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S3961 • 2026

Requires BPU to review and report on rates and revenues of electric public utilities that use smart meters.

Requires BPU to review and report on rates and revenues of electric public utilities that use smart meters.

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
Amato, Carmen F., Jr.
Last action
2026-03-19
Official status
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Economic Growth 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.

Requires BPU to review and report on rates and revenues of electric public utilities that use smart meters.

Requires BPU to review and report on rates and revenues of electric public utilities that use smart meters.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires BPU to review and report on rates and revenues of electric public utilities that use smart meters.
  • Topic: Economic Growth 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. 2026-03-19 New Jersey Legislature

    Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Economic Growth Committee

Official Summary Text

Requires BPU to review and report on rates and revenues of electric public utilities that use smart meters.
Topic:
Economic Growth
Fiscal note:
This bill has not been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
S3961

SENATE, No. 3961

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MARCH 19, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� CARMEN F. AMATO, JR.

District 9 (Ocean)

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires BPU to review and report on rates and
revenues of electric public utilities that use smart meters.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
requiring the Board of Public Utilities to review the
rates and revenues of certain electric public utilities.

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

���� 1.��� a.� For the purposes of
this section:

���� �Board� means the Board of
Public Utilities.

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

���� �Smart meter� means an
electric metering device that employs smart meter technology to measure and
record electricity usage data for billing and other purposes and identifies a
customer�s electricity consumption in greater detail than a conventional meter.�
�Smart meter� shall include a basic hourly interval meter, a meter with one-way
communication, and a real-time meter with built-in two-way communication
capable of recording and transmitting instantaneous electric usage data.

���� b.��� The board shall review
the electric rates charged and the revenues collected by any electric public
utility that uses smart meters for billing.� The board�s review shall include a
comparison of rates and revenue amounts, for each electric public utility,
prior to and following the electric public utility�s installation of smart
meters.

���� c.���� Within six months after
the effective date of this act, the board shall submit, to the Governor and,
pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature, a
written report that summarizes the board�s findings during its review conducted
pursuant to subsection b. of this section.

���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect immediately and shall expire upon the board�s submission of its report
as required pursuant to subsection c. of section 1 of this act.

STATEMENT

���� This bill requires the Board
of Public Utilities (board) to review the electric rates charged and the
revenues collected by any electric public utility that uses smart meters.� The
board�s review is to include a comparison of rates and revenue amounts, for
each electric public utility, prior to and following the electric public
utility�s installation of smart meters.� Within six months after the bill is
enacted, the board is required to submit a written report that summarizes the board�s
findings to the Governor and the Legislature.