1 | 1 | | |
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2 | 2 | | |
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3 | 3 | | EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW. |
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4 | 4 | | [Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law. |
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5 | 5 | | *sb1035* |
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6 | 6 | | |
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7 | 7 | | SENATE BILL 1035 |
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8 | 8 | | C5 5lr3496 |
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9 | 9 | | |
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10 | 10 | | By: Senator A. Washington |
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11 | 11 | | Introduced and read first time: February 9, 2025 |
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12 | 12 | | Assigned to: Rules |
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13 | 13 | | |
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14 | 14 | | A BILL ENTITLED |
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15 | 15 | | |
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16 | 16 | | AN ACT concerning 1 |
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17 | 17 | | |
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18 | 18 | | Electric and Gas Service – Termination – Third–Party Notification 2 |
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19 | 19 | | |
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20 | 20 | | FOR the purpose of requiring a public service company to notify a certain municipality and 3 |
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21 | 21 | | certain elected officials before terminating for nonpayment electric or gas service to 4 |
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22 | 22 | | a multifamily dwelling unit for which the account is held by a property owner or 5 |
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23 | 23 | | manager; and generally relating to termination of electric or gas service. 6 |
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24 | 24 | | |
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25 | 25 | | BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 7 |
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26 | 26 | | Article – Public Utilities 8 |
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27 | 27 | | Section 7–307.3 9 |
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28 | 28 | | Annotated Code of Maryland 10 |
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29 | 29 | | (2020 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 11 |
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30 | 30 | | |
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31 | 31 | | SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 12 |
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32 | 32 | | That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 13 |
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33 | 33 | | |
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34 | 34 | | Article – Public Utilities 14 |
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35 | 35 | | |
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36 | 36 | | 7–307.3. 15 |
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37 | 37 | | |
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38 | 38 | | (a) (1) A public service company that intends to terminate, because of 16 |
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39 | 39 | | nonpayment, electric or gas service to a customer of the service to a multifamily dwelling 17 |
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40 | 40 | | unit shall notify the property owner or property manager of the multifamily dwelling unit 18 |
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41 | 41 | | before terminating service to the customer if the public service company has received the 19 |
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42 | 42 | | customer’s consent that designates the property owner or property manager as a 20 |
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43 | 43 | | third–party authorized to receive a notice of termination of services. 21 |
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44 | 44 | | |
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45 | 45 | | [(b)] (2) As a term of a lease of a multifamily dwelling unit, the property owner 22 |
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46 | 46 | | or property manager of the multifamily dwelling unit may require a tenant to ensure that 23 |
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47 | 47 | | a customer of the public service company that is responsible for the account for that 24 2 SENATE BILL 1035 |
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48 | 48 | | |
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49 | 49 | | |
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50 | 50 | | multifamily dwelling unit provides consent for the property owner or property manager to 1 |
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51 | 51 | | receive a notice of termination of services as a result of nonpayment by the customer. 2 |
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52 | 52 | | |
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53 | 53 | | [(c)] (3) A customer’s consent may be provided to a public service company by: 3 |
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54 | 54 | | |
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55 | 55 | | [(1)] (I) the customer; or 4 |
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56 | 56 | | |
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57 | 57 | | [(2)] (II) if the consent is written, the property owner or property manager 5 |
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58 | 58 | | of the multifamily dwelling unit. 6 |
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59 | 59 | | |
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60 | 60 | | (B) BEFORE TERMINATING BE CAUSE OF NONPAYMENT ELECTRIC OR GAS 7 |
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61 | 61 | | SERVICE TO A MULTIFA MILY DWELLING UNIT F OR WHICH THE ACCO UNT WITH THE 8 |
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62 | 62 | | PUBLIC SERVICE COMPA NY IS HELD BY THE PR OPERTY OWNER OR MANA GER OF THE 9 |
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63 | 63 | | MULTIFAMILY DWELLING UNIT, THE PUBLIC SERVICE C OMPANY SHALL NOTIFY : 10 |
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64 | 64 | | |
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65 | 65 | | (1) THE MUNICIPAL CORPOR ATION IN WHICH THE M ULTIFAMILY 11 |
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66 | 66 | | DWELLING UNIT IS LOC ATED, IF ANY; AND 12 |
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67 | 67 | | |
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68 | 68 | | (2) THE MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND LOCAL ELECTED 13 |
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69 | 69 | | OFFICIALS IN WHOSE D ISTRICTS THE MULTIFA MILY DWELLING UNIT I S LOCATED. 14 |
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70 | 70 | | |
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71 | 71 | | [(d)] (C) Each public service company shall set up a procedure for handling the 15 |
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72 | 72 | | third–party notification process in a manner best suited to the circumstances of the 16 |
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73 | 73 | | particular public service company. 17 |
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74 | 74 | | |
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75 | 75 | | [(e)] (D) Nothing in this section may be construed to prevent any other form of 18 |
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76 | 76 | | third–party notification that a customer may request. 19 |
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77 | 77 | | |
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78 | 78 | | [(f)] (E) The Commission may adopt regulations to carry out this section. 20 |
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79 | 79 | | |
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80 | 80 | | SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 21 |
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81 | 81 | | October 1, 2025. 22 |
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