Lawmakers, activists and members of the Arizona Corporation Commission have lamented that voters do not understand the significance of the utility regulation body, but one senator is hoping to correct that by changing the agency’s name. 

Sen. Lauren Kuby, D-Tempe, who ran for the Corporation Commission in 2022, said she often had to explain to voters what the commission was and what it does. Those conversations inspired her to introduce a concurrent resolution that would allow voters to change the body’s name to “Public Utility and Corporation Commission.”

“I ran for Corporation Commission in 2022 and when I would talk about my race, I would say, ‘This is the most important office that no one has ever heard of,’” Kuby said. “It really is the fourth branch of government, and the title of it does not really describe what it does.”

The Corporation Commission oversees public utility companies in the state, including electric, water and gas. The commission also registers businesses and regulates securities, railroads and pipelines. It consists of five members who are elected statewide to four-year terms. 

The commission is probably best known for its role in determining what Arizonans will pay in utility rates and is charged with holding companies like Arizona Public Service, Tucson Electric Power and Southwest Gas accountable. Kuby says adding the phrase “public utility” to the name of the commission will better reflect the work done by commissioners.

“I think perhaps if there was a more accurate title that voters would be more aware of its significance to their daily lives,” Kuby said.

She said the proposed name was inspired by utility regulation bodies in other states that include the phrase “public utility” in their titles. According to a list compiled by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, nearly every state’s utility regulation commission uses “public utility” or “public service” in their titles. Only three other states — Virginia, Kansas and Oklahoma — also use the title Corporation Commission.

Arizona’s Corporation Commission got its name when it was created by the state’s Constitution in 1912. In order to change the name, voters would have to amend the Constitution, which is why Kuby introduced the name change as a legislative referral to the ballot. 

Kuby’s referral will likely face an uphill battle in the Legislature, if it moves at all, since it was introduced by a Democrat. If it makes it out of the House and Senate, the referral would be sent to voters in 2026 for the final say. 

Sandy Bahr, executive director of the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon chapter, said she thinks the name of the commission matters and has an impact on whether Arizonans pay attention to it.

“I think adding public utility to the name would benefit the public, because it would be more transparent,” Bahr said. “The name of the Corporation Commission goes way back and we’re in a different era now. A lot of what they do is regulate utilities, and that’s how most people are affected [by it].”

Rep. Justin Olson, R-Mesa, served on the Corporation Commission from 2017 to 2023 and said he doesn’t think Kuby’s idea is a bad one, but he isn’t sure it is necessary. 

“I think that it sounds like a very long name,” Olson said. “… I think the current name of the Corporation Commission is fine, but I don’t see any harm in any education efforts to help voters understand what the Corporation Commission does.”

He agreed with Kuby on the lack of awareness of the commission, saying it is a “very powerful branch of government that folks don’t know very much about.”

Olson said he also thinks candidates for the commission and those who have served on the commission make voter education a priority and should continue to do so to help constituents understand its purpose. 

“I think it’s critical that anybody in any public office is actively getting out and talking to the voters, and that’s something that I focused on as a corporation commissioner, as did my colleagues and I presume those that are there now are doing as well,” Olson said. 

Bahr said she thinks there are other ways the commission could be more accessible and transparent for the public. The body functions like a court and uses a lot of jargon when discussing energy policy, so Bahr said she thinks the commission could release agendas in plain language and provide explanations of agenda items during hearings.

“I remember the first time I went to a Corporation Commission meeting, and I seriously thought they were speaking in some kind of code,” Bahr said.

She also said the commission could do more to increase public participation in its hearings, like allowing people to sign up to speak the day of a hearing or by holding public comment periods with commissioners in the evenings when most people are not at work. 

As far as the name change goes, it’s unclear whether current members of the Corporation Commission will be supportive. Republican Commissioner Lea Marquez Peterson has made transparency and awareness a priority during her tenure, but declined to comment and deferred to a statement from the commission’s spokesperson.

In the statement, commission spokesperson Nicole Garcia said the commission is neutral on Kuby’s proposal. 

“Changing the name of the Arizona Corporation Commission would not change the agency’s mission or purpose,” Garcia said. “If approved by the Legislature and Signed into Law by the Governor, we will process accordingly.”