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Bill Summary · HB 5678

Summary — HB 5678

Title: AN ACT REQUIRING LEGISLATIVE APPROVAL OF THE COMBINED PUBLIC BENEFITS CHARGE
Bill number: HB 5678
Subject areas: Electric distribution companies; electric distribution company systems benefit charge; General Assembly
Introduced: April 15, 2025
Current procedural note: Referred to Joint Committee on Energy and Technology (see “Legislative actions” below for full activity)

Purpose / Intent

The bill’s stated purpose (from its title) is to shift legal authority over the "combined public benefits charge"—a surcharge or systems benefit charge collected from electric customers to fund public-purpose energy programs—so that the General Assembly must explicitly approve that charge. In short, it would require legislative approval before utilities or regulators may assess or modify the combined public benefits charge on ratepayers.

Key provisions (as indicated by title and subject)

The exact bill text was not provided. Based on the title and subject, HB 5678 is likely to include one or more of the following provisions:
- A requirement that any proposed combined public benefits charge (or change to it) be submitted to the General Assembly for approval before it takes effect.
- Specification of the approval mechanism (e.g., affirmative legislative vote, joint resolution, time windows for review).
- Direction on which entity must submit proposals (e.g., electric distribution companies, the public utilities/regulatory commission, or an administrative agency).
- Reporting and transparency requirements: program budgets, lists of programs funded (energy efficiency, low-income assistance, renewable energy programs), and periodic program evaluations.
- Timing and transition rules for charges already in effect and for upcoming collections.
- Possible exemptions, sunset provisions, or standards the Legislature should apply when evaluating the charge.

Who would be affected

  • Electric distribution companies: changes to collection ability, compliance and reporting duties.
  • Regulators (public utilities commission or equivalent): potential reduction in administrative autonomy over system benefit charges.
  • The General Assembly: would take direct oversight and approval responsibility.
  • Ratepayers: potential impacts on bills, timing of program funding, and availability of public-benefit programs (efficiency, renewables, low-income assistance).
  • Program administrators and third-party contractors who deliver funded programs could see funding uncertainty or changes.

Potential impacts and considerations

  • Shifts decision-making from regulators/administrators to the legislature could increase political oversight and lengthen approval timelines.
  • Could create uncertainty for program planning and contract commitments funded by the charge.
  • May affect the level and stability of funding for energy efficiency, renewable incentives, and low-income assistance programs.
  • Fiscal impact and legal/regulatory implications (preemption of regulatory authority, constitutionality) would depend on the bill’s specific language and are not determinable from the title alone.

Procedural status and timeline (selected actions)

  • Filed: 2025-04-15
  • Referred to Joint Committee on Energy and Technology (initial referral) — recorded 2025-01-21 in the document header.
  • Committee hearing: 2025-04-29 (testimony recorded); reported favorably without amendment: 2025-04-30.
  • Considered in Calendars and read multiple times in mid–May 2025; records indicate passage in a chamber and transmission between chambers (see detailed ledger below).
  • Latest formal status line in header: REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Energy and Technology.

(Recommendation: consult the official legislative website or bill text to obtain the precise statutory amendments, the mechanism of legislative approval required, and the bill’s current enacted or pending status. The activity log above contains multiple chamber actions; verify which chamber took each action.)

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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