Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman ELIANA PINTOR MARIN
District 29 (Essex and Hudson)
Assemblyman REGINALD W. ATKINS
District 20 (Union)
Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Assemblywoman ANNETTE QUIJANO
District 20 (Union)
Senator RAJ MUKHERJI
District 32 (Hudson)
Senator NILSA I. CRUZ-PEREZ
District 5 (Camden and Gloucester)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senators Timberlake, Greenstein, McKnight and Ruiz
SYNOPSIS
Establishes “Summer Termination Program” for certain utility customers.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning certain utility service protections and supplementing Title 40A of the New Jersey Statutes and Title 48 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. For the purposes of this section:
“Board” means the Board of Public Utilities.
“Department” means the Department of Community Affairs.
“Local authority” means an authority, as defined in section 3 of P.L.1983, c.313 (C.40A:5A-3), or a water district established pursuant to R.S.40:62-96, that provides electric, sewer, or water service.
“Municipal utility” means a municipal public utility, as defined in N.J.S.40A:1-1, that provides electric, sewer, or water service.
“Program” means the Summer Termination Program established pursuant to subsection b. of this section.
“Residential customer” means a residential customer of record of a local authority, municipal utility, or rural electric cooperative, as well as any residential tenant of a residence where the owner or any agent or other representative of the owner of the residence is a non-residential customer of record of a local authority, municipal utility, or rural electric cooperative.
“Rural electric cooperative” means a rural electric cooperative, as defined in section 2 of P.L.2017, c.297 (C.48:24-2).
b. Within 120 days of the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), the Department of Community Affairs shall establish a Summer Termination Program, which shall prohibit a local authority, municipal utility, or rural electric cooperative from discontinuing electric, sewer, or water service to a residential customer deemed eligible for the program by the department if the three-day wet bulb globe temperature forecast within a local authority’s, municipal utility’s, or rural electric cooperative’s jurisdiction is expected to equal or exceed 85 degrees Fahrenheit for 24 hours or more out of the 72-hour period.
c. The department shall deem a residential customer eligible for the program if the residential customer:
(1) receives assistance under programs specified in the eligibility criteria for the board’s Winter Termination Program, established by the board pursuant to rules and regulations adopted by the board and published in the New Jersey Administrative Code; or
(2) is unable to pay the residential customer’s local authority, municipal utility, or rural electric cooperative bill due to certain circumstances, including, but not limited to: unemployment, illness, medically-related expenses, the recent death of an immediate family member, and any other circumstances, as determined by the department, that might cause financial hardship.
d. The department shall establish a process that allows a residential customer to self-certify an inability to pay the residential customer’s local authority, municipal utility, or rural electric cooperative bill, pursuant to paragraph 2 of subsection c. of this section.
2. The Department of Community Affairs, in consultation with the Board of Public Utilities, shall promulgate rules and regulations, pursuant to the “Administrative Procedure Act,” P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), to effectuate the purposes of section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
3. a. For the purposes of this section:
“Board” means the Board of Public Utilities.
“Program” means the Summer Termination Program established pursuant to subsection b. of this section.
“Public utility” means a public utility, as that term is defined in R.S.48:2-13, that provides electric, sewer, or water service.
“Residential customer” means a residential customer of record of a public utility, as well as any residential tenant of a residence where the owner or any agent or other representative of the owner of the residence is a non-residential customer of record of a public utility.
b. Within 120 days of the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), the Board of Public Utilities shall establish a Summer Termination Program, which shall prohibit a public utility from discontinuing electric, sewer, or water service to a residential customer deemed eligible for the program by the board if the three-day wet bulb globe temperature forecast within a public utility’s jurisdiction is expected to equal or exceed 85 degrees Fahrenheit for 24 hours or more out of the 72-hour period.
c. The board shall deem a residential customer eligible for the program if the residential customer:
(1) receives assistance under programs specified in the eligibility criteria for the board’s Winter Termination Program, established by the board pursuant to rules and regulations adopted by the board and published in the New Jersey Administrative Code; or
(2) is unable to pay the residential customer’s public utility bill due to certain circumstances, including, but not limited to: unemployment, illness, medically-related expenses, the recent death of an immediate family member, and any other circumstances, as determined by the board, that might cause financial hardship.
d. The board shall establish a process that allows a residential customer to self-certify an inability to pay the residential customer’s public utility bill, pursuant to paragraph 2 of subsection c. of this section.
4. The Board of Public Utilities shall promulgate rules and regulations, pursuant to the “Administrative Procedure Act,” P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), to effectuate the purpose of section 3 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
5. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill directs the Department of Community Affairs (department) and the Board of Public Utilities (board) each to establish a “Summer Termination Program” (program). The bill prohibits a local authority, municipal utility, rural electric cooperative, or public utility from discontinuing electric, sewer, or water service to certain residential customers if the three-day wet bulb globe temperature forecast within a local authority’s, municipal utility’s, rural electric cooperative’s, or public utility’s jurisdiction is expected to equal or exceed 85 degrees Fahrenheit for 24 hours or more out of the 72-hour period. Under the bill, a residential customer is eligible for the program if the residential customer: (1) receives assistance under certain programs specified in the eligibility criteria for the “Winter Termination Program”; or (2) is unable to pay the residential customer’s local authority, municipal utility, rural electric cooperative, or public utility bill due to certain circumstances, including, but not limited to, unemployment, illness, medically-related expenses, the recent death of an immediate family member, and any other circumstances, as determined by the department or the board, as applicable, that might cause financial hardship.
Finally, the bill requires the department and the board each to establish a process for residential customers to self-certify their inability to pay a local authority, municipal utility, rural electric cooperative, or public utility bill.