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A4721
ASSEMBLY, No. 4721
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
INTRODUCED MARCH 16, 2026
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman� SHANIQUE SPEIGHT
District 29 (Essex and Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
���� Prohibits electric, gas, or water public utility
service discontinuances to residential customers during certain epidemics.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As introduced.
��
An Act
concerning certain public utility service
discontinuances to residential customers during certain epidemics 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):
���� �Epidemic� means an outbreak
of a disease of unusual virulence characterized by very widespread growth or
extent, which has a significant impact on this State, resulting in the Governor
declaring a public health emergency and a state of emergency.
���� �Public health emergency�
shall have the same meaning as provided in section 2 of P.L.2005, c.222
(C.26:13-2).
���� �Public utility� means a
public utility, as defined in R.S.48:2-13, that provides electric, gas, or
water service.
���� "Public utility emergency"
means any condition constituting a potential danger to life, health, or
property requiring a public utility to immediately discontinue or interrupt electric
or water service or that results in an unscheduled discontinuance or
interruption in electric or water service.
���� "Residential
customer" means a residential public utility customer of record and, if
known to the public utility, any residential tenant of a multifamily residence
having two or more units where the owner of that residence is a non-residential
customer of record.
���� �State of emergency� means declaration
of an emergency by the Governor pursuant to P.L.1942, c.251 (C.App.A:9-33 et
seq.).
���� 2.��� a. �Notwithstanding the
provisions of any law, rule, regulation, or order to the contrary, except when
a public utility experiences a public utility emergency, a public utility shall
not discontinue service to a residential customer for public utility bill nonpayment
during an epidemic.� A public utility shall resume service, as soon as
practicable, during an epidemic, to any residential customer whose service was
discontinued prior to the existence of an epidemic and who is located at the
same residence where the service was discontinued prior to the epidemic.
���� b.��� The provisions of
subsection a. of this section shall no longer apply upon the Governor rescinding
a declared public health emergency and a state of emergency in response to an
epidemic that the Governor determines to be no longer in existence.
���� c.���� A residential customer
who does not pay in full a public utility bill on or before the date the bill
is due during an epidemic shall be liable for any bill payment balance for
service rendered by the public utility once the Governor determines that the epidemic
no longer exists.
���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
���� This bill prohibits an
electric, gas, or water public utility (utility) from discontinuing service to a
residential customer for utility bill nonpayment during an epidemic, such as
during the outbreak of Coronavirus 2019, except when the utility experiences a
utility emergency.� A utility is to resume service, as soon as practicable,
during an epidemic, to any residential customer whose service was discontinued
prior to the existence of an epidemic and who is located at the same residence
where the service was discontinued prior to the epidemic.� This prohibition is
no longer to apply once the Governor declares a public health emergency and a state
of emergency due to the epidemic no longer exists.� The bill provides that a
residential customer who does not pay in full a utility bill on or before the
date the bill is due during an epidemic is liable for any bill payment balance
for service rendered by the public utility once the Governor determines that
the epidemic no longer exists.� The bill defines the terms �epidemic,�
�residential customer.� and �utility emergency.�