UTILITY SHUTOFF NOTICE & LIMIT S.B. 330:
COMMITTEE SUMMARY
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Senate Bill 330 (as introduced 3-4-09)
Sponsor: Senator Irma Clark-Coleman
Committee: Energy Policy and Public Utilities
Date Completed: 3-11-09
CONTENT
The bill would amend Public Act 3 of 1939, the Public Service Commission law, to require an electric or natural gas provider to notify a customer before shutting off service, and prohibit a provider from shutting off service between December 1 and March 31.
Specifically, if a customer had failed to fulfill an obligation to a provider, the provider could shut off service to the customer on, or at a reasonable time following, the date specified in a notice delivered to the customer by personal service or first-class mail. If the provider did not shut off service as specified, it could not shut off service until it gave a subsequent notice to the customer providing a new date for shutoff. In either case, a notice would have to be delivered to the customer at least 30 days before the specified shutoff date.
Shutoff could occur only between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. and could not occur on a day, or a day immediately preceding a day, when the provider was unable to restore service to the customer. If the customer's obligation were in dispute, the provider could not shut off service until the dispute was resolved.
In no event could a provider shut off service during the time period of December 1 to March 31.
"Provider" would mean an electric utility, municipally owned natural gas or electric utility, cooperative electric utility, alternative electric supplier, or natural gas utility.
Proposed MCL 460.9d Legislative Analyst: Julie Cassidy
FISCAL IMPACT
To the extent that the shut-off limitations under the bill would be more stringent than local policies, the bill would increase the costs of municipally owned utilities by an unknown amount.
Fiscal Analyst: Elizabeth Pratt
Maria Tyszkiewicz
Analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. sb330/0910