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To: Editors, News Directors |
Date: Dec |
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For: Immediate Release |
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Commissioners to Take Oaths in Ceremony Monday |
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PHOENIX – At 10:00 a.m. on Monday, January 3, 2005, Commissioners Bill Mundell, Jeff Hatch-Miller, Mike Gleason and Kris Mayes will take their oaths of office to serve on the Arizona Corporation Commission. The Honorable Charles E. Jones, Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court, will administer the oath of office.
Commissioners Mundell, Hatch-Miller and Gleason were elected to new four-year terms in the November general election. Due to a vacancy on the Commission, Commissioner Mayes was appointed by the Governor to fill the vacant office. Arizona law requires that appointees must run for election if there is a statewide general election between the time of the appointment and the end of the term of office. Commissioner Mayes was successful and will hold office until the term ends in January 2007. She is eligible to run again. Existing Arizona law limits Commissioners to serving only two consecutive terms so, unless there is a change in the law, the other three Commissioners will complete their terms in January 2009. Commission Chairman Marc Spitzer completes the five-member panel and is serving his first term, which ends in January 2007.
Biographies of the Commissioners and information about issues of interest to each official are posted on the Commission website at: www.cc.state.az.us.
Few state offices affect the daily lives of Arizonans as much as the Arizona Corporation Commission. Most states have a Public Service Commission or a Public Utility Commission to regulate and set the rates for public gas, electric, water, sewer and telecommunication utilities. The Arizona Corporation Commission fulfills these duties but has additional responsibilities granted by the Arizona Constitution. The Commission also registers corporations and limited liability companies (LLCs) doing business in Arizona, regulates the sale of securities or investments, registers investment advisers and sales representatives and enforces railroad and pipeline safety statutes. The Commission oversees railroad safety by enforcing federal and state safety statutes, conducting inspections and investigating crashes and derailments. Similarly, the Commission’s Pipeline Safety staff enforces state and federal statutes governing natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines and investigates violations of the Arizona Underground Facilities laws. By virtue of the Arizona Constitution, the Commissioners function in an executive capacity; they also adopt rules and regulations, thereby functioning in a legislative capacity; and they act in a judicial capacity by making decisions in contested matters.
The Commission is required by the Arizona Constitution to maintain its chief office in Phoenix and it is required by law to conduct monthly meetings. For the convenience of the public, Open Meeting agendas and Hearing Calendars are posted on the Commission website. For a schedule of Open Meetings, see http://www.cc.state.az.us/meetings/index.htm. For the calendar of upcoming or recent evidentiary hearings, click on http://www.cc.state.az.us/hearings/index.htm.
For more information about the Arizona Corporation Commission, please visit the agency’s main website at www.cc.state.az.us. For specific information about the Utilities Division or for help resolving a utility matter, the following shortcut will take you to Utilities website: http://www.cc.state.az.us/utility/index.htm.
Arizona Corporation
Commission (Main Office)
Southern Arizona Office
(Staffed to assist with corporate filings, hearings and utility issues)
Important phone numbers:
Commissioners’ Offices: 602-542-2237. Listen Line (Live Audio Feed of Commission Open Meetings or Hearings): 602-542-0222. Toll-Free Listen Line (for callers in the 520 and 928 area codes): 800-250-4525. Utilities Division Consumer Services: 602-542-4251 or 800-222-7000.* Corporations Division Consumer Services: 602-542-3026 or 800-345-5819.* Securities Division Consumer Services: 602-542-4242 or 1-866-VERIFY-9.* Southern Arizona Office 520-628-6554 or 800-535-0148.* *Toll free numbers work outside the Phoenix metro area or Tucson area respectively. |
