HB 825

Abstract

Amends the Public Utilities Act. Provides that the Illinois Commerce Commission shall conduct a comprehensive workforce analysis study of each electric utility to determine the adequacy of the total in-house staffing in each job classification or job title critical to maintaining quality reliability and restoring service in each electric utility's service territory. Provides that each report shall contain a yearly detailed comparison beginning with 1995 and ending in 2006 of certain ratios for each electric utility. Provides that the ratios shall be reported from each utility's named service area, district, division, outlying area, village, municipality, reporting point, or region. Provides that the analysis shall determine the total number of contractor employees for the same time frame and shall be conducted in the same manner as the in-house analysis. Provides that the Commission may hold public hearings while conducting the analysis to assist in the adequacy of the study. Requires the Commission to hold public hearings on the study and present the results to the General Assembly no later than January 1, 2008. Provides that the Commission shall require electric utilities to develop and implement strategies to attract and retain workers and remedy any deficiencies found by the study. Provides that the Commission shall develop and implement rules to require each electric utility to employ an adequately sized, well-trained in-house utility work force, including, but not limited to, benchmarks for employee staffing levels for each classification and employee training for each classification. Effective immediately.