs of investigations, appraisals and other services under this subsection, except
8with respect to mobile home park operators,
90% of the costs determined shall be
9costs of the commission and 10% of the costs determined shall be costs of state
10government operations.
SB147-SSA1, s. 18 11Section 18. 196.85 (2g) of the statutes is created to read:
SB147-SSA1,9,212 196.85 (2g) The commission shall annually, within 90 days after the
13commencement of each fiscal year, assess against mobile home park operators the
14total amount appropriated under s. 20.155 (1) (i), less the total amount paid by
15mobile home park operators under sub. (1) during the prior fiscal year. The
16commission shall assess each mobile home park operator an amount in proportion
17to the total number of mobile homes and manufactured homes in all mobile home
18parks owned or managed by the mobile home park operator on July 1 of the current
19fiscal year as a fraction of the total number of mobile homes and manufactured homes
20in all mobile home parks in this state on July 1 of the current fiscal year. If necessary,
21the commission shall adjust the amount assessed to correct any incorrect assessment
22that was made in a prior fiscal year. A mobile home park operator shall pay the
23assessment within 30 days after the commission mails the bill to the mobile home
24park operator. The bill constitutes notice of the assessment and demand for

1payment. Payments shall be credited to the the appropriation account under s.
220.155 (1) (i).
SB147-SSA1, s. 19 3Section 19. 196.85 (3) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB147-SSA1,9,184 196.85 (3) If any public utility, sewerage system, mobile home park operator
5or power district is billed under sub. (1) or, (2) or (2g) and fails to pay the bill within
630 days or fails to file objections to the bill with the commission, as provided in this
7subsection, the commission shall transmit to the state treasurer a certified copy of
8the bill, together with notice of failure to pay the bill, and on the same day the
9commission shall mail by registered mail to the public utility, sewerage system,
10mobile home park operator
or power district a copy of the notice which it has
11transmitted to the state treasurer. Within 10 days after the receipt of the notice and
12certified copy of the bill, the state treasurer shall levy the amount stated on the bill
13to be due, with interest, by distress and sale of any property, including stocks,
14securities, bank accounts, evidences of debt, and accounts receivable belonging to the
15delinquent public utility, sewerage system, mobile home park operator or power
16district. The levy by distress and sale shall be governed by s. 74.10, 1985 stats.,
17except that it shall be made by the state treasurer and that goods and chattels
18anywhere within the state may be levied upon.
SB147-SSA1, s. 20 19Section 20. 196.85 (4) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB147-SSA1,9,2520 196.85 (4) (a) Within 30 days after the date of the mailing of any bill under subs.
21sub. (1) and, (2) or (2g), the public utility, sewerage system, mobile home park
22operator
or power district that has been billed may file with the commission
23objections setting out in detail the grounds upon which the objector regards the bill
24to be excessive, erroneous, unlawful or invalid. The commission, after notice to the
25objector, shall hold a hearing upon the objections, from 5 to 10 days after providing

1the notice. If after the hearing the commission finds any part of the bill to be
2excessive, erroneous, unlawful or invalid it shall record its findings upon its minutes
3and transmit to the objector by registered mail an amended bill, in accordance with
4the findings. The amended bill shall have the same force and effect under this section
5as an original bill rendered under subs. sub. (1) and, (2) or (2g).
SB147-SSA1, s. 21 6Section 21. 196.85 (5) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB147-SSA1,10,177 196.85 (5) No suit or proceeding may be maintained in any court to restrain or
8delay the collection or payment of any bill rendered under subs. sub. (1) and, (2) or
9(2g)
. Every public utility, sewerage system, mobile home park operator or power
10district that is billed shall pay the amount of the bill, and after payment may in the
11manner provided under this section, at any time within 2 years from the date the
12payment was made, sue the state to recover the amount paid plus interest from the
13date of payment, upon the ground that the assessment was excessive, erroneous,
14unlawful or invalid in whole or in part. If the court finds that any part of the bill for
15which payment was made was excessive, erroneous, unlawful or invalid, the state
16treasurer shall make a refund to the claimant as directed by the court. The refund
17shall be charged to the appropriations to the commission.
SB147-SSA1, s. 22 18Section 22 . Nonstatutory provisions.
SB147-SSA1,10,2219 (1) The public service commission shall submit in proposed form the rules
20required under section 196.498 (2) of the statutes, as created by this act, to the
21legislative council staff under section 227.15 (1) of the statutes no later than the first
22day of the 6th month beginning after the effective date of this subsection.
SB147-SSA1,11,523 (2)  Using the procedure under section 227.24 of the statutes, the public service
24commission shall promulgate rules required under section 196.498 (2) of the
25statutes, as created by this act, for the period beginning on the effective date of this

1subsection and ending on the effective date of the rules submitted under subsection
2(1), but not to exceed the period authorized under section 227.24 (1) (c) and (2) of the
3statutes. Notwithstanding section 227.24 (1) (a) and (2) (b) of the statutes, the public
4service commission need not provide evidence of the necessity of preservation of the
5public peace, health, safety or welfare in promulgating rules under this subsection.
SB147-SSA1,11,106 (3)  The authorized FTE positions for the public service commission are
7increased by 1.0 PR position, to be funded from the appropriation under section
820.155 (1) (i) of the statutes, as created by this act, for the purpose of regulating the
9provision of water or sewer service by mobile home park operators and mobile home
10park contractors.
SB147-SSA1, s. 23 11Section 23. Effective dates. This act takes effect on the first day of the 12th
12month beginning after publication, except as follows:
SB147-SSA1,11,1313 (1) Section 22 (1 ) of this act takes effect on the day after publication.
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