Connecticut 2020 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB00175 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
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3	3	LCO No. 1668 1 of 5
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5	5	General Assembly Raised Bill No. 175
6	6	February Session, 2020
7	7	LCO No. 1668
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9	9
10	10	Referred to Committee on ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY
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13	13	Introduced by:
14	14	(ET)
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19	19	AN ACT CONCERNING EL ECTRICITY SHUTOFF NO TIFICATIONS.
20	20	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
21	21	Assembly convened:
22	22
23	23	Section 1. Subsection (a) of section 16-262d of the general statutes is 1
24	24	repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 2
25	25	1, 2020): 3
26	26	(a) No electric distribution, gas, telephone or water company, no 4
27	27	electric supplier and no municipal utility furnishing electric, gas or 5
28	28	water service may terminate such service to a residential dwelling on 6
29	29	account of nonpayment of a delinquent account unless such company, 7
30	30	electric supplier or municipal utility first gives notice of such 8
31	31	delinquency and impending termination by (1) first class mail 9
32	32	addressed to the customer to which such service is billed, (2) electronic 10
33	33	mail sent to the most recent electronic mail address provided by the 11
34	34	customer to which such service is billed, (3) text message sent to the 12
35	35	phone number of the most recent mobile telephone, as defined in section 13
36	36	14-296aa, provided by the customer to which such service is billed, and 14
37	37	(4) a phone call to the phone number of the most recent mobile 15
38	38	telephone, as defined in section 14-296aa, provided by the customer to 16 Raised Bill No. 175
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42	42	LCO No. 1668 2 of 5
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44	44	which such service is billed at least thirteen calendar days prior to the 17
45	45	proposed termination, except that if an electric distribution or gas 18
46	46	company, electric supplier or municipal utility furnishing electric or gas 19
47	47	service has issued a notice under this subsection but has not terminated 20
48	48	service prior to issuing a new bill to the customer, such company, 21
49	49	electric supplier or municipal utility may terminate such service only 22
50	50	after mailing the customer an additional notice of the impending 23
51	51	termination, addressed to the customer to which such service is billed 24
52	52	either [(1)] (A) by first class mail at least thirteen calendar days prior to 25
53	53	the proposed termination, or [(2)] (B) by certified mail, at least seven 26
54	54	calendar days prior to the proposed termination. In the event that 27
55	55	multiple dates of proposed termination are provided to a customer, no 28
56	56	such company, electric supplier or municipal utility shall terminate 29
57	57	service prior to the latest of such dates. For purposes of this subsection, 30
58	58	the thirteen-day periods and seven-day period shall commence on the 31
59	59	date such notice is mailed. If such company, electric supplier or 32
60	60	municipal utility does not terminate service within one hundred twenty 33
61	61	days after mailing the initial notice of termination, such company, 34
62	62	electric supplier or municipal utility shall [give] mail the customer a new 35
63	63	notice at least thirteen days prior to termination. Every termination 36
64	64	notice, except the text message termination notice described in this 37
65	65	subsection, issued by a public service company, electric supplier or 38
66	66	municipal utility shall contain or be accompanied by an explanation of 39
67	67	the rights of the customer provided in subsection (c) of this section. 40
68	68	Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2020) (a) On and after January 1, 41
69	69	2021, each gas and electric distribution company shall report monthly to 42
70	70	the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority the aggregate number of 43
71	71	customer utility service: (1) Terminations; (2) disconnections; and (3) 44
72	72	reconnections from the preceding month. Each gas and electric 45
73	73	distribution company shall report the corresponding data by customer 46
74	74	class, hardship status and zip code. 47
75	75	(b) On or before January 1, 2021, and annually thereafter, each gas 48
76	76	and electric distribution company shall report to the joint standing 49
77	77	committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 50 Raised Bill No. 175
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81	81	LCO No. 1668 3 of 5
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83	83	relating to energy the aggregate number of customer utility service: (1) 51
84	84	Terminations; (2) disconnections; and (3) reconnections from the 52
85	85	preceding year. 53
86	86	(c) On or before January 1, 2021, and annually thereafter, each gas 54
87	87	and electric distribution company shall report to the authority the 55
88	88	aggregate number of customer utility service: (1) Terminations; (2) 56
89	89	disconnections; and (3) reconnections from the preceding year. Each gas 57
90	90	and electric distribution company shall include information concerning 58
91	91	current and historical trends, extenuating circumstances and any other 59
92	92	information requested by the authority. 60
93	93	Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2020) (a) On or before January 1, 61
94	94	2021, the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority shall initiate a 62
95	95	proceeding to examine all information provided by the gas and electric 63
96	96	distribution companies to a customer prior to termination of the 64
97	97	customer's utility service. The examination shall include, but is not 65
98	98	limited to, consideration of (1) practices used by the gas and electric 66
99	99	distribution companies concerning the due date for payments to avoid 67
100	100	termination of utility service; and (2) the display of such due date on the 68
101	101	customer's utility bill. On or before July 1, 2021, the authority shall 69
102	102	report, in accordance with section 11-4a of the general statutes, the 70
103	103	results of such proceeding to the joint standing committee of the General 71
104	104	Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to energy. 72
105	105	(b) On or before January 1, 2021, the gas and electric distribution 73
106	106	companies, the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection 74
107	107	and the authority shall verify all information relevant to the termination 75
108	108	process of a customer's utility service is published on the gas and electric 76
109	109	distribution company's respective Internet web sites and the Energize 77
110	110	Connecticut Internet web site or its successor. 78
111	111	Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2020) On or before January 1, 2021, 79
112	112	the authority shall initiate a proceeding to review the fees charged by 80
113	113	gas and electric distribution companies to reconnect a customer's utility 81
114	114	service. On or before July 1, 2021, the authority shall report, in 82 Raised Bill No. 175
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118	118	LCO No. 1668 4 of 5
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120	120	accordance with section 11-4a of the general statutes, the results of such 83
121	121	proceeding to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly 84
122	122	having cognizance of matters relating to energy. 85
123	123	Sec. 5. Subdivision (5) of subsection (b) of section 16-262c of the 86
124	124	general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 87
125	125	thereof (Effective October 1, 2020): 88
126	126	(5) Each gas and electric distribution company shall submit to the 89
127	127	Public Utilities Regulatory Authority annually, on or before [July] April 90
128	128	first, an implementation plan which shall include information 91
129	129	concerning amortization agreements, counseling, reinstatement of 92
130	130	eligibility, rate impacts and any other information deemed relevant by 93
131	131	the authority. The [Public Utilities Regulatory Authority] authority 94
132	132	may, in consultation with the [Office of Policy and Management] 95
133	133	Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Office of 96
134	134	Consumer Counsel, approve or modify such plan within [ninety] one 97
135	135	hundred eighty days of receipt of the plan. If the authority does not take 98
136	136	any action on such plan within [ninety] one hundred eighty days of its 99
137	137	receipt, the plan shall automatically take effect at the end of the [ninety-100
138	138	day] one-hundred-eighty-day period, provided the authority may 101
139	139	extend such period for an additional thirty days by notifying the 102
140	140	company before the end of the [ninety-day] one-hundred-eighty-day 103
141	141	period. Any amount recovered by a company in its rates pursuant to 104
142	142	this subsection shall not include any amount approved by the [Public 105
143	143	Utilities Regulatory Authority] authority as an uncollectible expense. 106
144	144	The authority may deny all or part of the recovery required by this 107
145	145	subsection if it determines that the company seeking recovery has been 108
146	146	imprudent, inefficient or acting in violation of statutes or regulations 109
147	147	regarding amortization agreements. 110
148	148	This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
149	149	sections:
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151	151	Section 1 October 1, 2020 16-262d(a)
152	152	Sec. 2 October 1, 2020 New section
153	153	Sec. 3 October 1, 2020 New section Raised Bill No. 175
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157	157	LCO No. 1668 5 of 5
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159	159	Sec. 4 October 1, 2020 New section
160	160	Sec. 5 October 1, 2020 16-262c(b)(5)
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162	162	Statement of Purpose:
163	163	To (1) broaden the notice requirements prior to termination of utility
164	164	service to include electronic mail, text message, and phone calls, (2)
165	165	require gas and electric distribution companies to report the aggregate
166	166	number of utility service terminations, disconnections and
167	167	reconnections, and (3) require the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority
168	168	to examine the termination practices of the gas and electric distribution
169	169	companies and report to the joint standing committee of the General
170	170	Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to energy.
171	171	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
172	172	that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
173	173	underlined.]
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