UTILITIES: Provides with respect to reimbursement for utility overcharges

Energy

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Alonzo Knox
Last action: 2026-05-29
Official status: Signed by the Governor - Act 553
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Utility Overcharge Reimbursement

This act requires utility providers to reimburse customers for overcharged amounts within ninety days and specifies how the reimbursement should be labeled.

What This Bill Does

Defines what a 'customer', 'overcharge', and 'utility provider' means in this context.
Requires utility providers to fully refund any overcharges to customers within ninety calendar days after discovering them.
Specifies that if a customer has ended service, the utility must send the reimbursement to their last known address.
Directs utilities to label the refund as an overcharge reimbursement or similar description.

Who It Names or Affects

Utility providers such as water, gas, and electric companies in Louisiana.
Customers who receive services from these utility providers.

Terms To Know

Customer: A person receiving services from a utility provider.
Overcharge: Any amount billed in excess of the lawful rate, tariff, or authorized charge.

Limits and Unknowns

The act does not specify what happens if a utility fails to comply with these requirements.
It is unclear how utilities will determine when an overcharge has been 'reasonably should have been discovered'.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

House Floor Amendment #4444 Knox Adopted

Adopted

Plain English: HFAHB478 4463 4444 FOR OFFICE USE ONLY HOUSE FLOOR AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Representative Knox to Engrossed House Bill No.

HFAHB478 4463 4444 FOR OFFICE USE ONLY HOUSE FLOOR AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Representative Knox to Engrossed House Bill No.
478 by Representative Knox 1 AMENDMENT NO.
1 2 On page 2, line 4, change "description." to "description, unless otherwise ordered by the 3 utility's regulator." 4 AMENDMENT NO.
2 5 On page 2, line 9, change "description." to "description, unless otherwise ordered by the 6 utility's regulator." 7 AMENDMENT NO.

House Committee Amendment #4110 COM Adopted

Adopted

Plain English: HCAHB478 4463 4110 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Commerce to Original House Bill No.

HCAHB478 4463 4110 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Commerce to Original House Bill No.
478 by Representative Knox 1 AMENDMENT NO.
1 2 On page 1, between lines 13 and 14, insert the following: 3 "(2) "Overcharge" means any amount billed in excess of the lawful rate, 4 tariff, or authorized charge." 5 AMENDMENT NO.
2 6 On page 1, line 14, change "(2)" to "(3)" 7 AMENDMENT NO.

House Committee Amendment #1944 COM Draft

Draft

Plain English: HCAHB478 4463 1944 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Commerce to Original House Bill No.

HCAHB478 4463 1944 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Commerce to Original House Bill No.
478 by Representative Knox 1 AMENDMENT NO.
1 2 On page 1, between lines 13 and 14, insert the following: 3 "(2) "Overcharge" means any amount billed in excess of the lawful rate, 4 tariff, or authorized charge." 5 AMENDMENT NO.
2 6 On page 1, line 14, change "(2)" to "(3)" 7 AMENDMENT NO.

Bill History

2026-05-29 H
Effective date: 08/01/2026.
2026-05-29 H
Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 553.
2026-05-26 H
Sent to the Governor for executive approval.
2026-05-25 S
Signed by the President of the Senate.
2026-05-25 H
Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.
2026-05-25 H
Received from the Senate without amendments.
2026-05-21 S
Rules suspended. Read by title, passed by a vote of 34 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
2026-05-18 S
Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
2026-05-14 S
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
2026-05-13 S
Reported favorably.
2026-04-29 S
Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and International Affairs.
2026-04-28 S
Received in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.
2026-04-27 H
Read third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 101, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
2026-04-27 H
Called from the calendar.
2026-04-27 H
Read by title, returned to the calendar.
2026-04-23 H
Scheduled for floor debate on 04/27/2026.
2026-04-22 H
Read by title, amended, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.
2026-04-21 H
Reported with amendments (15-0).
2026-03-09 H
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Commerce.
2026-02-27 H
First appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/27/2026.
2026-02-26 H
Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Commerce.
2026-02-26 H
Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

UTILITIES: Provides with respect to reimbursement for utility overcharges

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

ENROLLED
ACT No. 5532026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 478
BY REPRESENTATIVES KNOX AND LARVADAIN
1 AN ACT
2 To enact Chapter 70 of Title 51 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, to be comprised
3 of R.S. 51:3301, relative to reimbursement for utility overcharges; to provide for
4 definitions; to provide for reimbursement of overcharges by utilities; to provide for
5 labeling; and to provide for related matters.
6 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
7 Section 1. Chapter 70 of Title 51 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950,
8 comprised of R.S. 51:3301, is hereby enacted to read as follows:
9 CHAPTER 70. REIMBURSEMENT OF UTILITY OVERCHARGES
10 §3301. Utility overcharge reimbursement
11 A. For the purposes of this Chapter, the following terms have the following
12 meanings:
13 (1) "Customer" means a person receiving services from a utility provider.
14 (2) "Overcharge" means any amount billed in excess of the lawful rate, tariff,
15 or authorized charge.
16 (3) "Utility provider" means a provider of water, gas, or electric service that
17 is regulated by the Public Service Commission or a local governmental subdivision
18 or owned or operated by a local governmental subdivision.
19 B.(1) A utility provider that has overcharged a customer shall reimburse the
20 amount overcharged to the customer in full within ninety calendar days after the
21 overcharge is discovered or reasonably should have been discovered and shall be
22 labeled as an overcharge reimbursement or similar description, unless otherwise
23 ordered by the utility's regulator.
24 (2) If a customer has ended service with a utility provider, then the utility
25 provider shall send the reimbursement to the customer's last known address,
Page 1 of 2
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 478 ENROLLED
1 provided in the former customer's account, within ninety calendar days after the
2 overcharge is discovered or reasonably should have been discovered and shall be
3 labeled as an overcharge reimbursement or similar description, unless otherwise
4 ordered by the utility's regulator.
5 C. A utility provider shall label the reimbursement required by this Section
6 as an overcharge reimbursement, unless otherwise ordered by the utility's regulator.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
Page 2 of 2
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.