This new law provides several important safeguards for residential utility customers by: prohibiting shutoffs during the COVID-19 state of emergency for non-payment of a utility bill;. Further, the prohibitions on disconnecting or refusing to reconnect these services was limited by the language of the proclamations to residential service, but the prohibition on charging late fees did not include that limitation. Automatic renewals often lead to customers paying higher rates. PRA/OPMA E-Learning Courses Free video courses for city/town elected officials on the Public Records Act (PRA) and Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA). If you are a customer of a municipal utility, call your municipal utility immediately to ask about any assistance programs that may be available. MRSC has consolidated additional information in the Utility Collection Deferrals, Shutoffs, and Payment Plans section of our COVID-19 Small Business and Tenant Assistance Programs webpage. This chart from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD)provides more detailed household income information. MRSC is a private nonprofit organization serving local governments in Washington State. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. For small business customers of an investor-owned utility, enrolling in a payment plan may protect your business from electric or gas shut off if you cannot afford your current balance. Customers with higher income levels will be offered payment plans of at least one or two years. Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric, San Diego Gas & Electric and Pacific Power are taking the step until further notice. And commissioners said utility companies told them many customers had not set up plans for repayment during the moratorium. Those moratoriums are running out, and thousands of unemployed people plus others still battling. Visit, For more information on community choice electric plans, also known as municipal aggregations, visit this website maintained by the Department of Public Utilities, In addition to your utility, you can contact the Department of Public Utilitiesat877-886-5066, or complete. Consumer advocates want to make sure all utilities are required to offer longer payment plans and forgive debt. Last month, regulators voted 2 to 1 to extend a temporary moratorium on utility shutoffs during the COVID-19 crisis for residential customers until Nov. 1. Try now to get LIHEAP funds, Dollar Energy Fund help or emergency assistance, they said. Maybe. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. SDG&E asking regulator to increase rates starting next year, Heres how much lower your SDG&E bill might be in March, SDG&E kicks in $16 million of shareholder funds to help financially strapped customers, Behind on your SDG&E utility bill? Click here for more on competitive electric suppliers. Lake Washington Sewer & Water Dist., 784 P.2d 1284 (Wash. Ct. App. As a quick refresher, take a look at MRSCs Collection Practices for Delinquent Utility Accountswebpage, our Utility Liens and Shutoffs Tool, and our February 22, 2021 blog:A Quick Guide to Utility Account Overcharges, Undercharges, and the Statute of Limitations. "I didn't have the $300 they needed," she said. John Fetterman, a progressive who is running for U.S. Senate in 2022, said utility companies should be cooperative and understanding with Pennsylvanians in need. If you have been switched without your permission, you should file a complaint with the Department of Public Utilities. You may be able to pause mortgage payments, credit card bills, bank fees and more during the pandemic. The Wolf Administration is working to get money provided by the December stimulus package and the American Rescue Plan in March out to qualifying renters and utility customers as quickly as possible to help with overdue balances, the governors press secretary Lyndsay Kensinger said. If a small business enrolls in an electric or gas payment plan with its investor-owned utility company and the business makes its payments, it will be protected from electric or gas service disconnection for the duration of the payment plan. The utility reported to the commission that 495 out of its roughly 3,000 customers would be eligible for disconnection. Information on testing, vaccines, and help finding appointments near you. The order protects consumers who may not be able to pay for their water service from shutoffs. Wolf told commissioners he knew the moratorium couldnt continue indefinitely, but he urged them to continue the protections that are in place for low-income Pennsylvanians. A federal program can help. CPUC Industry Divisions will accept the submittal of Advice Letters and related documents by electronic mail. Massachusetts consumers should also take steps to avoid an automatic renewal of their supply contract. This page is located more than 3 levels deep within a topic. Only eight states have statewide water shutoff moratoria in place today. March 20, 2020: The CPUC has temporarily waived the hard copy filing requirements for our Advice Letter process. As state COVID-19 lockdown orders from Gov. He said they're trying to work with customers on payment plans, but the decision means some customers will have $4,000 in outstanding bills by next April. Between November 15th and March 15th, residential customers are protected from utility shut off if the utility service is needed to heat your home and you receive service from an investor-owned utility, such as Eversource, National Grid, Unitil, Liberty Utilities, or Berkshire Gas. (Getty Images) Paying . Since it has not been referenced in any subsequent proclamations, the guidance may not have any legal effect. The grace period for residential cable and internet for customers with school-aged children ended on December 31, 2021. Digging Into Public Works In-person regional forums and training resources for public works staff and local contractors. Budget billing equalizes monthly payments over the course of 12 months so that you pay a predictable amount each month instead of seeing your bill amount fluctuate depending on the season, the price of energy, and customer usage. The risk of disconnection disproportionately harms communities of color. In these unsettling and unprecedented times, many people are Most states passed emergency laws banning evictions and utility shutoffs during the pandemic. In New York City, the numbers reported include only water and sewer accounts that are at least 180 days overdue; the total of all overdue water and sewer bills in New York City is certainly much higher. The more you pay now the less you will have to make up later. Steve Gross joined MRSC as a Legal Consultant in January 2020. The California Public Utilities Commission also extended the power shutoff moratorium to Sept. 30, days before it was set to expire on June 30. A recent report by Duke University researchers found that, if utility disconnections had been barred nationwide from March through November 2020, COVID-19 infections rates could have been reduced . Share this webpage and the flyer below with your friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors to spread the word. Category: Small business customers may also qualify for payment plans that include arrearage forgiveness. Please let us know how we can improve this page. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, A map from the National Association of Utility Regulators (NARUC). However, the question remains as to what actions local utilities can take to collect past-due amounts. But many utility companies have said without the threat of a shut-off notice, their bills would go unpaid. MRSC offers a wide range of services to local governments and our contract partners in Washington State. For more information, see Utilities and Landlord/Tenant Issues. It may also violate the prohibition againstdiscriminating among similarly situated ratepayers [Hous. Customers can opt out of the plan if they want. Aug. 13, 2020, at 12:14 p.m. Bills to Stop Paying During Coronavirus. One water system has already said that it will resume shutoffs the next day. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has not announced program rules or released funds to the states. The Utilities and Transportation Commission also. * Unsurprisingly, when California examined its statewide data, low-income communities of color had disproportionately high levels of household water debt. 229; Executive Order No. . "I guess the first day he could file for eviction, he did it," she told us after receiving an eviction notice. Consider solar energy to reduce electricity usage. You may want to consider adopting a policy that will authorize you to write-off uncollectible debt. CAPP will be administered by the Department of Community Services and Development (CSD). For more information about the Winter Termination Program, call 800-624-0241. In California and New York City alone, for example, residential water arrears total over $1.6 billion, with over 1.7 million households affected. Even without the moratorium on shutoffs, most utility companies have been generous this year. In addition to your utility, you can contact the Department of Public Utilitiesat877-886-5066, or completetheir online complaint form. In California, the reported $1 billion in overdue residential bills includes about $600 million for customers of water utilities or combined water/sewer utilities, and about $400 million for customers who receive a combined bill for water and power from the same utility. He also has been a legal policy advisor for the Pierce County Council and has worked in contract administration. That guidance was incorporated into Proclamation 20-23.6 to help utilities create their own programs. CPUC response letter that delays an already scheduled natural gas rate increase for Southern California Gas Company and SDG&E small business customers for 120 days to help reduce natural gas bills during the crisis. Residential customers making payments under payment plans with their investor-owned electric or gas utility will remain protected from shut-off as long as they make payments under the payment schedule. As an alternative to the collection provisions in that section, RCW 36.94.150(3) allows the county to adopt the procedures in RCW 35.67.290 for collection. All told, some $1.33 billion in past-due bills have piled up statewide. Also, utilities may assign delinquent customer debts to licensed collection agencies under the authority provided inRCW 19.16.500and pursuant to a written contract with a licensed agency. In Fields' case, her supplier put her on a payment plan so she could just pay a few dollars a month. Also, if a customer enters into a payment plan with their provider, many . March 17, 2020: CPUC Ensures Essential Utility Services for Consumers to Assist in COVID-19 Mitigation. Illinois' moratorium on utility shut-offs during the COVID-19 pandemic ends Wednesday, but there is still help available for anyone who needs assistance paying bills. VIDEO: State regulators considering banning all electricity cutoffs for non-payment until next April. Tripadvisor picks two for top 10 in U.S. San Diego airport gets $20M federal infrastructure grant to help Terminal 1 remodel, Boeing CEO loses $7M bonus, keeps $22.5 million compensation, Louisiana Gov. Details wont be finalized until the governor approves the budget and the commission will take the $1 billion payments into consideration in a later proceeding. Tom Wolf, who opposes lifting the moratorium. Maintaining access to water and other essential utility services remains as vital as ever to safeguard public health, as the pandemic continues. According toRCW 19.16.500(1)(b),utilities may also add a reasonable collections fee to the outstandingdebt. Nowak has previously urged the commission to work with the Evers administration to provide assistance to water customers in need through CARES Act funding. Many have indicated that if the moratoriums expire, they will cut customers off from power or heat, said Ruth Sawyer, of the Sierra Club. Gavin Newsom went into effect in March 2020, the utilities commission announced power companies could not disconnect services to customers for one year. If you get your electricity or gas from an individual competitive supplier and are paying a high rate,consider canceling your contract so that you may return to buying your electric and gas supply from your utility (often called basic service). If you are served by a municipal utility, it may or may not be shutting off customers for unpaid bills. Where available, the fact sheet provides links to federal program webpages and funding allocations to state, territorial, Tribal, and local grantees. (Since interest is generally considered to be a penalty for non-payment it is probably included in late fees.). Utilities said that few customers responded to pleas to enroll in payment plans or to apply for assistance, and few customers were shut off. In the case of small businesses in disadvantaged communities, the payment cannot exceed 5 percent of the customers average monthly bill. For more information on community choice electric plans, also known as municipal aggregations, visit this website maintained by the Department of Public Utilities here. of King v. Ne. But, thewinter moratorium doesnot apply to water utilities. But this part-time warehouse worker says she was battling COVID, and was out of work for weeks. CARE is available to customers whose total household income is at or below specific income limits, such as $52,4000 for a family of four. OLYMPIA, WA - With a bipartisan 64-31 vote, the Washington State House passed a bill to ensure a utility operator cannot shut off power or water when the National Weather Service issues a heat-related warning or alert. So even before there was a mandate to do so, we voluntarily suspended disconnections in early March, said Janet Kim, of PSE. It allowed utilities to resume shutoffs on Nov. 9 but the ban was lifted for only three weeks before the annual winter shut-off went into effect on Dec. 1. The policy should consider the variables for each type of receivable with specific criteria and internal controls in place to assure that the utilitys assets (receivables) are being safeguarded. They should also check our Assistance Programs page for information about assistance programs or use the DCAid online screening tool to apply for financial assistance from the State of New Jersey. of Cty.
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