Senate Joint Resolution 259 of 1997 (Appendix A) continued the General Assembly's examination of electric utility industry restructuring. The study was initially begun pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 118 of 1996 to determine whether restructuring the retail electricity market is feasible and in the public interest. Retail restructuring, as envisioned by its principal proponents, would permit industrial, commercial and residential electricity customers to purchase electric generation services from the providers of their choosing, leaving regulated local distribution of electricity.