Sec. 1. 35-A MRSA §3202, sub-§4, as enacted by PL 1997, c. 316, §3, is amended to read:

4. Electric billing and metering services. Beginning March 1, 2002, pursuant to rules adopted by the commission, the provision of electric billing and metering services is subject to competition. The commission by rule may establish an earlier date for the beginning of competition for the provision of billing or metering services, except that the commission may not set a beginning date that is prior to March 1, 2000.

The commission by rule shall establish minimum standards necessary to protect consumers of these services and codes of conduct governing the relationship among transmission and distribution utilities providing electric billing and metering services, any affiliates of transmission and distribution utilities providing such services and providers of such services that are not affiliated with a transmission and distribution utility. The commission shall determine each transmission and distribution utility's costs of providing electric billing and metering services that are reflected in consumer rates, including capital costs, depreciation, operating expenses and taxes, and shall separate this portion of the consumer rate into a separate charge.

A person who provides billing services for a competitive electricity provider must forward payments received from the electrical service customers to the competitive electricity provider within 3 days of the receipt of payment from the customer.

Rules adopted under this subsection are major substantive rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter II-A and must be provisionally adopted by March 1, 1999.

SUMMARY

This bill requires a person who provides competitive billing services related to electric service not provided by that person to forward to the person who provided the electric service, within 3 days of the receipt of payment from the customer, the amount collected from the customer for the electric service.