SB3529 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 18278 AAS 31718 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
SB3529

Introduced 2/5/2026, by Sen. Adriane Johnson

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

New Act

Creates the Make-Ready Infrastructure Rules Act. Sets forth findings. Defines terms. Provides that an electric utility shall propose a new rule, before the electric utility submits its next Multi-Year Integrated Rate Plan, that authorizes the electric utility to design and deploy all electrical distribution infrastructure on the utility side of the meter for all customers who have installed separately metered or submetered infrastructure to support electric vehicle charging stations, other than charging stations in single-family residences. Provides that an electric utility shall recover its revenue requirement for the design and deployment of such electrical distribution infrastructure through periodic Multi-Year Integrated Rate Plan proceedings or through other methods determined by the Commission by rule. Provides that the Commission shall require an electric utility to provide an accurate and full accounting of all the electric utility's expenses related to electrical distribution infrastructure and shall apply appropriate penalties to an electric utility that is not accurately tracking all expenses. Provides that the new proposed rule, once effective, shall be offered to customers as an alternative to the transmission line extension rules in place as of the effective date of the Act for electric vehicle infrastructure and any customer allowances established under the rule shall be based on the full useful life of the electrical distribution infrastructure. Makes other changes.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning regulation.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Make-Ready Infrastructure Rules Act.

Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds that:

(1) reducing the cost of building public and fleet charging stations will benefit the State of Illinois by (i) improving the health and environmental quality of the residents of Illinois through reduced pollution, (ii) reducing the transportation costs borne by consumers and businesses, (iii) shifting the demand for imported petroleum to locally produced electricity, and (iv) increasing access to charging that is needed to electrify the transportation sector, which puts downward pressure on electric rates to the benefit of all utility customers; and

(2) it is necessary, in order to remove obstacles to building public charging, to change the Commission's practice from a practice of authorizing the electrical distribution infrastructure that is located on the utility side of a meter and that is needed to charge electric vehicles on a case-by-case basis to a practice of treating the electrical distribution infrastructure and any associated design, engineering, and construction work the same as other necessary distribution infrastructure in an electric utility's Multi-Year Integrated Grid Plan that is authorized by the Commission on an ongoing basis.

Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:

"Commission" means the Illinois Commerce Commission.

"Electric vehicle" means (i) a battery-powered electric vehicle that is operated solely by electricity or (ii) a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle that operates on electricity and gasoline and has a battery that can be recharged from an external source.

"Electric vehicle charging station" means a station that delivers electricity from a source outside of an electric vehicle and into one or more electric vehicles.

"Electrification" means any new use of electricity, expanded use of electricity, or change in the use of electricity, including, but not limited to, uses in the industrial, commercial, agricultural, housing, or transportation sectors.

"Electrical distribution infrastructure" means poles, vaults, service drops, transformers, mounting pads, trenching, conduit, wire, cable, meters, and other equipment as necessary and any associated engineering and civil construction work.

"Electric utility" means an electric utility serving more than 500,000 customers in this State.

"Make-ready electrical infrastructure" means any electrical and construction work that is necessary between the distribution circuit and the connection point of charging equipment.

"Utility side of the meter" means all the equipment, wires, transformers, and other electrical equipment that belong to a public utility and are used to deliver electrical service up to the point of the meter itself.

Section 15. Provision of make-ready electrical infrastructure on the utility side of the meter.

(a) An electric utility shall propose a new rule, before the electric utility submits its next Multi-Year Integrated Rate Plan, that authorizes the electric utility to design and deploy all electrical distribution infrastructure on the utility side of the meter for all customers who have installed separately metered or submetered infrastructure to support electric vehicle charging stations, other than charging stations in single-family residences. The electric utility shall recover its revenue requirement for the design and deployment of such electrical distribution infrastructure through periodic Multi-Year Integrated Rate Plan proceedings or through other methods determined by the Commission by rule. In a Multi-Year Integrated Rate Plan proceeding, the electric utility's costs shall be treated the same as costs incurred by the electric utility for other necessary distribution infrastructure.

(b) The Commission shall require an electric utility to provide an accurate and full accounting of all the electric utility's expenses related to electrical distribution infrastructure under this Section and shall apply appropriate penalties to an electric utility that is not accurately tracking all expenses.

(c) The new rule proposed under this Section, once effective, shall be offered to customers as an alternative to the transmission line extension rules in place as of the effective date of this Act for electric vehicle infrastructure, and any customer allowances established under the new rule shall be based on the full useful life of the electrical distribution infrastructure. The Commission may revise the policy described in subsection (a) and this subsection (c) after the completion of the Multi-Year Integrated Grid Plan of the electric utility following the Multi-Year Integrated Grid Plan during which the proposal was filed if the Commission determines that a change in the policy is necessary to ensure just and reasonable rates for ratepayers. Electric utilities shall take reasonable efforts to ensure that any infrastructure built pursuant to this Section is efficiently sized and operated. Such efforts include, but are not limited to, considering customers' reasonably foreseeable load management activities and deploying distributed energy resources.