* Obviously, this rate hike info is not a positive news story for ComEd as it attempts to pass a bill which critics contend would also raise consumer rates…

The Illinois Commerce Commission is set to rule Tuesday on a request by Commonwealth Edison Co. to hike electricity rates by as much as 6%.

An administrative law judge for the ICC is recommending granting ComEd a $166-million increase in the rates it charges to deliver electricity to Northern Illinois homes and businesses, or roughly 3%. That’s about half ComEd’s revised request of $326 million but substantially above the $103 million recommended by the ICC staff.

The commission must rule on ComEd’s request by May 24.

ComEd initially asked for a $396-million rate hike when it filed its proposal with the ICC last June. That would have increased the average household electric bill 7%, the utility said then.

*** UPDATE *** As expected, ComEd was granted its rate hike request…

The Illinois Commerce Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved a rate hike for Commonwealth Edison Co. with some last-minute amendments that will somewhat reduce the $166 million increase proposed by an administrative law judge last month.

The administrative judge allowed ComEd a roughly 3% increase in the rates the utility charges to deliver electricity to Northern Illinois homes and businesses. That was about half ComEd’s revised request of $326 million but substantially above the $103 million recommended by the ICC staff.

* Even so, the Tribune claims today that ComEd’s bill is picking up steam…

The plan is gaining traction after months of contentious negotiations and a big-dollar advertising campaign, and it’s expected to be fought over this week in the Capitol.

Mostly gone would be meter readers, eventually replaced by electronic devices that upload information directly to ComEd and let customers see how much power they’re using. People then would have a choice: Stay on a flat rate and look for ways to use less power, or switch to real-time pricing and decide to run the dishwasher when the cost of electricity is lowest to save money.

Such progress, however, carries a price tag, and consumers would see a series of increases on their bills to help pay for it. ComEd says a customer who’s now paying $82 a month for electricity would have to cough up $3 per month more for 10 years to pay for the smart-grid conversion. […]

House Speaker Michael Madigan, the attorney general’s father, has expressed concerns about the Illinois Commerce Commission’s treatment of ComEd, given that he believes the company can “make a decent case for what they have proposed,” a spokesman said Monday.

That last sentence, of course, is the most important. The Speaker and the AG are on the opposite side of an issue. That’s not completely unheard of, but it’s rare enough to point out.

* In other “big stuff” news, the SJ-R reports that workers’ comp negotiations have hit yet another snag…

Workers’ compensation reform negotiations were on the rocks again Monday in the Illinois General Assembly, and a key senator said lawmakers will move Wednesday to abolish the system if the talks are not resurrected.

“I think it’s true to say that the effort has derailed again,” Illinois Chamber of Commerce President Doug Whitley said. “I don’t think it’s over.”

Whitley said he sees three possibilities with only eight days left in the spring legislative session: the legislature does nothing; the parties involved resume talks; or House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, calls for a vote a bill that would do away with Illinois’ current system of compensating people for on-the-job injuries.

But Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago, the Senate’s lead negotiator on workers’ compensation reform, said there are only two options: A bill agreed to by all the various interest groups, or abolition of the system.

* More lousy timing…

A state agency has hired a prestigious Chicago law firm at taxpayers’ expense to assist in its appeal of an attorney general’s order to release information related to millions of dollars in settlements paid to Menard prison guards for injuries they say were caused by operating heavy cell locking mechanisms.

The state Central Management Services, which processes Illinois’ Workers’ Compensation claims, filed suit Monday in Cook County Circuit Court seeking to deny a request for the records from the Belleville News-Democrat, contending the agency is an insurance pool and therefore allowed to withhold the information as proprietary.

Also on Monday, state Rep. Dwight Kay, R-Glen Carbon, introduced House Resolution 405 in an effort to get the legislature to order CMS to turn over the records.

“CMS is not authorized to play by its own rules and make their own laws as they so choose,” Kay said. “This is all monkey business. This is simply foot-dragging and they are trying to say it is OK.”

* The IEA updates us on the pension reform bill, which hasn’t yet moved…

The much-anticipated legislation that could cut pension benefits for public employees, including participants in the TRS and SURS systems, has been delayed once again.

Senate Bill 512 is the vehicle bill that is expected to contain proposals to reduce pension benefits for public employees covered by the five state-funded retirement systems.

Before the bill can be voted on in the Illinois House, it must be amended, with the pension language inserted, and then must be approved by the House Personnel and Pensions Committee.

Under the House rules, the committee vote can’t occur until 24 hours have passed since a bill was amended. Since SB 512 was not amended today, the bill cannot come before the Committee until at least Wednesday, and then, only if it is amended on Tuesday.

The unveiling of the pension bill has been considered imminent for more than a week. The repeated delays in the amending of the bill speak volumes about the lack of enthusiasm many House members have for cutting pension benefits for current public employees.

* And the SJ-R editorializes on the subject…

For now, lawmakers must realize that the current setup leads to insolvency for the pensions and continued budget disaster for the state.

So while we sympathize with those who complain of the legislature’s broken promises to state workers, we have a question for them: What’s your plan?

* But one somewhat major issue is now resolved and on its way to the governor…

The Illinois House [yesterday] sent to the governor’s desk a bill designed to protect small craft brewers’ ability to enter the market.

The measure, approved 112-0, would allow certain small Illinois brewers to distribute half of their own beer.

In most states, the alcohol business is composed of three “tiers”: a manufacturer, a retailer, and a distributor. The system, put in place at the end of Prohibition, was designed to ensure a properly regulated market.

Small craft brewers have argued that it’s difficult to attract distributors with an unknown product and, therefore, it’s necessary to peddle them to bars and liquor stores directly and gradually establish a following. Anheuser-Busch, however, has argued that it’s discriminatory to allow in-state brewers to self-distribute when out-of-state brewers are not granted the same privilege

*** UPDATE 1 *** Oops. Forgot to post this one. Yesterday during a committee testimony, it was revealed that Health Alliance and Humana were instructed to remove contact information from their websites. The pages urged customers to contact Gov. Quinn and state legislators about the governor’s decision to change insurers for government employees and retirees. Republican Sen. Dale Righter had this to say…

“I am stunned and deeply disappointed that the Governor’s office would urge anyone to pull information off of a Web site containing the contact information for public officials on an issue as critical as this,” said Righter. “For an administration that touts transparency and openness, the message they sent through these actions is unbelievable.”

Earlier this year, Governor Quinn and Julie Hamos, Director of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, HFS, announced that state employees and retirees would no longer have access to Health Alliance or Humana as health insurance providers. Neither the Governor nor the Director, nor any of their representatives chose to appear for the May 23 hearing.

“The fact that it was during the hearing that we first learned of this maneuver to keep information from the public makes it easier to understand why no representatives from Governor Quinn’s office nor the Department of Healthcare and Family Services thought it necessary to attend Monday’s hearing,” explained Righter.

Sen. Righter and Sen. Bill Brady then led an impromptu “march” to the governor’s office to protest the order.

* The administration’s response…

DHFS spokeswoman Stacey Solano said the department did ask for some information to be removed. People who click on the benefits choice website can link to various insurance vendors and their state of Illinois plans. By contract, she said, the state must approve information that appears there.

“That site was built for the state and is what we have control over,” Solano said.

When people attempted to get to the Illinois information, she said, material was instead posted about the insurance dispute.

“Members had to filter through all of that before gaining access to their plan,” Solano said. “According to contracts with our vendors, the state must approve all communications to our members. The state did request vendors to remove references to the award and or protest linked to the state website, as it wasn’t approved and prevented members from being able to directly access their health plans.”

*** UPDATE 2 *** The governor’s office just called to say that Blue Cross was also asked to take down its pop-up window that introduced itself to its new customers.

* Related…

* Harper’s frugal, but is Ender? As tuition climbs, president spends freely

* Sears CFO Collins quits: Michael Collins, Sears Holdings Corp.’s chief financial officer, has left the company “to pursue another opportunity,” according to a regulatory filing filed today… Mr. Collins’ resignation came one day after Sears reported a wider quarterly loss than expected.