Bill Text: NJ A2645 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires additional notices to governmental agencies upon termination of utility services to residential customers.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-02-01 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee [A2645 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-A2645-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman RONALD S. DANCER
District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Requires additional notices to governmental agencies upon termination of utility services to residential customers.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning notification of utility shut-offs, supplementing Title 48 of the Revised Statutes and P.L.1983, c.383 (C.52:27D-192 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. (1) Any public utility as defined in R.S.48:2-13, which discontinues gas, electric or water service to a residential customer for nonpayment of a bill for services furnished, shall provide written notices of the discontinuance to the municipality in which the customer's premises are located, and to the county welfare agency or county board of social services providing services to the locale. The notices shall be provided within 48 hours after the utility discontinues service to the customer, except that if service has been fully restored to the customer prior to the expiration of the 48 hours, the utility shall not be required to provide notice pursuant to this subsection.
(2) The governing body of a municipality shall designate an official to receive the notices required to be furnished pursuant to this section. In the event that an official is not designated, the mayor shall be deemed to be designated as that official.
For the purposes of this section, "residential customer" means any residential customer who resides in housing other than multifamily housing units as defined pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2002, c.107 (C.48:2-24.2), and shall not mean any business customer.
b. The notice required by subsection a. of this section shall include the name and telephone number of the customer of record and the address of the premises where service was discontinued, provided that such information is available to the public utility.
c. The county welfare agency or county board of social services shall interview the residents of the premises for which utility services were terminated, in person or by telephone, within 24 hours of receiving the notice required to be made under subsection a. of this section. The agency or board shall provide the residents with information on available services provided under any program administered by the agency or board.
2. Whenever an electric or gas public utility is providing written notice to a customer of imminent discontinuance of service, that notice shall also include a warning of the dangers of operating any equipment powered by fossil fuels in inadequately ventilated areas or in violation of the State Fire Code.
3. The Board of Public Utilities, in consultation with the Commissioner of Community Affairs, shall promulgate the rules and regulations necessary to effectuate this act, in accordance with the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.).
4. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
The bill would require a warning to residential customers, whose power is being terminated, against the use of fossil-fuel burning devices in order to help prevent carbon-monoxide exposure. The bill would also alert key governmental agencies who are in a position to offer assistance to these families in order to help them find financial resources to restore the utility service, or to find alternate housing.
The bill seeks to prevent the type of tragedy that occurred when the electrical power services for a residential household were terminated by a utility company. The family in this case opted to use a generator to power their appliances. The generator was not adequately ventilated and resulted in the death of one of the family members from carbon monoxide poisoning.
The bill would require additional notices be provided by a public utility company upon the termination of services to a residential premises. The utility will be required to provide written or verbal notices of the discontinuance to the municipality in which the customer's premises are located, and to the county welfare agency or county board of social services providing services to the locale. The bill does not apply to multiple dwellings which are subject to the notice requirements of section 1 of P.L.2002, c.107 (C.48:2-24.2), or to business customers. Under the bill, the notices are to be provided within 48 hours after the utility discontinues service to the customer, except that if service has been fully restored to the customer prior to the expiration of the 48 hours, the utility shall not be required to provide notice.
Further, the county welfare agency or county board of social services would be required under the bill to interview, either by phone or in person, the residents of the dwelling unit, and provide information as deemed appropriate concerning available services provided by the agency or the board.
In addition, whenever an electric or gas public utility is providing written notice to a customer of imminent discontinuance of service, that notice shall also include a warning of the dangers of operating any equipment powered by fossil fuels in inadequately ventilated areas or in violation of the State Fire Code.
