When the Railroad Commission was reorganized as the Public Service Commission in 1931, a Rates and Research division was established to monitor utility rates, accounts, and finance. The division was responsible for analysis of annual reports, costs, and rates; investigation of customer complaints and utility finances; and compilation of utility statistics. The division has gone through several reorganizations up to the present, but has retained responsibility for regulating utility rates.
In the 1940s an Account and Finance division was formed which took over the Rates and Research division's responsibility in these areas. Rates and Research continued to investigate, design, and analyze utility rates, handle complaints, and gather information and statistics on utilities. In 1977 Rates and Research was renamed Utility Rates Division, the title it has retained to the present.
