Lake County Gazette

Joyce Mason introduced HB1802 in the Illinois House on Jan. 27, 2025, during the general assembly session 104, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill's official text as follows: "Amends the Electric Service Customer Choice and Rate Relief Law of 1997 of the Public Utilities Act. Provides that a public service company that is a member of a Regional Transmission Organization shall submit a report to the Illinois Commerce Commission on or before February 1 of each year of any recorded vote cast by the public service company during the immediately preceding calendar year. Provides that a public service company that is a member of a Regional Transmission Organization shall include in the report any recorded vote cast by an affiliate at a meeting of a Regional Transmission Organization during the immediately preceding calendar year. Provides that the report shall include: (i) all recorded votes cast by the public service company, regardless of whether the vote is otherwise disclosed; (ii) all votes cast by an affiliate of the public service company, if the public service company did not vote on the matter; and (iii) a brief description explaining how each vote cast by the public service company or its affiliate, as appropriate, is in the interest of the public."

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill amends the Electric Service Customer Choice and Rate Relief Law of 1997 within the Public Utilities Act, mandating that any public service company that is part of a Regional Transmission Organization must submit an annual report to the Illinois Commerce Commission by February 1. The report must detail any recorded votes from the prior year by the company or its affiliates at Regional Transmission Organization meetings. It should include all votes cast by the company, those cast by affiliates when the company did not vote, and a brief explanation of why each vote is believed to be in the public's interest. The bill intends to enhance transparency regarding the decision-making processes of public service companies in Regional Transmission Organizations.

Joyce Mason has proposed one other bill since the beginning of the 104th session.

Manson graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1991 with a BA.

Joyce Manson is currently serving in the Illinois State House, representing the state's 61st House District. She replaced previous state representative Sheri Jesiel in 2019.

Bills in Illinois follow a multi-step legislative process, beginning with introduction in either the House or Senate, followed by committee review, floor debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching the governor for approval or veto. The General Assembly operates on a biennial schedule, and while typically thousands of bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully pass through the process to become law.

You can read more about bills and other measures here.

Bill Number	Date Introduced	Short Description
HB1802	01/27/2025	Amends the Electric Service Customer Choice and Rate Relief Law of 1997 of the Public Utilities Act. Provides that a public service company that is a member of a Regional Transmission Organization shall submit a report to the Illinois Commerce Commission on or before February 1 of each year of any recorded vote cast by the public service company during the immediately preceding calendar year. Provides that a public service company that is a member of a Regional Transmission Organization shall include in the report any recorded vote cast by an affiliate at a meeting of a Regional Transmission Organization during the immediately preceding calendar year. Provides that the report shall include: (i) all recorded votes cast by the public service company, regardless of whether the vote is otherwise disclosed; (ii) all votes cast by an affiliate of the public service company, if the public service company did not vote on the matter; and (iii) a brief description explaining how each vote cast by the public service company or its affiliate, as appropriate, is in the interest of the public.
HB1707	01/24/2025	Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Provides gas collection and control system requirements for municipal solid waste landfills, including requirements for gas to be collected from each area in which solid waste has been in place for at least one year, for gas to be drawn toward the gas control devices, for a gas collection and control system to be installed within 12 months of reaching certain thresholds, for gas collection and control design plans to provide for alternative preliminary measures, and for the methane destruction efficiency of flared systems to reach 99%.