Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB704 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R1270 ANG-D
2	2	By: Bell of Montgomery H.B. No. 704
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the disconnection of service provided to residential
10	10	customers by certain utilities and propane gas distribution system
11	11	retailers.
12	12	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	13	SECTION 1. Section 39.101(h), Utilities Code, is amended to
14	14	read as follows:
15	15	(h) A retail electric provider, power generation company,
16	16	aggregator, or other entity that provides retail electric service
17	17	may not disconnect service to a residential customer on a weekend
18	18	day, on a holiday officially observed by the State of Texas, on a
19	19	day preceding a weekend day or holiday, or during an extreme weather
20	20	emergency [or on a weekend day]. The entity providing service
21	21	shall defer collection of the full payment of bills that are due
22	22	during an extreme weather emergency until after the emergency is
23	23	over and shall work with customers to establish a pay schedule for
24	24	deferred bills. For purposes of this subsection, "extreme weather
25	25	emergency" means a period when:
26	26	(1) the previous day's highest temperature did not
27	27	exceed 32 degrees Fahrenheit and the temperature is predicted to
28	28	remain at or below that level for the next 24 hours according to the
29	29	nearest National Weather Service reports; or
30	30	(2) the National Weather Service issues a heat
31	31	advisory for any county in the relevant service territory, or when
32	32	such an advisory has been issued on any one of the previous two
33	33	calendar days.
34	34	SECTION 2. Section 104.258(b), Utilities Code, is amended
35	35	to read as follows:
36	36	(b) A provider may not disconnect natural gas service to a
37	37	residential customer on a weekend day, on a holiday officially
38	38	observed by the State of Texas, or on a day preceding a weekend day
39	39	or holiday unless personnel of the provider are available on that
40	40	day to take payments and reconnect service.
41	41	SECTION 3. Section 141.004(a), Utilities Code, is amended
42	42	to read as follows:
43	43	(a) A distribution system retailer may not disconnect
44	44	propane gas service to a residential customer on a weekend day, on a
45	45	[or] holiday officially observed by the State of Texas, or on a day
46	46	preceding a weekend day or holiday unless personnel of the
47	47	distribution system retailer are available on that day to receive
48	48	payments and reconnect service.
49	49	SECTION 4. Section 13.151(b), Water Code, is amended to
50	50	read as follows:
51	51	(b) A retail public utility that is required to possess a
52	52	certificate of public convenience and necessity or a district or
53	53	affected county that furnishes retail water or sewer utility
54	54	service:
55	55	(1) may not disconnect service on a weekend day, on a
56	56	holiday officially observed by the State of Texas, on a day
57	57	preceding a weekend day or holiday, or during an extreme weather
58	58	emergency;
59	59	(2) may [shall] not impose late fees [or disconnect
60	60	service] for nonpayment of bills that are due during an extreme
61	61	weather emergency until after the emergency is over; and
62	62	(3) shall work with customers that request to
63	63	establish a payment schedule for unpaid bills that are due during
64	64	the extreme weather emergency.
65	65	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.