House committee substitute makes the following changes to the 2nd edition.

Deletes the provision that gave the Utilities Commission (Commission) and Public Staff, for 2019-20, sole authority and discretion to take the specified actions concerning the classification of positions of and the salaries for employees of the Utilities Commission and Public Staff. Instead, allows the Commission and Public Staff to make legislative recommendations on whether they should be given flexibility to (1) classify new positions or reclassify existing positions within the classification system adopted by the State Human Resources Commission or as otherwise provided by law, (2) determine the appropriate salary for employees if funding is available and the salary remains within the required salary range, or (3) make hiring decisions based on the flexibility to determine appropriate job classifications and salaries. Limits the scope of the report by the Commission and Public Staff that is due March 1, 2020, to the results of the study on the appropriate job classification and salaries for employees of the Commission and Public Staff; also changes a report recipient from the House Committee on Energy and Public Utilities to the Joint Legislative Commission on Energy Policy. Makes conforming changes the act's long title. Makes an additional technical change.