Current law requires public utilities to file annual balance sheets with the PSC by April 1. However, if a public utility shows good cause, the PSC may grant an extension. This bill eliminates the requirement that a public utility must show good cause for the PSC to grant an extension.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
SECTION 1. 196.07 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:
196.07 (1) Each public utility shall close its accounts annually on December 31 and promptly prepare a balance sheet of that date. On or before the following April 1 every public utility shall file with the commission the balance sheet together with any other information the commission prescribes, verified by an officer of the public utility. The commission, for good cause shown, may extend the time for filing the balance sheet and prescribed information.
(End)
LRB-0614LRB-0614/P1
MDK:jld:jf
2009 - 2010 LEGISLATURE
DOA:......Hynek, BB0184 - Certain PSC telecommuniciations rule and reporting requirements
For 2009-11 Budget -- Not Ready For Introduction
2009 BILL
AN ACT...; relating to: the budget.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
STATE GOVERNMENT
Public utility regulation
This bill makes the following changes to statutes administered by the PSC:
1. Under current law, the PSC must submit a biennial report to the Joint Committee on Information Policy and Technology (JCIPT) regarding investments in advanced telecommunications infrastructure and the report must cover specified topics, including integrated services digital network (ISDN) deployment. This bill requires the PSC to submit the report to the legislature and eliminates the requirement that the report must cover ISDN deployment. Also, the bill requires the report to cover a topic only if the PSC determines that there are issues with the availability or deployment of telecommunications infrastructure regarding the topic. In addition, the bill requires the PSC to combine the report with the report described below in item 2. Current law allows, but does not require, submission of combined reports.
2. Under current law, the PSC must submit an annual report to JCIPT regarding the universal service fund (USF). This bill requires the PSC to submit the report biennially to the legislature.
3. The bill requires the PSC to review telecommunications depreciation guidelines every three years, rather than every two years as required under current law.
4. Current law requires the PSC to review, at least biennially, rules regarding the USF. The bill requires the PSC to review the rules, but eliminates the biennial requirement.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
SECTION 1. 196.09 (9) (a) 2. of the statutes is amended to read:
196.09 (9) (a) 2. The commission shall review biennially triennially the guidelines established under subd. 1., except that if the commission receives, more than 365 days before the deadline for a biennial review, a written request from a telecommunications utility for a review, the commission shall review the guidelines no later than 365 days after receiving the request.
SECTION 2. 196.196 (5) (f) 1. (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
196.196 (5) (f) 1. (intro.) Before January 1, 1996, and biennially thereafter Biennially, the commission shall submit a report to the joint committee on information policy and technology legislature under s. 13.172 (2) describing the status of investments in advanced telecommunications infrastructure in this state. The report shall include information on the progress made in all of the following areas uses if the commission determines that there are issues with the availability or deployment of telecommunications infrastructure for those uses:
SECTION 3. 196.196 (5) (f) 1. e. of the statutes is repealed.
SECTION 4. 196.196 (5) (f) 1. f. of the statutes is amended to read:
196.196 (5) (f) 1. f. Other infrastructure investments uses identified by the commission.
SECTION 5. 196.196 (5) (f) 3. of the statutes is amended to read:
196.196 (5) (f) 3. The commission may shall combine its report under this paragraph with its report under s. 196.218 (5r).
SECTION 6. 196.218 (4) of the statutes is amended to read:
196.218 (4) ESSENTIAL SERVICES AND ADVANCED SERVICE CAPABILITIES. Before January 1, 1996, and biennially thereafter, the The commission shall promulgate rules that define a basic set of essential telecommunications services that shall be available to all customers at affordable prices and that are a necessary component of universal service. Before January 1, 1996, and biennially thereafter, the The commission shall promulgate rules that define a set of advanced service capabilities that shall be available to all areas of this state at affordable prices within a reasonable time and that are a necessary component of universal service. For rules promulgated before January 1, 1996, a reasonable time for the availability of the defined set of advance service capabilities shall be no later than January 1, 2005, and, for rules promulgated thereafter after December 31, 1995, a reasonable time for the availability of additional advanced service capabilities in the defined set shall be no later than 7 years after the effective date of the rules. These essential services and advanced service capabilities shall be based on market, social, economic development and infrastructure development principles rather than on specific technologies or providers. Essential services include single-party service with touch-tone capability, line quality capable of carrying facsimile and data transmissions, equal access, emergency services number capability, a statewide telecommunications relay service and blocking of long distance toll service.
SECTION 7. 196.218 (5m) of the statutes is amended to read:
196.218 (5m) RULE REVIEW. At least biennially, the The commission shall review and revise as appropriate rules promulgated under this section.
SECTION 8. 196.218 (5r) (a) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
196.218 (5r) (a) (intro.) Annually Biennially, the commission shall submit a universal service fund report to the joint committee on information policy and technology legislature under s. 13.172 (2). The report shall include information about all of the following:
(End)
LRB-0625LRB-0625/1
EVM:kjf:jf
2009 - 2010 LEGISLATURE
DOA:......Byrnes, BB0384 - Intercity bus assistance program
For 2009-11 Budget -- Not Ready For Introduction
2009 BILL
AN ACT ...; relating to: the budget.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Transportation
Transportation aids
This bill creates an intercity bus assistance program in DOT. Under this program, DOT may make grants to cities, villages, towns, or counties or enter into contracts with private providers of intercity bus service for the purpose of increasing the availability of intercity bus service in this state. The amount of DOT funding related to any particular bus route is limited to the lesser of 50 percent of the net operating loss of the route or the net operating loss of the route that is not covered by federal funding.
For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
SECTION 1. 20.395 (1) (bq) of the statutes is created to read:
20.395 (1) (bq) Intercity bus assistance program, state funds. As a continuing appropriation, the amounts in the schedule for the intercity bus assistance program under s. 85.26.
****NOTE: This SECTION involves a change in an appropriation that must be reflected in the revised schedule in s. 20.005, stats.
SECTION 2. 20.395 (1) (bv) of the statutes is amended to read:
20.395 (1) (bv) Transit and transportation employment and mobility other transportation-related aids, local funds. All moneys received from any local unit of government or other source for urban mass transit purposes under s. 85.20, for rural public transportation purposes under s. 85.23, or for transportation employment and mobility purposes under s. 85.24 that are not funded from other appropriations under this subsection, or for intercity bus assistance purposes under s. 85.26, for such purposes.
****NOTE: This SECTION involves a change in an appropriation that must be reflected in the revised schedule in s. 20.005, stats.
SECTION 3. 20.395 (1) (bx) of the statutes is amended to read:
20.395 (1) (bx) Transit and transportation employment and mobility other transportation-related aids, federal funds. All moneys received from the federal government for urban mass transit purposes under s. 85.20, for rural public transportation purposes under s. 85.23, or for transportation employment and mobility purposes under s. 85.24 that are not funded from other appropriations under this subsection, or for intercity bus assistance purposes under s. 85.26, for such purposes.
****NOTE: This SECTION involves a change in an appropriation that must be reflected in the revised schedule in s. 20.005, stats.
SECTION 4. 85.26 of the statutes is created to read:
85.26 Intercity bus assistance program. (1) DEFINITIONS. In this section:
(a) "Intercity bus service" means regularly scheduled bus service for the general public that operates with limited stops over fixed routes connecting 2 or more urban areas not in close proximity, that has the capacity for transporting baggage carried by passengers, and that makes meaningful connections with scheduled intercity bus service to more distant points if service to more distant points is available.
(b) "Net operating loss" means the portion of the reasonable costs of operating an intercity bus service route that cannot reasonably be financed from revenues derived from the route.
(c) "Political subdivision" means a city, village, town, or county.
(2) ADMINISTRATION. (a) The department shall develop and administer an intercity bus assistance program to increase the availability of intercity bus service in this state. Under this program, the department may do any of the following:
1. Contract with private providers of intercity bus service to support intercity bus service routes of the provider.
2. Make grants to political subdivisions to support intercity bus service routes having an origin or destination in the political subdivision.
(b) All expenditures under the program shall be made from the appropriations under s. 20.395 (1) (bq), (bv), and (bx). The department may not enter into any contract under par. (a) 1., or award any grant under par. (a) 2., that provides funds to support any intercity bus service route in an amount exceeding the lesser of the following:
1. Fifty percent of the net operating loss of the intercity bus service route.
2. The portion of the net operating loss of the intercity bus service route for which federal funds are not available.
(c) 1. The department shall prescribe the form, nature, and extent of the information which shall be contained in an application for a grant under par. (a) 2.
2. The department shall establish criteria for evaluating applications for grants under par. (a) 2.
(End)
LRB-0627LRB-0627/3
ARG:bjk:ph
2009 - 2010 LEGISLATURE
DOA:......Byrnes, BB0209 - Southeast Wisconsin transit capital assistance program
For 2009-11 Budget -- Not Ready For Introduction
2009 BILL
AN ACT ...; relating to: the budget.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Transportation
Transportation aids
This bill creates a southeast Wisconsin Transit Capital Assistance Program (program) under which DOT may award grants for transit capital improvements to qualifying transit authorities located in southeast Wisconsin. As a precondition for eligibility for a grant under the program, a grant recipient must receive funds from a dedicated local revenue source for capital and operating costs associated with providing transit services.
Under the program, DOT may award grants, subject to certain restrictions, not exceeding $50,000,000, 25 percent of the total project cost, or 50 percent of the portion of the total project cost not funded with federal aid, whichever is least. Among the restrictions, DOT may not award a grant for a project that has not received any required federal approval to proceed and may not award a grant if the level of transit service in the applicable service area is less than the level in 2001.
In administering the program, DOT must establish criteria and standards for grant eligibility for transit capital improvement projects and for evaluating and ranking applications and awarding grants. DOT may administer the program without promulgating rules. DOT may not accept grant applications under the program after December 31, 2015.
Under the bill, the state may contract up to $100,000,000 in public debt, in the form of general obligation bonds, to provide grants for transit capital improvements under the program. However, the state may not incur debt under this authorization after December 31, 2020.
For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
SECTION 1. 13.101 (6) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
13.101 (6) (a) As an emergency measure necessitated by decreased state revenues and to prevent the necessity for a state tax on general property, the committee may reduce any appropriation made to any board, commission, department, or the University of Wisconsin System, or to any other state agency or activity, by such amount as it deems feasible, not exceeding 25% of the appropriations, except appropriations made by ss. 20.255 (2) (ac), (bc), (bh), (cg), and (cr) (vr), 20.395 (1), (2) (cq), (eq) to (ex) and (gq) to (gx), (3), (4) (aq) to (ax), and (6) (af), (aq), (ar), and (au), and (av), 20.435 (6) (7) (a) and (7) (da), and 20.437 (2) (a) and (dz) or for forestry purposes under s. 20.370 (1), or any other moneys distributed to any county, city, village, town, or school district. Appropriations of receipts and of a sum sufficient shall for the purposes of this section be regarded as equivalent to the amounts expended under such appropriations in the prior fiscal year which ended June 30. All functions of said state agencies shall be continued in an efficient manner, but because of the uncertainties of the existing situation no public funds should be expended or obligations incurred unless there shall be adequate revenues to meet the expenditures therefor. For such reason the committee may make reductions of such appropriations as in its judgment will secure sound financial operations of the administration for said state agencies and at the same time interfere least with their services and activities.
****NOTE: This is reconciled s. 13.101 (6) (a). This SECTION has been affected by drafts with the following LRB numbers: LRB-0247/1, LRB-0627/2, and LRB-1400/2. This draft adds the treatments of s. 13.101 (6) (a) that formerly appeared in LRB-0247 and LRB-1400.
SECTION 2. 20.395 (6) (av) of the statutes is created to read:
20.395 (6) (av) Principal repayment and interest, southeast Wisconsin transit improvements, state funds. A sum sufficient to reimburse s. 20.866 (1) (u) for the payment of principal and interest costs incurred in financing transit capital improvements under s. 85.11, as provided under s. 20.866 (2) (uq), and to make payments under an agreement or ancillary arrangement entered into under s. 18.06 (8) (a).
****NOTE: This SECTION involves a change in an appropriation that must be reflected in the revised schedule in s. 20.005, stats.
****NOTE: This draft reconciles s. 20.866 (1) (u) by deleting the provision of the draft and adding it to LRB-1295.
SECTION 3. 20.866 (2) (uq) of the statutes is created to read:
20.866 (2) (uq) Transportation; southeast Wisconsin transit improvements. From the capital improvement fund, a sum sufficient for the department of transportation to provide grants for transit capital improvements under s. 85.11. The state may contract public debt in an amount not to exceed $100,000,000 for this purpose. Debt incurred under this paragraph shall be incurred prior to January 1, 2021.
SECTION 4. 85.11 of the statutes is created to read:
85.11 Southeast Wisconsin transit capital assistance program. (1) DEFINITIONS. In this section:
(a) "Major transit capital improvement project" has the meaning given in s. 85.062 (1).
