Bill Text: CA SB720 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Gas corporations: applications and proceedings: employee organization participation.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Engrossed) 2024-08-22 - Ordered to inactive file on request of Assembly Member Schiavo. [SB720 Detail]
Download: California-2023-SB720-Amended.html
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August 19, 2024 |
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July 03, 2024 |
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June 10, 2024 |
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July 10, 2023 |
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June 19, 2023 |
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May 02, 2023 |
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March 30, 2023 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Bill
No. 720
| Introduced by Senator Durazo |
February 16, 2023 |
An act to add Section 962 to the Public Utilities Code, relating to gas corporations.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 720, as amended, Durazo.
Gas corporations: safety: applications and proceedings: employee organization participation.
Existing law requires each gas corporation to develop a plan for the safe and reliable operation of its Public Utilities Commission-regulated gas pipeline facility. Existing law requires the commission and gas corporation to provide opportunities for meaningful, substantial, and ongoing participation by the gas corporation workforce in the development and implementation of the plan, with the objective of developing an industrywide culture of safety that will minimize accidents, explosions, fires, and dangerous conditions for the protection of the public and the gas corporation workforce.
This bill would require the commission, whenever it opens a proceeding related directly or indirectly to gas corporation safety, to notify all employee organizations representing the gas corporation’s employees and to grant party status to those organizations before the first prehearing conference. If the commission conducts a phase, track, or other part of a safety-related proceeding subsequent to the initial phase, track, or part, the bill would require the commission to conduct a new prehearing conference and to notify those employee organizations. The bill would specify that these requirements apply to all safety-related proceedings open as of January 1, 2025.
This bill would require a gas corporation, whenever it files a formal application with the commission, to serve the application on all employee organizations representing the gas corporation’s employees’ labor interests. The bill would require a gas corporation, whenever the commission, on its own motion, opens a formal proceeding to which the gas corporation is a party, to notify all employee organizations representing the gas corporation’s employees’ labor interests within 3 days of the gas corporation’s receipt of service for the proceeding. The bill would authorize the commission to grant party status to the employee organizations after those organizations have filed a motion for party status and would require the commission to allow those organizations to file a notice of intent to claim intervenor compensation after they have been granted party status.
Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act is a crime.
Because the above requirements would be part of the Public Utilities Act, a violation of which would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program:Bill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) Subdivision (e) of Section 961 of the Public Utilities Code requires the Public Utilities Commission to “provide opportunities for meaningful, substantial, and ongoing participation by the gas corporation workforce in the development and implementation of the plan, with the objective of developing an industrywide culture of safety that will minimize accidents, explosions, fires, and dangerous conditions for the protection of the public and the gas corporation workforce.”
(b) That provision was intended to include employee organizations
representing the gas corporation workforce in safety culture assessments.
(c) In commission Investigation 19-06-014 (June 27, 2019), Order Instituting Investigation on the Commission’s Own Motion to Determine Whether Southern California Gas Company’s and Sempra Energy’s Organizational Culture and Governance Prioritize Safety (U904G), the commission rejected the notice of intent to seek intervenor compensation filed by an impacted employee organization, thus leading to inadequate
representation for the gas corporation workforce.
(a)(1)Whenever the commission opens a proceeding related directly or indirectly to gas corporation safety, the commission shall notify all employee organizations representing the gas corporation’s employees and shall grant party status to those organizations before the first prehearing conference.
(2)If the commission conducts a phase, track, or other part of a safety-related proceeding subsequent to the initial phase, track, or part, the commission shall conduct a new prehearing conference and shall notify all employee organizations representing the gas corporation’s employees.
(b)Subdivision (a) applies to all safety-related proceedings that are open as
of January 1, 2025.
SEC. 2.
Section 962 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read:962.
(a) (1) Whenever a gas corporation files a formal application with the commission, the gas corporation shall serve the application on all employee organizations representing the gas corporation’s employees’ labor interests.(2) The commission may grant party status to the employee organizations in a gas corporation proceeding after those organizations have filed a motion for party status and shall allow those organizations to file a notice of intent to claim compensation pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 1804 after they have been granted party status.
(b) (1) Whenever the commission, on its own motion, opens a formal proceeding to
which a gas corporation is a party, the gas corporation shall notify all employee organizations representing the gas corporation’s employees’ labor interests within three days of the gas corporation’s receipt of service for the proceeding.
(2) The commission may grant party status to the employee organizations in a gas corporation proceeding after those organizations have filed a motion for party status and shall allow those organizations to file a notice of intent to claim compensation pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 1804 after they have been granted party status.
