Both houses of the General Assembly Tuesday adopted conference committee changes made to the embattled PSC reform bill, a piece of legislation that had the House and Senate at odds for the better part of a year.

Two years ago, legislators questioned the qualifications of certain candidates for the agency. The ensuing investigation led to charges of nepotism and other inappropriate activities.

Angered over the state of the agency and tired of arguing over reforms, Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, led a push to hold up agency elections until changes were made.

Under the compromise passed Tuesday, PSC candidates will be required to have a college degree and experience pertaining to regulatory work. Also, they cannot be immediate family members of anyone serving in the General Assembly.

Elections for the commission are scheduled March 3. Candidates will serve staggered terms. Commissioners screened two years ago will be allowed to run for the position.

"It's about time we got this done," said House Ways and Means Chairman Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston. "It's been frustrating watching this work its way through the process. It shouldn't have taken so long."

The bill now heads to Gov. Mark Sanford for approval.

"I think this is historic," McConnell said. "We had an antiquated system, structured for a simpler time. The changes we passed today will have a great impact on the state's quality of life."

One of the major reasons for this, said McConnell, is that the PSC would now have two parts: a legal staff to conduct hearings and an Office of Regulatory Staff to represent the public in challenges to rate filings. The latter had previously been done by the state Department of Consumer Affairs.

Click here to return to story:
http://www.charleston.net/stories/021104/sta_11psc.shtml