A bill that would change how members of the Alabama Public Service Commission are selected was tabled from the House of Representatives calendar.
) - The Alabama House of Representatives was slated to discuss and vote on a bill that would change how Alabama ’s utility regulators are selected. However, after lawmakers gaveled in Thursday morning, the bill was pulled from the day’s calendar.
According to House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter , the bill has enough vote in the House of Representatives, but he said the votes are less certain in the Senate chamber. “We had the votes in the House and we had enough to pass it and it just came down to the fact that we didn’t have for sure in the senate that we could get it out and they have a lot of movement going on, and lot of things happening, and I think they weren’t ready for the bill,” he said after the House adjourned Thursday morning.would change how the president and board of the Alabama Public Service Commission are selected. The bill is one-of-three bills a part of the ‘Alabama Affordability Protection Plan.’ Currently, Alabama voters elect the members of the board. Alabama is one of 10 states to elect their energy regulators.Starting in 2030, the bill would trigger a governor appointment process with additional steps: the House speaker and the House minority leader would provide a short list of potential candidates, and the Senate Pro Tem and Senate minority leader would provide their own list of potential candidates.Rep. Chip Brown is one of the cosponsors of the bill. He said the bill is meant to reduce political influence on the board, along with reducing energy costs for Alabamians. “We’ve been kicking the can down the road with the Public Service Commission for over 100 years, reelecting people with a catchy name on the ballot,” he said. “This is an effort to try to modernize the public service commission and make them more customer friendly.” However, the bill has had some opposition. Rep. Juandalynn Givan said she is open to ideas on how to change the board but said the current bill would take power away from voters. “I would like to see the amendments that would be brought forth but I can only stand here today in all honesty, and this one thing is simple: we should be about the rate-payers,” she said. Rep. Givan said the idea of appointing board members rather than electing them is one of her key disagreements with the bill. She pushed back on the idea that appointments would reduce political influence on the board. “I am not in support right now of moving to an appointed board -- why? Because the politics is too thick, that means people will be appointed who will carry the dirty buckets of water for those who were in favor of this bill,” said Rep. Givan. Speaker Ledbetter said he wants to see more requirements for potential board members; a provision that is in the current rendition of the bill. The bill currently would require the governor to select people with ‘relevant’ experience to the commission, including experience with energy or infrastructure, economics, engineering and agriculture. “I think that regardless of what happens there needs to be qualifications,” he said. “I wouldn’t send a surgeon to work on my car.” Speaker Ledbetter did not say when, or if, the bill could be back on the House calendar for the 2026 legislative session. Energy Alabama, a nonprofit that advocates for renewable energy, has been outspoken in their opposition of the bill. In a statement Energy Alabama said in part: This bill would strip Alabamians of the right to vote for the Public Service Commission and replace public elections with political appointments, shifting oversight of monopoly utilities away from voters and toward insider politics. It would move electric bill decisions further out of public view at the exact moment customers need more transparency and stronger accountability. WSFA reached out to Alabama Power, who is regulated by the Public Service Commission, for comment on the bill. They have not responded to our request for comment.Alabama Senate passes bill shifting autism therapy oversight to state mental health department
Public Service Commission Alabama Alabama Power Energy Alabama Juandalynn Givan Nathaniel Ledbetter Chip Brown
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