| 1 | 1 | | 87R11991 BRG/NC-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Lopez H.B. No. 3639 |
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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 notice to a customer or tenant required after an |
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| 8 | 8 | | intentional shutoff of electric and water service. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 91, Property Code, is amended by adding |
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| 11 | 11 | | Section 91.007 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 91.007. NOTICE REQUIRED FOR EMERGENCY UTILITY SHUTOFF. |
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| 13 | 13 | | Not later than four hours after a landlord receives a notice under |
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| 14 | 14 | | Section 17.011, Utilities Code, or Section 13.1397, Water Code, for |
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| 15 | 15 | | the emergency shutoff of electric power or water for a dwelling or |
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| 16 | 16 | | commercial building leased to a tenant, the landlord shall notify |
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| 17 | 17 | | the tenant of the shutoff by e-mail or text message. The notice must |
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| 18 | 18 | | include: |
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| 19 | 19 | | (1) the estimated time and date that the electric |
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| 20 | 20 | | power or water will be restored to the dwelling or building; and |
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| 21 | 21 | | (2) whether the shutoff is part of a rolling outage if |
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| 22 | 22 | | the shutoff is for electric power. |
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| 23 | 23 | | SECTION 2. Subchapter A, Chapter 17, Utilities Code, is |
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| 24 | 24 | | amended by adding Section 17.011 to read as follows: |
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| 25 | 25 | | Sec. 17.011. NOTICE REQUIRED FOR INTENTIONAL OUTAGES. Not |
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| 26 | 26 | | later than three hours after an electric utility, municipally owned |
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| 27 | 27 | | utility, or electric cooperative intentionally shuts off electric |
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| 28 | 28 | | power to a customer in response to an emergency event, the utility |
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| 29 | 29 | | or cooperative shall notify the customer of the shutoff by e-mail or |
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| 30 | 30 | | text message. The notice must include the following information: |
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| 31 | 31 | | (1) the estimated time and date that the utility or |
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| 32 | 32 | | cooperative will restore electric power to the customer; and |
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| 33 | 33 | | (2) whether the shutoff is part of a rolling outage. |
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| 34 | 34 | | SECTION 3. Subchapter E, Chapter 13, Water Code, is amended |
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| 35 | 35 | | by adding Section 13.1397 to read as follows: |
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| 36 | 36 | | Sec. 13.1397. NOTICE REQUIRED FOR INTENTIONAL SHUTOFF OF |
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| 37 | 37 | | SERVICE. Not later than three hours after a retail public utility |
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| 38 | 38 | | intentionally shuts off water service to a customer in response to |
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| 39 | 39 | | an emergency event, the utility shall notify the customer of the |
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| 40 | 40 | | shutoff by e-mail or text message. The notice must include the |
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| 41 | 41 | | estimated time and date that the utility will restore water service |
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| 42 | 42 | | to the customer. |
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| 43 | 43 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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