| 1 | 1 | | 87R11594 JAM-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Crockett H.B. No. 3167 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to protection for residential electric customers from |
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| 8 | 8 | | disconnection of retail electric service in certain weather |
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| 9 | 9 | | conditions. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Section 39.101(h), Utilities Code, is amended to |
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| 12 | 12 | | read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (h) A retail electric provider, power generation company, |
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| 14 | 14 | | aggregator, or other entity that provides retail electric service |
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| 15 | 15 | | may not disconnect service to a residential customer during an |
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| 16 | 16 | | extreme weather emergency or on a weekend day. The entity providing |
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| 17 | 17 | | service shall defer collection of the full payment of bills that are |
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| 18 | 18 | | due during an extreme weather emergency until after the emergency |
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| 19 | 19 | | is over and shall work with customers to establish a pay schedule |
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| 20 | 20 | | for deferred bills. For purposes of this subsection, "extreme |
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| 21 | 21 | | weather emergency" means a period when: |
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| 22 | 22 | | (1) the previous day's highest temperature did not |
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| 23 | 23 | | exceed 32 degrees Fahrenheit and the temperature is predicted to |
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| 24 | 24 | | remain at or below that level for the next 24 hours according to the |
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| 25 | 25 | | nearest National Weather Service reports; [or] |
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| 26 | 26 | | (2) the temperature exceeds 90 degrees Fahrenheit and |
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| 27 | 27 | | the temperature is predicted to remain at or above that level for |
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| 28 | 28 | | the next 24 hours according to the nearest National Weather Service |
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| 29 | 29 | | reports; or |
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| 30 | 30 | | (3) the National Weather Service issues a heat |
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| 31 | 31 | | advisory for any county in the relevant service territory, or when |
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| 32 | 32 | | such an advisory has been issued on any one of the previous two |
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| 33 | 33 | | calendar days. |
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| 34 | 34 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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