SB 136 - Under the act, beginning July 1, 2026, the test year for rate proceedings, if requested by certain utilities, shall be a future year consisting of the first 12 full calendar months after the operation of law date for schedules stating new base rates filed by the utilities, unless the Public Service Commission makes a determination that using a future test year is detrimental to the public interest. The projected total rate base at the end of the future test year shall be used to establish new base rates. New base rates shall not go into effect before the 1st day of the future test year. Certain public utilities that elect to utilize a future test year within 45 days of the end of the future test year shall update their base rates as described in the act. The total ending rate base and expense items in the update shall not be greater than the total ending rate base and expense items approved by the Commission in its report and order establishing base rates. The Commission and parties to the case shall have 60 days to review the accuracy of the updated information provided by the utility. The Commission shall order the utility to file new tariff sheets reflecting the update, as described in the act. Certain utilities that request a test year shall not recover the costs of any plant investments made during the test year period under certain mechanisms described in current law. For utilities that elected to use a future test year, a reconciliation of the rate base at the end of the future test year shall be provided to the Commission within 45 days of the end of the future test year. If the actual rate base is less than the rate base used to set base rates in the prior general rate proceeding, the portion of the annual revenue requirement reflecting the rate base difference shall be returned to customers. The revenue requirement calculations are described in the act. The difference in revenue requirement shall be placed into a regulatory liability to be returned to customers in the next general rate proceeding with such regulatory liability to accrue carrying costs at the utility's weighted average cost of capital. The Commission may consider any change in business risk to the utility resulting from implementation of the adjustment mechanism in setting the utility's allowed return in any rate proceeding, in addition to any other changes in business risk experienced by the utility. For a utility that elected to use a future test year, a reconciliation of payroll expense, certain employee benefits, and rate case expense at the end of the future test year shall be provided to the Commission within 45 days of the end of the future test year. If the actual amounts are less than the amounts used to calculate the revenue requirement in the prior general rate proceeding, the difference shall be returned to customers. The difference in revenue requirement shall be placed into a regulatory liability to be returned to customers in the next general rate case with such regulatory liability to accrue carrying costs at the utility's weighted average cost of capital. The act creates definitions for "base rates" and "revenue requirement". This provision is identical to a provision in SB 5 (2025), a provision in SB 214 (2025), substantially similar to HB 154 (2025), HB 949 (2025), and similar to a provision in SS#2/SB 4 (2025), SCS/SB 1280 (2024), a provision in SCS/HCS/HB 1746 (2024), and a provision in HB 2167 (2024). JULIA SHEVELEVA