A bill that would have changed how the state Public Service Commission chooses its chairman died in the Georgia House on Tuesday.
Lawmakers defeated HB 216 by a 103-60 vote, after critics called it a power play by the commission's three-man majority.
The bill would have allowed the commission to choose its chairman by majority vote, changing a 1993 state law that requires the role to rotate annually among the five PSC members.
The defeat was a third strike for Commissioner Lauren McDonald, who has been pushing for the change -- with the support of PSC allies Stan Wise and Doug Everett -- since 2009. McDonald says the rotation system is too disruptive.
McDonald or one of his two allies would likely have won the chairmanship for years if HB 216 had passed.
Newcomer Tim Echols, who is scheduled to become chairman next year, would be least likely to win the job in a vote: His frequent press events around the state have annoyed some of his peers.
"I respect the Legislature and their process," Echols said Tuesday. "By leaving our protocol intact, I feel like the House is affirming my leadership and the ideas I have talked about all over the state. "
The PSC regulates investor-owned electric and gas monopolies. Its chairman appoints committee heads, sets agendas and governs hearings.
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