Z-365                 _______________________________________________

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 5023

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                                                                            C 152 L 89

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1989 Regular Session

By Senators Benitz and Williams; by request of Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission

Prefiled with Secretary of the Senate 1/5/89.  Read first time 1/9/89 and referred to Committee on  Energy & Utilities.

AN ACT Relating to proposed tariff changes; and amending RCW 80.28.060 and 80.36.110.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

        Sec. 1.  Section 80.28.060, chapter 14, Laws of 1961 and RCW 80.28.060 are each amended to read as follows:

          Unless the commission otherwise orders, no change shall be made in any rate or charge or in any form of contract or agreement or in any rule or regulation relating to any rate, charge or service, or in any general privilege or facility which shall have been filed and published by a gas company, electrical company or water company in compliance with the requirements of RCW 80.28.050 except after thirty days' notice to the commission and publication for thirty days, which notice shall plainly state the changes proposed to be made in the schedule then in force and the time when the change will go into effect and all proposed changes shall be shown by printing, filing and publishing new schedules, or shall be plainly indicated upon the schedules in force at the time and kept open to public inspection.  Proposed changes may be suspended by the commission within thirty days or before the stated effective date of the proposed change, whichever is later.  The commission, for good cause shown, may allow changes without requiring the thirty days' notice by duly filing, in such manner as it may direct, an order specifying the changes so to be made and the time when it shall take effect.  All such changes shall be immediately indicated upon its schedules by the company affected.  When any change is made in any rate or charge, form of contract or agreement, or any rule or regulation relating to any rate or charge or service, or in any general privilege or facility, the effect of which is to increase any rate or charge, then in existence, attention shall be directed on the copy filed with the commission to such increase by some character immediately preceding or following the item in such schedule, such character to be in form as designated by the commission.

        Sec. 2.  Section 80.36.110, chapter 14, Laws of 1961 as amended by section 25, chapter 450, Laws of 1985 and RCW 80.36.110 are each amended to read as follows:

          Unless the commission otherwise orders, no change shall be made in any rate, toll, rental, contract or charge, which shall have been filed and published by any telecommunications company in compliance with the requirements of RCW 80.36.100, except after thirty days' notice to the commission and publication for thirty days as required in the case of original schedules in RCW 80.36.100, which notice shall plainly state the changes proposed to be made in the schedule then in force, and the time when the changed rate, toll, contract or charge will go into effect, and all proposed changes shall be shown by printing, filing and publishing new schedules, or shall be plainly indicated upon the schedules in force at the time and kept open to public inspection.  Proposed changes may be suspended by the commission within thirty days or before the stated effective date of the proposed change, whichever is later.  The commission for good cause shown may allow changes in rates, charges, tolls, rentals or contracts without requiring the thirty days' notice and publication herein provided for, by an order specifying the change so to be made and the time when it shall take effect, and the manner in which the same shall be filed and published.  When any change is made in any rate, toll, contract, rental or charge, the effect of which is to increase any rate, toll, rental or charge then existing, attention shall be directed on the copy filed with the commission to such increase by some character immediately preceding or following the item in such schedule, which character shall be in such form as the commission may designate.