1064S.02F

WHEREAS, telecommunications services and energy services and sources are vital to the economic vitality and well-being of the state of Missouri; and

WHEREAS, attempts across the nation to deregulate telecommunications services and energy services and sources have met with both success and failure in the effort to create competitive markets and make available new services and customer choices; and

WHEREAS, the state and political subdivisions have imposed taxes, fees and other assessments on various telecommunications and energy services which vary widely based on locality and, within a locality, may vary widely due to increasingly related and competitive services, such as telephone and cable television; and

WHEREAS, the current nationwide effort to establish competition in the production, distribution and sale of energy, including electricity, natural gas and other energy sources has potential benefits and adverse effects on energy producers, distributors, retailers, customers and the citizens of this state; and

WHEREAS, ensuring adequate and affordable telecommunications services and energy services and sources necessitate a fair and equitable tax structure across different telecommunications and energy services and across different regions of the state; and

WHEREAS, the issue of whether governmental entities should expend public resources to compete with private telecommunications and energy entities should be explored; and

WHEREAS, recent increases in the cost of natural gas has affected home heating costs, electricity costs and energy costs for businesses and created a greater need for efficient use of energy resources; and

WHEREAS, Missouri produces little of the energy resources it consumes, resulting in a considerable export of wealth from the state to other parts of the nation and the rest of the world;

WHEREAS, a Joint Interim Committee on Telecommunications and Energy has studied several of the above-mentioned issues during the tenure of the Ninetieth General Assembly and recommends that a similar study committee be established to continue the study during the tenure of the Ninety-first General Assembly:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the members of the Missouri Senate, Ninety-first General Assembly, First Regular Session, the House of Representatives concurring therein, that a Joint Legislative Committee on Telecommunications and Energy be created to be composed of seven members of the Senate, to be appointed by the President Pro Tem of the Senate, and seven members of the House of Representatives, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and that said committee be authorized to function throughout the Ninety-first General Assembly; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that said committee continue and expand the in-depth studies conducted by the prior Joint Interim Committee on Telecommunications and Energy and make appropriate recommendations concerning financial, legal, social, taxation, environmental, technological and economic issues of telecommunications, cable television, all Internet services, including asymmetrical digital subscriber lines (ADSL) and service via cable lines, and energy services taxation, competition between governmental entities and private telecommunication entities, and any other issues the committee deems relevant; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that said committee continue and expand the in-depth studies conducted by prior Joint Interim Committees on Telecommunications and Energy and make appropriate recommendations concerning financial, legal, social, taxation, environmental, technological and economic issues of deregulation and increasing competition in energy production, distribution and sale, including consideration of the effects on residential customers, small and large business customers, utility shareholders and other stakeholders and any other issues the committee deems relevant; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that said committee study and make appropriate recommendations concerning financial, legal, social, taxation, environmental, technological and economic issues of energy costs, energy demand management options, decentralization of energy sources, energy efficiency and any other issues the committee deems relevant;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that said committee prepare an interim report, together with its recommendations for any legislative action it deems necessary for submission to the General Assembly prior to the commencement of the Second Regular Session of the Ninety-first General Assembly and a final report, together with its recommendations for any legislative action it deems necessary for submission to the General Assembly prior to the commencement of the First Regular Session of the Ninety-second General Assembly; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that said committee may solicit any input and information necessary to fulfill its obligations from the Missouri Public Service Commission, the Department of Economic Development, the Division of Energy within the Department of Natural Resources, the Office of Public Counsel, political subdivisions of this state, telecommunications and energy service providers, energy utilities and representatives of all telecommunications and energy customer groups; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that House Research, the Committee on Legislative Research, and Senate Research shall provide such legal, research, clerical, technical and bill drafting services as the committee may require in the performance of its duties; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the actual and necessary expenses of the committee, its members and any staff personnel assigned to the committee incurred in attending meetings of the committee or any subcommittee thereof shall be paid from the Joint Contingent Fund.