CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.





                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. SB 2454

    Amendment No.    

                            CHAMBER ACTION
              Senate                               House
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11  Senators Rossin, Silver, Campbell, Dyer, Forman, Hargrett,

12  Holzendorf, Kurth, Meadows, Thomas and Turner moved the

13  following substitute amendment to substitute amendment

14  (875048):

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16         Senate Amendment (with title amendment) 

17          Delete everything after the enacting clause

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19  and insert:

20         Section 1.    Each residential electric utility

21  customer account of an "electric utility" as defined in s.

22  366.02(2), F.S. receiving active, residential electric utility

23  service on May 1, 1998, shall be provided with a $50 credit,

24  or an amount for which funds are equally available from the

25  General Revenue Trust Fund, on their electric utility service

26  account in August of 1998. The method for the award of this

27  credit shall be as follows:

28         a)  Each electric utility shall file with the Florida

29  Public Service Commission by June 1, 1998 certification of the

30  total number of residential electric utility accounts

31  receiving active service on May 1, 1998.

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. SB 2454

    Amendment No.    





 1         b)  Upon receipt of the  certification of the total

 2  number of residential electric utility accounts from the

 3  utilities , the Commission shall calculate the amount of funds

 4  necessary for each electric utility to accomplish the

 5  provision of this section by multiplying the number of

 6  residential accounts active on May 1, 1998 by $50.

 7         c)  The Commission shall produce a list of the

 8  utilities detailing the calculated amount of funds necessary

 9  to provide the $50 credit and certify this list to the

10  Comptroller of the State of Florida, the President of the

11  Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by

12  June 15, 1998. Upon any specific request of the Comptroller,

13  the President of the Senate, or the Speaker of the House of

14  Representatives, the Public Service Commission shall have the

15  authority to audit the total number of residential electric

16  utility accounts as filed pursuant to subsection (b) of this

17  act.

18         d)  The Comptroller shall distribute funds to each

19  individual electric utility  based on the list submitted by

20  the Commission on or before July 1, 1998. The Comptroller

21  shall make appropriate adjustments as funds are available to

22  ensure an equal credit to each specified electric utility

23  customer as provided by this section.

24         e)  The Florida Public Service Commission shall direct

25  each electric utility to provide the credit on the electric

26  service  account of the eligible residential electric service

27  customers on  August 1, 1998  as provided by this section,

28  without exception. The Commission shall develop the

29  appropriate language describing the credit on the bill and

30  notifying customers of the credit application process making

31  every effort to neutralize costs to the utilities. Credits

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. SB 2454

    Amendment No.    





 1  shall be reflected on the bills rendered by the utility

 2  starting on August 1, 1998 for the applicable customer

 3  accounts as they are subsequently billed according to the

 4  utility's standard billing cycles, said credits being applied

 5  to the bills up to the total amount owed each month for

 6  electric service. When bills for electric service do not have

 7  sufficient electric service amounts owed to utilize the entire

 8  amount of the credit, the remaining credit will be carried on

 9  the account for subsequent months billing until the total

10  credit has been utilized or until October 31, 1998. Any

11  customer receiving service on May 1, 1998 that is no longer

12  receiving electric service from the electric utility on August

13  1, 1998, shall have the credit reflected on their prior

14  account until such time as the utility determines that such

15  customer has not requested or renewed service service from the

16  utility between August 1, 1998 and October 31, 1998. All

17  undistributed credits which have not been distributed for

18  whatever reason, shall be accounted for by the utility and

19  returned to the Comptroller of the State of Florida before

20  December 1, 1998. All disputes related to the distribution or

21  the amount of the credit shall be resolved by the Florida

22  Public Service Commission.

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24  It is the intent of the Legislature that this one-time credit

25  not require any increase or decrease in current utility rates

26  as established at the effective date of this section. Prior to

27  the application of this credit, amounts owed by each customer

28  shall be calculated without regard to the existence of the

29  credit. As a result, the amounts due from each customer,

30  including but not limited to rates, state, and local taxes,

31  franchise fees, and any other applicable charges, shall not be

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. SB 2454

    Amendment No.    





 1  affected by the existence of this credit.

 2         Section 2.    This act shall take effect upon becoming

 3  law.

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 6  ================ T I T L E   A M E N D M E N T ===============

 7  And the title is amended as follows:

 8          Delete everything before the enacting clause

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10  and insert:

11         providing for a residential electric utilities

12         credit under certain conditions; providing

13         legislative intent with respect to the credit;

14         providing an effective date.

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