An Act To Encourage Business Development by Limiting the Time a Utility May Hold a Business Customer's Deposit
Maine Legislature, Session 125, LD 1191
Committee Amendment CA_A_H127 (House)

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A " 
to H.P. 882, L.D. 1191, Bill, "An Act To 
Encourage Business Development by Limiting the Time a Utility May Hold a Business 
Customer's Deposit" 
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following: 
'Resolve, To Encourage Business Development by Creating Limits on the Time 
Certain Utilities May Hold a Business Customer's Deposit' 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the title and before the summary and 
inserting the following: 
'Sec. 1. Rules on business customers' deposits. Resolved: That the Public 
Utilities Commission shall amend its rule, Chapter 815: Consumer Protection Standards 
For Electric And Gas Transmission And Distribution Utilities, to require that deposits 
paid by small businesses with impeccable bill-paying histories be returned to those 
businesses after a reasonable time period. The commission may consider establishing 
different rules for different-sized utilities to account for differences in the risk to other 
ratepayers associated with defaults by businesses. The commission may consider basing 
eligibility for return of a deposit on the size of the deposit that was required of the 
business, such as a business whose deposit was less than $10,000. The commission shall 
establish a reasonable time period, such as 5 years, before a business is eligible for a 
return of the deposit. Rules adopted pursuant to this section are major 'substantive rules 
pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A and must be 
provisionally adopted by January 15, 2012.' 
SUMMARY 
This amendment replaces the bill with a resolve that directs the Public Utilities 
Commission to amend its rules to require that deposits paid by small businesses with 
impeccable bill-paying histories be returned to those businesses after a reasonable time 
period. The commission may consider establishing different rules for different-sized 
utilities to account for differences in the risk to ratepayers associated with defaults by 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ,A " 
to RP. 882, L.D. 1191 
businesses. The commission may consider basing eligibility for return of a deposit on the 
size of the deposit that was required of the business, such as a business whose deposit 
was less than $'10,000. The commission is directed to establish a reasonable time period, 
such as 5 years, before a business is eligible for a return of the deposit. Rules adopted 
pursuant to this resolve are major substantive rules pursuant to the Maine Revised 
Statutes, Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A and must be provisionally adopted by 
January 15,2012. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 04119/11 wac 
LD 1191 
LR 615(02) 
An Act To Encourage Business Development by Limiting the Time a Utility May Hold a Business 
Customer's Deposit 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment 'A" 
Committee: Energy, Utilities and Technology 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Minor cost increase - Other Special Revenue Funds 
Additional costs to the Public Utilities Commission for ru1emaking to adopt major substantive rules to require that 
utilities return deposits to certain businesses within a given period of time can be absorbed within existing budgeted 
resources. 
LR0615(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1