Bill Text: IA SF2160 | 2019-2020 | 88th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to public utility billing practices.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-02-13 - Subcommittee recommends amendment and passage. [SF2160 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2019-SF2160-Introduced.html
Senate
File
2160
-
Introduced
SENATE
FILE
2160
BY
ZUMBACH
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
public
utility
billing
practices.
1
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
2
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2160
Section
1.
Section
476.1A,
subsection
2,
Code
2020,
is
1
amended
to
read
as
follows:
2
2.
However,
sections
476.8A,
476.20,
subsections
1
through
3
4
,
476.21
,
476.51
,
476.56
,
476.62
,
and
476.66
and
chapters
4
476A
and
478
,
to
the
extent
applicable,
apply
to
such
electric
5
utilities.
6
Sec.
2.
Section
476.1B,
subsection
1,
Code
2020,
is
amended
7
by
adding
the
following
new
paragraph:
8
NEW
PARAGRAPH
.
m.
Enforcement
of
section
476.8A.
9
Sec.
3.
Section
476.1B,
subsection
3,
Code
2020,
is
amended
10
to
read
as
follows:
11
3.
Unless
otherwise
specifically
provided
by
statute,
a
12
municipally
owned
utility
providing
local
exchange
services
13
is
not
subject
to
regulation
by
the
board
under
this
chapter
14
except
for
regulatory
action
pertaining
to
the
enforcement
15
of
sections
476.8A,
476.95
,
476.95A
,
476.95B
,
476.100
,
and
16
476.102
.
17
Sec.
4.
Section
476.1C,
subsection
1,
paragraph
a,
Code
18
2020,
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
19
a.
Are
not
subject
to
the
regulation
authority
of
20
the
utilities
board
under
this
chapter
unless
otherwise
21
specifically
provided.
Sections
476.8A,
476.10
,
476.20
,
22
476.21
,
and
476.51
apply
to
such
gas
utilities.
23
Sec.
5.
NEW
SECTION
.
476.8A
Public
utility
billing
——
24
impermissible
charges.
25
Notwithstanding
any
other
provision
of
law
to
the
contrary,
26
a
public
utility
shall
not
charge
a
customer
for,
or
attempt
to
27
collect
from
a
customer,
any
amounts
attributable
to
services
28
provided
by
the
public
utility
to
the
customer
more
than
one
29
year
ago,
unless,
as
part
of
its
normal
billing
practices,
the
30
public
utility
previously
attempted
to
collect
the
amounts
31
within
one
year
after
the
public
utility
provided
the
services.
32
For
purposes
of
this
section,
“public
utility”
includes
a
33
person
who
furnishes
solid
waste
collection
to
the
public
for
34
compensation.
35
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2160
EXPLANATION
1
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
2
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
3
This
bill
relates
to
the
billing
practices
of
providers
of
4
public
utilities.
5
In
addition
to
the
definition
of
“public
utility”
provided
6
in
Code
section
476.1A,
the
bill
defines
a
“public
utility”
to
7
include
a
person
who
furnishes
solid
waste
collection
to
the
8
public
for
compensation.
9
The
bill
prohibits
a
public
utility
from
charging
a
customer
10
for
services
provided
by
the
public
utility
to
the
customer
11
more
than
one
year
ago,
unless,
as
part
of
its
normal
billing
12
practices,
the
public
utility
previously
attempted
to
collect
13
on
the
charges
associated
with
such
services
within
one
year
14
after
the
public
utility
provided
the
services.
15
The
bill
also
amends
Code
sections
476.1A,
subsection
16
2;
476.1B,
subsections
1
and
3;
and
476.1C,
subsection
1,
17
paragraph
“a”,
to
provide
that
this
prohibition
applies
to
18
electric
public
utilities
having
fewer
than
10,000
customers,
19
electric
cooperative
corporations
and
associations,
municipally
20
owned
utilities
furnishing
gas
or
electricity,
municipally
21
owned
utilities
providing
local
exchange
services,
and
gas
22
public
utilities
having
fewer
than
2,000
customers.
23
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