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A1285 • 2026

Prohibits public utilities from imposing surcharge on certain payment transactions.

Prohibits public utilities from imposing surcharge on certain payment transactions.

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Inganamort, Michael
Last action
2026-01-13
Official status
Introduced, Referred to Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee
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.

Prohibits public utilities from imposing surcharge on certain payment transactions.

Prohibits public utilities from imposing surcharge on certain payment transactions.

What This Bill Does

  • Prohibits public utilities from imposing surcharge on certain payment transactions.
  • Topic: Telecommunications and Utilities Fiscal note: This bill has not been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

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.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-13 New Jersey Legislature

    Introduced, Referred to Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee

Official Summary Text

Prohibits public utilities from imposing surcharge on certain payment transactions.
Topic:
Telecommunications and Utilities
Fiscal note:
This bill has not been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
A1285

ASSEMBLY, No. 1285

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman MICHAEL INGANAMORT

District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)

Assemblywoman DAWN FANTASIA

District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)

SYNOPSIS

���� Prohibits public utilities from imposing surcharge on
certain payment transactions.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

An Act

concerning public utility payment transactions
and supplementing Title 48 of the Revised Statutes.�

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� a.� As used in this
section:�

���� �Public utility� means the
same as that term is defined in R.S.48:2-13.�

���� �Surcharge� means an
additional amount imposed by a public utility at the time of a payment
transaction that increases a charge to a public utility customer to recover the
cost of the public utility�s use of third-party payment processing services.�

���� b.��� A public utility shall
not impose a surcharge on any public utility customer who has not enrolled in
automatic payments through the public utility and, instead, has elected to make
an alternative form of payment to the public utility for services rendered to
that customer by the public utility.� Alternative forms of payment shall
include one-time payments made by a public utility customer via:�

���� (1) an online credit card
transaction;

���� (2) an online debit card
transaction;

���� (3) an automated telephone
system; or

���� (4) a direct withdrawal from
the customer�s bank account.�

���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.�

STATEMENT

���� This bill prohibits a public
utility from imposing a surcharge on any public utility customer who has not
enrolled in automatic payments through the public utility and, instead, has
elected to make an alternative form of payment to the public utility for
services rendered to that customer by the public utility.� Alternative forms of
payment are to include one-time payments made by a public utility customer
via:� (1) an online credit card transaction; (2) an online debit card
transaction; (3) an automated telephone system; or (4) a direct withdrawal from
the customer�s bank account.� Under the bill, �surcharge� means an additional
amount imposed by a public utility at the time of a payment transaction that
increases a charge to a public utility customer to recover the cost of the
public utility�s use of third-party payment processing services.�