Paul Bettencourt Texas State Senator, District 7 | Official Website
Paul Bettencourt Texas State Senator, District 7 | Official Website
More specifically, the official text was summarized by the state legislature as ’’Relating to the procedure for a periodic rate adjustment by an electric utility’’.
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
This bill amends the Utilities Code to outline the procedure for periodic rate adjustments by electric utilities, allowing for the upward or downward adjustment of nonfuel rates based on changes in invested capital in distribution infrastructure. The process for approval involves participation from affected parties and must occur within a 90-day timeframe, with a possible 15-day extension for good cause. Adjustments should consider changes in customer numbers and weather-normalized energy use, ensuring consistency with recent rate allocation methods. The law preserves the regulatory authority's ability to modify rates that are deemed unreasonable or unlawful. The adjustments are to be applied system-wide and require a sworn statement from a utility employee confirming compliance. The bill will be effective from Sept. 1, 2025, and applies to proceedings initiated on or after this date.
Paul Bettencourt, chair of the Senate Committee on Local Government and member of the Senate Committee on Transportation, proposed another nine bills during the 89(R) legislative session.
Bettencourt graduated from Texas A&M University with a BS.
Paul Bettencourt is currently serving in the Texas State Senate, representing the state's 7th Senate district. He replaced previous state senator Dan Patrick in 2015.
Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.
You can read more about the bills and other measures here.
| Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|
| SB 1542 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to maintaining the accuracy of information contained within the statewide voter registration system; creating a criminal offense |
| SB 1509 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to the authority of a municipality to regulate within its extraterritorial jurisdiction |
| SB 1503 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to the expansion of the territory of an emergency services district into the territory of a municipality |
| SB 1501 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to the allocation of proceeds from the issuance of general obligation bonds by political subdivisions |
| SB 1441 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to state agency employment openings and aptitude assessments |
| SB 1440 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to required reporting of certain discretionary prosecutorial decisions of prosecuting attorneys |
| SB 1439 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to automatic recounts of certain elections |
| SB 1435 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to notice provided to certain state and local officials regarding an appeal of a municipal order filed by a transmission and distribution utility in a ratemaking proceeding |
| SB 818 | 02/07/2025 | Relating to the establishment of the Health Impact, Cost, and Coverage Analysis Program; authorizing a fee |
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