An Act To Provide Transparency in Electricity Pricing for Maine Ratepayers
Maine Legislature, Session 125, LD 1875
Committee: Energy, Utilities and Technology
Sponsors: FITTS
Amends: 35-A MRSA §102, 35-A MRSA §116, 35-A MRSA §315

Legislative Document 
No. 1875 
H.P. 1387 
House of Representatives, March 13, 2012 
An Act To Provide Transparency in Electricity Pricing for Maine 
Ratepayers 
Reference to the Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology suggested and ordered 
printed. 
HEATHER J.R. PRIEST 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative FITTS of Pittsfield.  (GOVERNOR'S BILL) 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  35-A MRSA §102, sub-§24 is enacted to read: 
24.  Zero-based budgeting.  "Zero-based budgeting" means a method of budgeting 
in which programs and activities are justified for a budgetary period using cost-benefit 
analysis without regard to the amount that was budgeted for those programs and activities 
in a prior budgetary period. 
Sec. 2.  35-A MRSA §116, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2007, c. 16, §2, is further 
amended to read: 
2.  Committee recommendations; legislative approval of budget.  The commission 
shall submit its budget recommendations, using a zero-based budgeting process, as part of 
the unified current services budget legislation in accordance with Title 5, sections 1663 to 
1666.  The commission shall make a presentation of its budget recommendations 
contained in any current services budget legislation and any supplemental budget 
legislation to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over 
public utilities matters. The joint standing committee of the Legislature having 
jurisdiction over public utilities matters shall review the commission's recommendations 
and make recommendations to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having 
jurisdiction over appropriations and financial affairs regarding the budget of the 
commission, including but not limited to all expenditures from the fund established 
pursuant to this section.  The commission shall make an annual report in accordance with 
section 120 of its planned expenditures for the year and on its use of funds in the previous 
year.  In addition to the assessments authorized under this section, the commission may 
also receive other funds as appropriated or allocated by the Legislature. 
Sec. 3.  35-A MRSA §116, sub-§8, ¶A, as amended by PL 1997, c. 424, Pt. B, 
§5, is further amended to read: 
A.  The Public Advocate shall submit its budget recommendations, using a zero-
based budgeting process, as part of the unified current services budget legislation in 
accordance with Title 5, sections 1663 to 1665 1666.  The assessments and 
expenditures provided in this section are subject to legislative approval.  The Public 
Advocate shall make an annual report of its planned expenditures for the year and on 
its use of funds in the previous year.  The Public Advocate may also receive other 
funds as appropriated by the Legislature. 
Sec. 4.  35-A MRSA §315 is enacted to read: 
§315.  Transparency in electricity rates and assessments 
1.  Transparency in electricity rates and assessments; commission and Office of 
the Public Advocate.  The commission and the Office of the Public Advocate shall post 
on their publicly accessible websites a detailed explanation of the total impact to 
ratepayers, in millions of dollars per year, of all components of ratepayers' rates and 
prices, including all supply and transmission and delivery charges and all additional state 
and federal government charges and assessments, including but not limited to charges to 
fund the low-income assistance program described in section 3214, the commission and 
the Office of the Public Advocate; system benefits charges with revenues dedicated to the 
Efficiency Maine Trust, established in section 10103; stranded costs from long-term 
contracts; and charges for the State's renewable resource portfolio requirement 
established under section 3210. 
2.  Transparency in electricity rates and assessments; transmission and 
distribution utilities.  All transmission and distribution utilities shall include a line-item 
accounting on ratepayers' statements that provides a total of all additional state and 
federal government charges and assessments, including but not limited to charges to fund 
the low-income assistance program described in section 3214, the commission and the 
Office of the Public Advocate; system benefits charges with revenues dedicated to the 
Efficiency Maine Trust, established in section 10103; stranded costs from long-term 
contracts; and assessments for the State's renewable resource portfolio requirement 
established under section 3210. 
SUMMARY 
This bill provides pricing transparency to electricity ratepayers to show the total 
financial impact to ratepayers from electricity supply, transmission and delivery and state 
and federal government assessments.  It requires the Public Utilities Commission and the 
Public Advocate to submit their budget recommendations as part of the unified current 
services budget legislation using a zero-based budgeting process.