While the House proposal for the PSC includes some important reforms, the Senate bill is stronger in its educational requirements and limits on nepotism.

The Senate bill recognizes that the technical requirements of the job should at least require a college degree. It also requires some expertise on issues related to the PSC's duties, including telecommunications, consumer protection, economics or accounting.

The legislatively elected members of the Public Service Commission decide rate requests for electric, natural gas and telephone utilities. Their decisions can mean significant differences in what consumers pay regulated utilities.

Ratepayers have a right to expect that commissioners are chosen for their ability to do the job, and not for their close legislative connections. Currently there are three candidates for part-time PSC jobs (paying a hefty $78,000 a year) with close family ties to legislators. Legislators should look beyond the General Assembly's family circle to find competent commissioners.

Both bills outline restrictions on improper communications between commissioners and the regulatory community and would alter the administrative framework of the PSC to provide for heightened advocacy for consumers.

Critics of the PSC have charged that it has been a captive agency to the industries that it regulates, to the detriment of consumers. The Legislature should proceed with a PSC reform plan that guarantees fairness for both consumers and utilities, and encourages the selection of candidates who are up to the task of making informed decisions on rate cases.

The PSC should not be viewed by legislators for the employment prospects it offers their family members. Nepotism damages the public's confidence in the regulatory process.