UTILITY SHUT-OFF POSTPONEMENT H.B. 4386 (H-1):
COMMITTEE SUMMARY
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House Bill 4386 (Substitute H-1 as passed by the House)
Sponsor: Representative Bert Johnson
House Committee: Energy and Technology
Senate Committee: Energy Policy and Public Utilities
Date Completed: 4-2-09
CONTENT
The bill would amend Public Act 3 of 1939, the Public Service Commission law, to require a municipally owned electric or natural gas provider 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 required, or had a household member who required, home medical equipment or a life-support system, and who gave the provider appropriate documentation from a physician or medical facility identifying the equipment or system and certifying that an 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 on official stationery or a company-provided form, that would be aggravated by the lack of utility service.
The customer's certification would have to identify the medical condition, any medical or life-supporting equipment being used, and the specific time period during which the shut-off would aggravate the medical emergency. The provider would have to extend the postponement for further periods of up to 21 days, not to exceed a total postponement of 63 days, only if the customer provided additional certification that he or she or a member of the household was a critical care customer or had a certified medical emergency.
If shut-off occurred without any postponement being obtained, the provider would have to restore service for up to 21 days, and would have to continue the restoration for further periods of up to 21 days, not to exceed a total service restoration of 63 days in any 12-month period per household member.
Annually, a provider would not have to grant shut-off extensions totaling more than 126 days per household.
Proposed MCL 460.9s Legislative Analyst: Julie Cassidy
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.
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. hb4386/0910