UTILITY SHUT-OFF POSTPONEMENT S.B. 338 (S-1):
FLOOR SUMMARY
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Senate Bill 338 (Substitute S-1 as reported by the Committee of the Whole)
Sponsor: Senator Mark C. Jansen
Committee: Energy Policy and Public Utilities
CONTENT
The bill would amend Public Act 3 of 1939, the Public Service Commission law, to require a provider (a municipally owned electric or natural gas utility) to postpone a shut-off of service for up to 21 days if the customer or a member of his or her household were a critical care customer or had a certified medical emergency.
("Critical care customer" would mean a customer who requires, or has a household member who requires, home medical equipment or a life-support system, and who provides appropriate documentation from a physician or medical facility certifying that interruption of service would be immediately life-threatening. "Medical emergency" would mean an existing medical condition of the customer or a member of his or her household, as defined and certified by a physician or public health official, that would be aggravated by the lack of utility service.)
The provider would have to extend the postponement for further periods of up to 21 days, for a maximum total of 63 days, only if the customer provided additional certification that he or she or a member of the household were a critical care customer or had a medical emergency. If shut-off occurred without any postponement, the provider would have to restore service for periods of up to 21 days, not to exceed 63 days total in any 12-month period per household member. Annually, a provider would not have to grant extensions totaling more than 126 days per household.
Proposed MCL 460.9h Legislative Analyst: Julie Cassidy
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.
Date Completed: 10-7-09 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. sb338/0910