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Arkansas Public Service Commission
| Arkansas Public Service Commission | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Non-partisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Total Seats: | 3 |
| Term limits: | None |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | Serves at pleasure of the governor |
| Authority: | Arkansas Code, Title 23, Chapter 2, Section 101 |
| Leadership: | Colette D. Honorable |
| Selection Method: | Appointed by governor |
| Other Arkansas Executive Offices | |
| Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Commissioner of Education • Agriculture Secretary • Insurance Commissioner • Natural Resources Exec. Director • Labor Director • Public Service Commission | |
Contents |
Current officeholder
The current chair is Colette D. Honorable. She serves alongside Olan Reeves and Elana Wills.
Authority
The office of chairman is authorized by Arkansas statute.[1]
Arkansas Code, Title 23, Chapter 2, Section 101
| (a)(1) The Arkansas Public Service Commission shall consist of three (3) members to be known as commissioners, one (1) of whom shall be a lawyer.
[...] (f) The Governor shall designate one (1) of the commissioners as chair. |
Qualifications
There are no particular qualifications required for the office of chair, though individual commissioners must have resided in the state for five years and be a "qualified elector."[1] To be a qualified elector, one must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of Arkansas, and at least 18 years old. Additionally, the chair may not have been judged mentally incompetent by a court, be a convicted felon or have ever been convicted of embezzlement or any other "infamous crime." Finally, public service commissioners must swear that they have no pecuniary interest in any of the utilities they regulate.
During their tenure, commissioners may not hold any other state, federal, or civil office, and may not have ever been convicted of "embezzlement of public money, bribery, forgery, or other infamous crime."
Arkansas Code, Title 23, Chapter 2, Section 101
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(2) Each commissioner shall have resided in the state for five (5) years and shall be a qualified elector. |
Constitution of Arkansas, Article 5, Section 9
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No person hereafter convicted of embezzlement of public money, bribery, forgery or other infamous crime, shall be eligible to the General Assembly or capable of holding any office of trust or profit in this State. |
Constitution of Arkansas, Article 19, Section 3
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No persons shall be elected to, or appointed to fill a vacancy in, any office who does not possess the qualifications of an elector. |
Appointments
Members of the Public Service Commission are appointed by the governor with the consent of the Senate. One commissioner is designated by the governor as chairman and serves in that capacity until their term as commissioner expires.[1]
Term limits
There are no term limits associated with the offices of commissioner or chair.
Vacancies
State law prescribes no special procedure for dealing with vacancies in the office of public service commissioner/chair.
Duties
The Arkansas Public Service Commission is a quasi-executive, quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial body that regulates the state's public utilities, including electricity, natural gas, telecommunications and water firms. It manages the rates utilities charge customers, seeking to provide companies a "fair return" on investment, and sets operational/safety standards. As part of the regulatory process, the commission's administrative judges hold hearings and receive testimony from various stakeholders -- industry representatives, experts, consumer advocates, etc. The commission also coordinates its rulemaking with various federal regulatory bodies (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Federal Communications Commission, et al.).
Besides its regulatory duties, the commission provides customer service to Arkansas consumers; it answers questions and addresses complaints against regulated companies.[2]
Divisions
- Administrative Law Judges
- Legal
- Research and Policy Development
- Administrative Services
- Information Technology
- Support Staff
- ARRA Grant
- Secretary of the Commission
- Executive Director's Office
- Electric Utilities
- Gas and Water Utilities
- Pipeline Safety
- Telecommunications Utilities
- Quality of Service
- Financial Analysis
- Cost Allocation and Rate Design
- Audits
- Legal
- Consumer Services
Compensation
By law, members of the public service commission receive an annual salary of $5,000, payable in monthly or semimonthly installments.[3]
Contact
Mailing Address:
Arkansas Public Service Commission
P.O. Box 400
Little Rock, Arkansas 72203-0400
Physical Location:
Arkansas Public Service Commission
1000 Center Street
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201-4314
Tel: (501)682-2051
See also
External links
References
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