Beginning on page 1, after line 2 of the amendment, strike all material through "2020." on page 4, line 21, and insert the following:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1.  "(1) The department of commerce shall convene a work group to identify issues and laws associated with the future of net metering. The work group must include representatives from consumer-owned utilities, investor-owned utilities, the utilities and transportation commission, the solar industry, and any other relevant participants. The department of commerce shall provide the work group's report to the appropriate committees of the legislature by December 1, 2019. As part of the report, the work group must consider the reduction in utility income associated with different levels of net metering and the increase necessary in retail electric rates to affected rate classes to recoup that income. The work group must specifically evaluate the effect of needed changes to electric rates on low-income customers. The work group should evaluate the differences in income and rate effects among different types of utilities: Consumer-owned and investor-owned; many customers and few customers; and urban, suburban, and rural utilities. Based on this information, the work group must report a range of potential net-metering policies and the impact of those policies to each identified type of utility. The work group may identify a preferred net metering policy applicable to all utilities in the state or a set of policies applicable to each type of utility. The work group shall also provide an inventory of other state's net metering laws and assess their applicability to the circumstances of different types of utilities in Washington state.

(2) This section expires June 30, 2020."

On page 4, beginning on line 23 of the title amendment, after "net metering;" strike the remainder of the title amendment and insert "creating a new section; and providing an expiration date."

EFFECT: Removes the increase of the minimum threshold to 6 percent for the cumulative generating capacity that a utility must make available for net metering systems.

Removes the requirement for remaining unused kilowatt-hour (kWh) credit generated for the calendar year to be used to assist low-income residential utility customers.

Removes the requirement to include the total amount of kWh of electricity consumed for the most recent 12-month period on billing statements.

Removes direction to the building code council to study and adopt building code changes to encourage use of renewable energy systems.

Directs the work group to consider reduction in utility income associated with net metering policies and evaluate the effect of need changes to electric rates on low-income customers. The work group must report a range of net-metering policies and their impacts on different types of utilities.