SLS 22RS-51 ENGROSSED
2022 Regular Session
SENATE BILL NO. 352
BY SENATOR FIELDS
COMMERCIAL REGULATIONS. Requires utility providers to issue a credit to customers
who experience an outage of service for more than 24 hours. (8/1/22)
1 AN ACT
2 To enact Part V-C of Chapter 9 of Title 45 of the Louisiana Revised Statues of 1950, to be
3 comprised of R.S. 45:1240.1 through 1240.3, relative to public utilities; to provide
4 relative to consumer credits; to provide rules, regulations, and procedures; and to
5 provide for related matters.
6 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
7 Section 1. Part V-C of Chapter 9 of Title 45 of the Louisiana Revised Statues of
8 1950, comprised of R.S. 45:1240.1 through 1240.3, is hereby enacted to read as follows:
9 PART V-C. UTILITY CREDIT FOR CONSUMERS
10 §1240.1. Definitions
11 As used in this Part, the following terms and phrases shall have the
12 following meanings:
13 (1) "Commission" means the Louisiana Public Service Commission.
14 (2) "Utility or utility service provider" means either of the following:
15 (a) Any person, public or private, subject to the general jurisdiction of
16 the commission pursuant to Article IV, Section 21 of the Constitution of
17 Louisiana who provides wireline telecommunication, cable, or wireline internet
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Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions. SB NO. 352
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1 service to consumers in this state.
2 (b) Any person, public or private, who provides wireline
3 telecommunicaiton, cable, or wireline internet service within this state.
4 (3) "Eligible customer" means any person that has a written service
5 agreement with a utility service provider.
6 §1240.2. Rules and regulations; utility credit
7 The commission shall adopt any rule or order to ensure that all eligible
8 customers of a utility service provider, who experience an outage of utility
9 service for a period longer than twenty-four consecutive hours during a
10 gubernatorially declared disaster or emergency, shall receive an automatic
11 credit to their utility service bill.
12 §1240.3. Violations; penalties
13 The commission shall, by rule or order, adopt penalties, for any violation
14 of this Part.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Xavier I. Alexander.
DIGEST
SB 352 Engrossed 2022 Regular Session Fields
Proposed law provides for the following definitions:
(1)"Commission" means the La. Public Service Commission.
(2)"Utility or utility service provider" means either:
(a)Any person, public or private, subject to the general jurisdiction of the
commission pursuant to the Constitution of Louisiana who provides wireline
telecommunication, cable, or wireline internet services to consumers in this
state.
(b)Any person, public or private, who provides wireline telecommunication,
cable, or wireline internet service within this state.
(3)"Eligible customer" means any person that has a written service agreement with a
utility service provider.
Proposed law provides that all utility service providers, who provides, wireline
telecommunication, cable, or wireline internet service in this state shall issue a credit to all
customers who experience an outage of utility service for longer than 24 hours, during a
gubernatorially declared disaster or emergency.
Effective August 1, 2022.
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Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions. SB NO. 352
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(Adds R.S. 45:1240.1-1240.3)
Summary of Amendments Adopted by Senate
Committee Amendments Proposed by Senate Committee on Commerce, Consumer
Protection, and International Affairs to the original bill
1. Requires an automatic credit to a customer who is without wireline
telecommunication, cable, and wireline internet services for more than 24
hours during a gubernatorially declared disaster or emergency.
Page 3 of 3
Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.