Ohio Revised Code Search

... complaints or forward the calls to the public utilities commission's call center.

...knowledge and experience to practice in public utility proceedings. (B) No person who is in the employ of or acting in an official capacity with any public utility, subject to regulation by the public utilities commission or who is pecuniarily interested in, or holds stocks or bonds of any such utility or is a candidate for elective public office may be appointed to the office of the consumers' counsel or be appoint...

...The consumers' counsel shall be a resident of this state and during the counsel's term of office shall not hold any other office of either trust or profit under the government of the United States, this state, or any political subdivision of this state, except that this section shall not be construed to preclude the consumers' counsel from serving as a member of the reserve of the armed forces of the United States or...

...Before entering upon the duties of his office, the consumers' counsel shall subscribe to an oath of office, which shall be filed in the office of the secretary of state, and shall give bond of five thousand dollars with a sufficient surety approved by the treasurer of state. After approval the bond shall be filed with the secretary of state.

...The consumers' counsel shall be considered a state officer for the purpose of section 24 of Article II, Ohio constitution.

...The salary of the consumers' counsel shall be determined by the consumers' counsel governing board but shall be in pay range 49 as set forth in section 124.152 of the Revised Code.

...The office of the consumers' counsel shall be in Columbus.

...The public utilities commission shall supply the consumers' counsel, without cost to the counsel, with all books, maps, charts, and such other items as may be necessary for carrying out the purposes of Chapters 4909. and 4911. of the Revised Code.

...sses-sion of the consumers' counsel are public records.

...The consumers' counsel may, whenever called upon by any officer, board, or commission of this state or of any political subdivision of this state, furnish any data or information to the officer, board, or commission. All officers, boards, or commissions of this state or of any political subdivision of this state, may furnish to the counsel, upon his request, any data or information which he requests in the discharg...

... civil service, shall not be considered public employees for purposes of Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code, and shall serve at the pleasure of the counsel. The counsel may also employ such clerical employees, including clerks and stenographers, as are necessary to carry out Chapters 4909. and 4911. of the Revised Code or to perform his duties and exercise the powers conferred by law upon him. These clerical employee...

...In the employment of engineers, experts, or other assistants, the consumers' counsel may make use of the services of engineers and experts employed by any university operated by this state in a manner provided by mutual arrangement between the counsel and the trustees and faculty of the university. Any necessary information, data, and equipment of the university shall be placed at the disposal of the counsel and paid...

...t he or another party brings before the public utilities commission involving the fixing of any rate, joint rate, fare, charge, toll, or rental charged for commodities or services by any public utility, the plant or property of which lies wholly within this state. Where the property of a public utility lies partly within this state, the jurisdiction of the consumers' counsel extends to that part of the plant or prope...

...rations located in, an area served by a public utility or whenever in his opinion the public interest is served, may represent those consumers or corporations whenever an application is made to the public utilities commission by any public utility desiring to establish, modify, amend, change, increase, or reduce any rate, joint rate, toll, fare, classification, charge, or rental. The consumers' counsel may appear be...

...ts, and papers in the possession of the public utilities commission at any time.

...There is hereby created a nine-member consumers' counsel governing board consisting of three representatives of organized groups representing each of the following areas: labor; residential consumers; and family farmers. No more than five members of this board may be members of the same political party. The members of the board shall be appointed by the attorney general with the advice and consent of the senate. No...

...rtioned among and assessed against each public utility within this state, as defined in section 4911.01 of the Revised Code, by first computing an assessment as though it were to be made in proportion to the intrastate gross earnings or receipts of the public utility for the calendar year next preceding that in which the assessment is made, excluding earnings or receipts from sales to other public utilities for resa...

...Any utility to which the consumers' counsel makes an inquiry on behalf of a residential customer concerning that customer's billing, or the availability, unavailability, or quality of that customer's service shall respond to the consumers' counsel on the merits of that inquiry within a reasonable time. If a definitive response cannot be made within three weeks of the making of the inquiry, the utility initially shall...

...If the consumers' counsel governing board determines that the appointment of a deputy consumers' counsel is necessary to ensure the full and proper performance of the powers and duties of the consumers' counsel, the board may appoint a deputy consumers' counsel. The board may assign the deputy consumers' counsel any of the duties and powers of the consumers' counsel, and the deputy shall perform the assigned duties a...

...As used in this chapter: (A) "Aggrieved person" means a person with duties and obligations under sections 153.64, 3781.27, and 3781.28 to 3781.32 of the Revised Code and divisions (A) and (B) of section 3781.26 of the Revised Code and who is directly involved with or impacted by the alleged compliance failure, as identified in the request for inquiry, of another person with duties and obligations under sections 153....

...fication system shall register with the public utilities commission and pay a safety registration not to exceed fifty dollars annually, which the commission may lower if the commission determines lowering the registration to be necessary. The commission shall administer and oversee the registration process. Failure to register shall result in a fine of not more than two thousand five hundred dollars. (B) The commiss...

...equest an inquiry with the staff of the public utilities commission seeking the imposition, in accordance with this chapter, of a fine or penalty on the person responsible for the alleged compliance failure described in division (A) of section 4913.01 of the Revised Code. The person shall make the request not later than ninety days after discovering the alleged compliance failure. The request shall not, by itself, ca...

...If a request for an inquiry is made under section 4913.05 of the Revised Code, the person responsible for the alleged compliance failure may, not later than thirty days after being notified under that section, respond to the request, providing any information that the person considers relevant to the request. The response may include an admission of the compliance failure.

...(A) The staff of the public utilities commission shall conduct an inquiry upon receiving a request made under section 4913.05 of the Revised Code. The inquiry shall be limited to whether there was a compliance failure. (B) During an inquiry conducted under this section, the staff shall examine relevant facts regarding the alleged compliance failure and may request records verification, informal meetings, teleconfere...

...The staff of the public utilities commission shall make a report of each inquiry conducted under section 4913.09 of the Revised Code available to the underground technical committee, created under section 3781.34 of the Revised Code. The report shall contain any admission made under section 4913.07 of the Revised Code by the person who is the subject of the inquiry. This report shall not contain a recommendation as t...