I came to Tri-County Electric Cooperative in June 2017, and it is rewarding to look back on what has been accomplished over the past six years. Never in my lifetime did I expect to encounter the trials and tribulations that came with Winter Storm Uri. However, we all came together and persevered. It was our main objective, and still is, to ensure Uri and the Brazos bankruptcy did not bankrupt our local cooperative as well. The board, leadership, and employees fought for you through the process and continue to fight for you.
Additionally, it is hard to believe that we are nearly halfway through 2023. We are working on numerous projects that will enhance your service and bring added benefits to you as members. One new initiative is being more present in the community by hosting booths at local events. Last month, we were at Roanoke Roundup and nearly 100 members stopped by the booth to register for the bill credit drawing and receive a member-exclusive gift. Our employees enjoyed interacting with members and the community. We hope you make plans to join us at future community events.
Over the past few years, we have ramped up our maintenance on the electric system, including system upgrades and vegetation management. This work and investment significantly paid off as outage occurrences and duration remains low. In the first quarter of 2023, the average member experienced less than one outage, with the outage lasting an average of 2.6 hours. The weather was the main cause of outages, accounting for nearly half - 49% - of all outages.
At the time of this writing, the legislative session is in the final stretch. I want to share some insight into what we are doing to work with our elected officials. As you may recall from the bill update Facebook live on March 21, Senate Bill (SB) 1983 and House Bill (HB) 4590 are concurrent bills that, if passed, would relieve all electric cooperative members of the financial burdens associated with Winter Storm Uri. We contacted all legislators who represent our service territory to sign on as co-author of the respective bills. Additionally, we sought assistance from you, our members. Thanks to the efforts, over half of our representatives and a senator signed on as co-authors. We are anxiously tracking this legislation and advocating for its passing.
Another bill we are optimistic about is HB 4246/SB 2238, which will allow for electric cooperatives to receive 50 percent of escheated funds compared to the 20 percent that is currently returned for scholarship use. These funds are unclaimed capital credits that electric co-ops report to the state. The state then keeps a portion of the unclaimed money (escheated funds) and returns the remainder back to the cooperatives to provide scholarships and assist with energy efficiency initiatives.
This session had a record number of bills filed, with over 230 pertaining to grid reliability and market pricing. Our board and staff are appreciative of the support and time our legislators have provided to ensure the safety of our state.
We will continue to work for you across all fronts. I work for you, and we are in this together.