Senator MASSEY proposed the following amendment (JUD0464.027):

Amend the bill, as and if amended, by adding an appropriately numbered SECTION to read:

/ SECTION ___. Chapter 4, Title 58 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding Section 58-4-51:

"Section 58-4-51. (A) Regulatory staff shall have the following duties and responsibilities concerning the Public Service Authority to:

(1) when considered necessary by the Executive Director of the Office of Regulatory Staff, review, investigate, and make appropriate recommendations to the appropriate entity with respect to the rates charged or proposed to be charged for electric service provided by the Public Service Authority;

(2) when considered necessary by the Executive Director of the Office of Regulatory Staff, make inspections, audits, and examinations of, and to make recommendations to, the appropriate entity, regarding electric service provided by the Public Service Authority;

(3) upon request by the commission, make studies and recommendations to the commission with respect to standards, regulations, practices, or electric service provided by the Public Service Authority for matters within the commission's jurisdiction; and

(4) when considered necessary by the Executive Director of the Office of Regulatory Staff, investigate and examine the condition of generation, transmission, or distribution electric facilities owned or operated by the Public Service Authority.

(B) Regulatory staff may participate as a party of interest, as deemed necessary by the Executive Director of the Office of Regulatory Staff, before regulatory agencies, state courts and federal courts, in matters that could affect the Public Service Authority's rates or charges for the Authority's electric service .

(C) The regulatory staff may have additional duties and responsibilities related to the Public Service Authority a s otherwise provided by law." /

Amend this bill, as and if amended, by adding an appropriately numbered SECTION to read:

/ SECTION___. Section 58-4-55 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

" Section 58-4-55. (A) The regulatory staff, in accomplishing its responsibilities under Sections 58-4-50 and Section 58-4-51, may require the production of books, records, and other information to be produced at the regulatory staff's office, that, upon request of the regulatory staff, must be submitted under oath and without the requirement of a confidentiality agreement or protective order being first executed or sought. The regulatory staff must treat the information as confidential or proprietary unless or until the commission rules such information is not entitled to protection from public disclosure or the public utility, the Public Service Authority, or the electric cooperative agrees that such information is no longer confidential or proprietary. Unless the commission's order contains a finding to the contrary, all documents or information designated as confidential or proprietary pursuant to this subsection are exempt from public disclosure under Sections 30-4-10, et seq., and the regulatory staff shall not disclose such documents and information, or the contents thereof, to any member of the commission or to any other person or entity; provided, however, that, if the commission determines that it is necessary to view such documents or information, it shall order the regulatory staff to file the documents or information with the commission under seal, and such documents or information shall not be available for public inspection unless otherwise ordered by the commission. Although the Public Service Authority is subject to the Freedom of Information Act pursuant to Sections 30-4-10, et seq, the Authority, when necessary and appropriate, may indicate that information or documents provided to regulatory staff is confidential or proprietary, or otherwise exempt from disclosure in accordance with statute, and the regulatory staff must treat this information in the same manner as public utilities and cooperatives pursuant to this section.

If the books, records, or other information provided do not appear to disclose full and accurate information and, if such apparent deficiencies are not cured after reasonable notice, the regulatory staff may require the attendance and testimony under oath of the officers, accountants, or other agents of the parties having knowledge thereof at such place as the regulatory staff may designate and the expense of making the necessary examination or inspection for the procuring of the information must be paid by the party examined or inspected, to be collected by the regulatory staff by suit or action, if necessary. If, however, the examination and inspection and the reports thereof disclose that full and accurate information had previously been made, the expense of making the examination and inspection must be paid out of the funds of the regulatory staff.

(B) If the regulatory staff initiates an inspection, audit, or examination of a public utility, the Public Service Authority, or an electric cooperative, the public utility, the Public Service Authority, or the electric cooperative that is the subject of the inspection, audit, or examination may petition the commission to terminate or limit the scope of such inspection, audit, or examination. The commission must grant such petition if it finds that such inspection, audit, or examination is arbitrary, capricious, unnecessary, unduly burdensome, or unrelated to the regulated operations of the public utility, the Public Service Authority, or the electric cooperative.

(1) If such an inspection, audit, or examination is not part of a contested case proceeding, the public utility, the Public Service Authority or the electric cooperative may also raise objections or seek relief available under the South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure to a party upon whom discovery is served or to a person upon whom a subpoena is served. The commission shall provide the regulatory staff reasonable notice to respond to any such objection or request. Absent the consent of the public utility, the Public Service Authority, or the electric cooperative raising such an objection or request and the Office of Regulatory Staff, the commission must rule on such an objection or request within sixty days of the date it was filed. During the pendency of the commission's ruling, the public utility, the Public Service Authority, or the electric cooperative making such an objection or request is not required to produce or provide access to any documents or information that is the subject of the objection or request.

(2) If such an inspection, audit, or examination is part of a contested case proceeding, the commission shall address objections to information sought by the regulatory staff in the same manner in which it addresses objections to discovery issued by the parties to the contested case proceeding.

(C) Any public utility, the Public Service Authority, or any electric cooperative that provides the regulatory staff with copies of or access to documents or information in the course of an inspection, audit, or examination that is not part of a contested case proceeding may designate any such documents or information as confidential or proprietary if it believes in good faith that such documents or information would be entitled to protection from public disclosure under the South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure or any provision of South Carolina or federal law. The regulatory staff may petition the commission for an order that some or all of the documents so designated are not entitled to protection from public disclosure and it shall be incumbent on the utility to prove that such documents are entitled to protection from public disclosure under the South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure or any provision of South Carolina or federal law. The commission shall rule on such petition after providing the regulatory staff and the utility an opportunity to be heard. Unless the commission's order on such a petition contains a finding to the contrary, all documents or information designated as confidential or proprietary pursuant to this subsection are exempt from public disclosure under Sections 30-4-10, et seq., and the regulatory staff shall not disclose such documents and information, or the contents thereof, to any member of the commission or to any other person or entity; provided, however, that, if the commission determines that it is necessary to view such documents or information in order to rule on such a petition, it shall order the regulatory staff to file the documents or information with the commission under seal, and such documents or information shall not be available for public inspection during the pendency of the petition.

(D) Nothing in this section restricts the regulatory staff's ability to serve discovery in a contested case proceeding that seeks the type of documents or information the regulatory staff has obtained in the course of any review, investigation, inspection, audit, or examination, nor does anything in this section restrict the ability of any public utility, the Public Service Authority, or electric cooperative to object to such discovery or to seek relief regarding such discovery, including without limitation, the entry of a protective order. The regulatory staff shall not be required to execute a confidentiality agreement or seek a protective order prior to accessing the documents or information of a public utility, the Public Service Authority, or an electric cooperative, and such information or documents must be treated as confidential or proprietary unless or until the commission rules such information is not entitled to protection from public disclosure or the public utility, the Public Service Authority, or the electric cooperative agrees that such information is no longer confidential or proprietary. Unless the commission's order contains a finding to the contrary, all documents or information designated as confidential or proprietary pursuant to this subsection are exempt from public disclosure under Section 30-4-10, et seq., and the regulatory staff shall not disclose such documents and information, or the contents thereof, to any member of the commission or to any other person or entity. However, if the commission determines that it is necessary to view such documents or information, it shall order the regulatory staff to file the documents or information with the commission under seal, and such documents or information shall not be available for public inspection unless otherwise ordered by the commission.

(E) (1) The Office of Regulatory Staff, in order to accomplish any of the responsibilities assigned to it by Chapter 4, Title 58 or any other provision of law, may apply to the circuit court for subpoenas to be issued to entities over which the Public Service Commission does not have jurisdiction. Such subpoenas will be issued by the circuit court in the same manner as subpoenas are issued to parties to proceedings before that court, and all rules applicable to the issuance of such subpoenas, including enforcement and penalties, shall apply to subpoenas issued at the request of the regulatory staff.

(2) In order to accomplish any of the responsibilities assigned to the Office of Regulatory Staff regarding the Public Service Authority in which the commission does not have jurisdiction, regulatory staff or another party of interest may file a complaint with the Administrative Law Court.

(F) The actual expenses of the Office of Regulatory Staff incurred in carrying out its duties under Section 58-4-50(A)(12) must be certified annually to the Public Utilities Review Committee in an itemized statement by the Office of Regulatory Staff, shown as a line item in the Office of Regulatory Staff budget, to be assessed directly to an audited electric cooperative by the Office of Regulatory Staff, and deposited with the State Treasurer to the credit of the Office of Regulatory Staff." /

Amend the bill further, as and if amended , by adding appropriately numbered SECTIONS to read:

/ SECTION __. Section 58-27-190 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 58-27-190.The Office of Regulatory Staff has the right at any and all times to inspect the property, plant, and facilities of any electrical utility and the South Carolina Public Service Authority and to inspect or audit at reasonable times the accounts, books, papers, and documents of any electrical utility and the South Carolina Public Service Authority. For the purposes herein mentioned an employee or agent of the Office of Regulatory Staff may during all reasonable hours enter upon any premises occupied by or under the control of any electrical utility or the South Carolina Public Service Authority. An employee or agent of the Office of Regulatory Staff authorized to administer oaths has the power to examine under oath any officer, agent, or employee of the electrical utility and the South Carolina Public Service Authority in relation to the business and affairs of the electrical utility, but written record of the testimony or statement so given under oath must be made."

SECTION __. Section 58-27-200 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 58-27-200.In the performance of its duties under this chapter, an employee or agent of the Office of Regulatory Staff may inspect or make copies of all income, property, or other tax returns, reports, or other information filed by electrical utilities or the South Carolina Public Service Authority, with or otherwise obtained by any other department, commission, board, or agency of the state government. All departments, commissions, boards, or agencies of the state government must permit an employee or agent of the Office of Regulatory Staff to inspect or make copies of all information filed by electrical utilities or the South Carolina Public Service Authority with or otherwise obtained by the department, commission, board, or agency of the state government."

SECTION __. Section 58-27-210 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 58-27-210.Whenever it shall appear that any electrical utility, electric cooperative, the South Carolina Public Service Authority regarding its provision of electric services, or consolidated political subdivision is failing or omitting, or about to fail or omit, to do anything required of it by law or by order of the commission or is doing, or about to do anything or permitting or about to permit anything to be done contrary to or in violation of law or of any order of the commission, an action or proceeding shall be prosecuted in any court of competent jurisdiction in the name of the Office of Regulatory Staff for the purpose of having such violation or threatened violation discontinued or prevented, either by mandamus, injunction, or other appropriate relief, and in such action or proceeding, it shall be permissible to join such other persons, corporations, municipalities, or consolidated political subdivisions as parties thereto as may be reasonably necessary to make the order of the court in all respects effective. The commission must not be a party to any action."

SECTION __. Section 58-27-220 is amended to read:

"Section 58-27-220.In addition to the foregoing expressly enumerated powers, the Office of Regulatory Staff must enforce, execute, administer, and carry out the provisions of this chapter relating to the powers, duties, limitations, and restrictions imposed upon electrical utilities and the South Carolina Public Service Authority by this chapter or any other provisions of the law of this State regulating electrical utilities and the South Carolina Public Service Authority regarding its provision of electric services." /