Prohibits electric and gas public utilities from collecting payment from residential budget billing plan customers whose service was interrupted as a result of major emergency event.

A4714

ASSEMBLY, No. 4714

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MARCH 16, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman� SHANIQUE SPEIGHT

District 29 (Essex and Hudson)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman Morales

SYNOPSIS

���� Prohibits electric and gas public utilities from
collecting payment from residential budget billing plan customers whose service
was interrupted as a result of major emergency event.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act

concerning certain customer billing practices of
electric and gas public utilities and supplementing Title 48 of the Revised
Statutes.

����
Be It Enacted

by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� As used in
P.L. , c.
(C. ) (pending before the
Legislature as this bill):

���� �Board� means the Board of
Public Utilities or any successor agency.

���� �Budget billing plan� means a
public utility service payment plan that allows a customer to pay a
predetermined monthly rate for a set time period, based on the customer's
average usage.

���� �Customer� means a residential
customer receiving service from a public utility and participating in a budget
billing plan offered by the public utility, as provided by any board rule,
regulation, or order.

���� �Major emergency event� means
a natural or humanly caused occurrence arising from conditions beyond the
control of the public utility, including but not limited to, a thunderstorm,
earthquake, tornado, hurricane, flood, heat wave, snowstorm, or ice storm,
which results in:

���� a.���� a sustained service
interruption to at least five percent of the customers within an operating area

or at
least five percent of the
utility�s customers within

a
municipality or county located in an

operating area;
or

���� b.��� the declaration of a
state of emergency or disaster by the State or by the federal government.

���� �Operating area� means a
defined geographical service territory where a public utility distributes
electricity or natural gas, or both, to end users as approved by the board.

���� "Public utility"
means a public utility as that term is defined in R.S.48:2-13, that transmits
and distributes electricity or natural gas, or both, to end users within this
State.

���� �Service interruption� means
the cessation of electric or natural gas service by one or more customers of a
public utility.

���� 2.��� Notwithstanding the
provisions of any other law, rule, regulation, or order to the contrary, the
board shall prohibit a public utility from charging a customer for service by
that public utility during any time the customer incurred a service interruption
due to the customer having sustained damage to the customer�s residence from
the effects of a major emergency event and until such time as service is
restored; provided, however, that the board may allow a public utility to
collect payment from a customer after the billing

due date, pursuant to law, if the
customer owes the public utility any charge for service rendered prior to the
date of a major emergency event.

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

STATEMENT

���� This bill directs the Board of
Public Utilities (BPU) to prohibit any electric or gas public utility (utility)
from charging a residential customer (customer) for electric or gas utility
service who participates in a budget billing plan offered by the utility, as
provided by any BPU rule or regulation, if the customer incurred a service
interruption due to the customer having sustained damage to the customer�s
residence from the effects of a �major emergency event,� as that term is
defined in the bill, until such time service is restored.� This prohibition
does not extend to any utility collecting from a customer, pursuant to law,
payment for utility service rendered prior to the date of the major emergency
event.