Bill Text: TX SB1443 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to restoring electric service to certain vulnerable customers after a power outage and customer communication.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-03-31 - Co-author authorized [SB1443 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-SB1443-Introduced.html
| By: Campbell | S.B. No. 1443 | |
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| relating to restoring electric service to certain vulnerable | ||
| customers after a power outage and customer communication. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 38, Utilities Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Section 38.0725 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 38.0725. PRIORITIES FOR POWER RESTORATION TO | ||
| VULNERABLE CUSTOMERS AND COMMUNICATION TO CUSTOMERS. (a) In this | ||
| section, "vulnerable customer" means a customer: | ||
| (1) who qualifies for critical care or chronic | ||
| condition status as defined by the commission; | ||
| (2) who is dependent upon an electric-powered medical | ||
| device to sustain life; | ||
| (3) that has a serious medical condition that requires | ||
| an electric-powered medical device or electric heating or cooling | ||
| to prevent impairment of a major life function through a | ||
| significant deterioration or exacerbation of the person's medical | ||
| condition; | ||
| (4) who is the parent, guardian, or managing | ||
| conservator of a child who qualifies for critical care or chronic | ||
| condition status as defined by the commission; | ||
| (5) who is the parent, guardian, or managing | ||
| conservator of a child who is dependent upon an electric-powered | ||
| medical device to sustain life; or | ||
| (6) who is the parent, guardian or managing | ||
| conservator of a child that has a serious medical condition that | ||
| requires an electric-powered medical device or electric heating or | ||
| cooling to prevent impairment of a major life function through a | ||
| significant deterioration or exacerbation of the person's medical | ||
| condition. | ||
| (b) The commission by rule shall require each retail | ||
| electric provider and electric cooperative that sells electricity | ||
| to a customer to implement a registration process by which a new | ||
| customer of that retail electric provider or electric cooperative | ||
| may report to that retail electric provider or electric cooperative | ||
| that the customer is a vulnerable customer. | ||
| (c) A retail electric provider or electric cooperative that | ||
| sells electricity to a customer shall maintain customer information | ||
| reported under this section to allow that retail electric provider | ||
| or electric cooperative to quickly identify vulnerable customers | ||
| during a power outage and notify the relevant transmission and | ||
| distribution utilities to prioritize those customers for power | ||
| restoration. | ||
| (d) The commission by rule shall require each retail | ||
| electric provider and electric cooperative that sells electricity | ||
| to a customer that chooses to implement a mass alert system to | ||
| communicate to individual customers of potential emergency | ||
| situations and power outages shall notify each of their customers | ||
| of the existence of such mass alert system when: | ||
| (1) the customer initially signs up to become a | ||
| customer of the retail electric provider or electric cooperative; | ||
| and | ||
| (2) each time the retail electric provider or electric | ||
| cooperative bills the customer. | ||
| SECTION 2. As soon as practicable after the effective date | ||
| of this Act, the Public Utility Commission of Texas shall adopt the | ||
| rules required by Section 38.0725, Utilities Code, as added by this | ||
| Act. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. | ||
