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LD1080 • 2025

An Act Prohibiting Public Utilities from Requiring Deposits Based Solely on a Residential Customer's Income

An Act Prohibiting Public Utilities from Requiring Deposits Based Solely on a Residential Customer's Income

Energy Technology
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Representative Melanie Sachs
Last action
2025-05-23
Official status
Signed by the Governor
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act Prohibiting Public Utilities from Requiring Deposits Based Solely on a Residential Customer's Income

An Act Prohibiting Public Utilities from Requiring Deposits Based Solely on a Residential Customer's Income Sponsor: Representative Melanie Sachs Reference committee: Energy, Utilities and Technology Governor action: Signed by the Governor

What This Bill Does

  • An Act Prohibiting Public Utilities from Requiring Deposits Based Solely on a Residential Customer's Income Sponsor: Representative Melanie Sachs Reference committee: Energy, Utilities and Technology Governor action: Signed by the Governor

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

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

Adopted by House & Senate

Plain English: Page 1 - 132LR1765(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.

  • Page 1 - 132LR1765(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.
  • 1080 2 Date: (Filing No.
  • H- ) 3ENERGY, UTILITIES AND TECHNOLOGY 4 Reproduced and distributed under the direction of the Clerk of the House.
  • 5STATE OF MAINE 6HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 7132ND LEGISLATURE 8FIRST SPECIAL SESSION 9 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT “ ” to H.P.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-23 Governor

    Signed by the Governor

  2. 2025-05-22 House

    PASSED TO BE ENACTED . Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.

  3. 2025-05-22 Senate

    PASSED TO BE ENACTED , in concurrence.

  4. 2025-04-30 Committee

    Reported Out; OTP-AM/ONTP

  5. 2025-04-09 Committee

    Work Session Held

  6. 2025-04-09 Committee

    Voted; Divided Report

  7. 2025-03-14 Committee

    Referred to Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology.

Official Summary Text

An Act Prohibiting Public Utilities from Requiring Deposits Based Solely on a Residential Customer's Income
Sponsor:
Representative Melanie Sachs
Reference committee:
Energy, Utilities and Technology
Governor action:
Signed by the Governor

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Page 1 - 132LR1765(03)
STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE
_____
H.P. 702 - L.D. 1080
An Act Prohibiting Public Utilities from Requiring Deposits Based Solely on
a Residential Customer's Income
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 35-A MRSA §705, sub-§1, as enacted by PL 1987, c. 141, Pt. A, §6, is
amended to read:
1. Residential customers; applicants. No A public utility may not require any a
deposit of any a residential customer without proof that the customer is likely to be a credit
risk or to damage the property of the utility. That proof shall must be furnished to the
customer upon request. Absence of previous experience with the utility shall may not be
considered proof that the customer is a credit risk or threatens to damage utility property.
A utility may not require a deposit from an applicant for residential service based solely on
the applicant's income. For purposes of this subsection, "applicant" means a person that
applies for public utility service and has not been a customer of the utility within 30
calendar days prior to the person's application for utility service. The commission shall
adopt rules to carry out the purposes of this subsection. Rules adopted pursuant to this
subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
Sec. 2. Public Utilities Commission to adopt rules. Within 30 days of the
effective date of this Act, the Public Utilities Commission shall initiate rulemaking to
implement the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 35-A, section 705, subsection 1, as amended
by this Act.
APPROVED
MAY 23, 2025
BY GOVERNOR
CHAPTER
115
PUBLIC LAW