(a) The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority may require a portion of the staff of the authority to be made a party to any proceeding.

(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section, the authority shall require a portion of the staff to be made a party to proceedings relating to (1) a rate amendment proposed pursuant to section 16-19 by a public service company having more than seventy-five thousand customers, (2) the approval of performance-based incentives pursuant to subsection (b) of section 16-19a, or (3) the approval of any alternative form of regulation pursuant to section 16-247k, provided the authority shall not require a portion of the staff to be made a party to any proceeding described in this subsection if the authority issues a notice of its intent not to do so in writing. The notice shall include the reasons for not requiring a portion of the staff to be made a party. Upon petition of any party so noticed, the authority shall require a portion of the staff to be made a party.

(c) The provisions of section 4-181 shall apply to any proceeding in which a portion of authority staff is made a party.

(d) The authority staff assigned to participate as a party to any rate proceedings described in subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of this section shall review the proposed rate amendment filed by the company and shall file with the directors of the authority proposed modifications of the rate amendment. Such modifications shall carry out the purposes of subsection (a) of section 16-19e and section 16a-35k. Such staff shall appear and participate in the proceedings in support of its proposed modifications and may employ outside consultants knowledgeable in the utility regulation field.

(P.A. 84-342, S. 1, 13; P.A. 95-217, S. 1; P.A. 99-15; P.A. 11-80, S. 31.)

History: P.A. 95-217 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting obsolete references to 1984 and 1985 and made a technical change; P.A. 99-15 amended Subsec. (a) by allowing the assignment of staff as party to any department proceeding, moved language re mandatory assignment of staff in Subsec. (a) to Subsec. (b), designated a portion of existing Subsec. (a) as Subsec. (b) and amended same by designating existing provisions re a rate amendment proposed by a public service company having more than 75,000 customers as Subdiv. (1), making technical changes thereto, by adding new Subdivs. (2) and (3) and by adding language re proviso of when assignment of staff is not mandatory, added new Subsec. (c) re applicability of Sec. 4-181, relettered former Subsec. (b) as (d), and deleted former Subsecs. (c) and (d); P.A. 11-80 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing “Public Utilities Control Authority” with “Public Utilities Regulatory Authority”, replaced “department” with “authority” throughout, and amended Subsec. (d) by replacing “commissioners of the department” with “directors of the authority”, effective July 1, 2011.