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hb919_00_IN
As Introduced
136th
General Assembly
Regular
Session
H. B. No. 919
2025-2026
Representative Baker
To
amend sections 4933.12 and 4933.121 and to enact sections 4933.124,
4933.125, 4933.126, 4933.127, and 4933.128 of the Revised Code
regarding
limitations to terminating utility service for residential customers.
BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
Section
1.
That
sections 4933.12 and 4933.121 be amended and sections 4933.124,
4933.125, 4933.126, 4933.127, and 4933.128 of the Revised Code be
enacted to read as follows:
Sec.
4933.12.
(A)
Except as provided in division (C) of this section
and
,
sections 4933.124 and 4933.125 of the Revised Code, and
division
(E) of section 5117.11 of the Revised Code, if any person supplied
with gas neglects or refuses to pay the amount due for the gas or for
rent of articles hired by the person from a natural gas company or a
gas company, the company may stop the gas from entering the premises
of the person. In such cases, after twenty-four hours' notice, the
officers, servants, or workers of the company may enter the premises
of such persons, between eight a.m. and four p.m., take away such
property of the company, and disconnect any meter from the mains or
pipes of the company.
(B)
The company shall not refuse to furnish gas on account of arrearages
due it for gas furnished to persons formerly receiving services at
the premises as customers of the company, provided the former
customers are not continuing to reside at the premises.
(C)
The
Except
as provided in sections 4933.124 and 4933.125 of the Revised Code,
the
company
shall not, for any reason, unless required by the consumer for safety
reasons, or unless tampering with utility company equipment or theft
of gas or utility company equipment has occurred, stop gas from
entering the premises of any residential consumer for the period
beginning on the fifteenth day of November and ending on the
fifteenth day of the following April, unless both of the following
apply:
(1)
The account of the consumer is in arrears thirty days or more.
(2)
If the occupant of residential premises is a tenant whose landlord is
responsible for payment for the service provided by the company, the
company has, five days previously, notified the occupant of its
intent to discontinue service to the occupant.
(D)
No
Except
as provided in sections 4933.124 and 4933.125 of the Revised Code, no
company
shall stop the gas from entering any residential premises between the
fifteenth day of November and the fifteenth day of April because of a
failure to pay the amount due for the gas unless the company, at the
time it sends or delivers to the premises notices of termination,
informs the occupant of the premises where to obtain state and
federal aid for payment of utility bills and for home weatherization
and information on local government aid for payment of utility bills
and for home weatherization.
(E)
On or before the first day of November, a county human services
department may request a company to give prior notification of any
residential service terminations to occur during the period beginning
on the fifteenth day of November immediately following the
department's request and ending on the fifteenth day of the following
April. If a department makes such a written request, at least
twenty-four hours before the company terminates services to a
residential customer in the county during that period for failure to
pay the amount due for service, the company shall provide written
notice to the department of the residential customer whose service
the company so intends to terminate. No company that has received
such a request shall terminate such service during that period unless
it has provided the notice required under this division.
(F)
No company shall stop gas from entering the residential premises of
any residential consumer who is deployed on active duty for
nonpayment for gas supplied to the residential premises.
Upon
return of a residential consumer from active duty, the company shall
offer the residential consumer a period equal to at least the period
of deployment on active duty to pay any arrearages incurred during
the period of deployment. The company shall inform the residential
consumer that, if the period the company offers presents a hardship
to the consumer, the consumer may request a longer period to pay the
arrearages and, in the case of a company that is a public utility as
defined in section 4905.02 of the Revised Code, may request the
assistance of the public utilities commission to obtain a longer
period. No late payment fees or interest shall be charged to the
residential consumer during the period of deployment or the repayment
period.
If
a company that is a public utility determines that amounts owed by a
residential consumer who is deployed on active duty are
uncollectible, the company may file an application with the public
utilities commission for approval of authority to recover the
amounts. The recovery shall be through a rider on the base rates of
customers of the company or through other means as may be approved by
the commission, provided that any amount approved to be recovered
through a rider or other means shall not be considered by the
commission in any subsequent rate determination.
As
used in this division, "active duty" means active duty
pursuant to an executive order of the president of the United States,
an act of the congress of the United States, or section 5919.29 or
5923.21 of the Revised Code.
Sec.
4933.121.
(A)
Except as provided in
sections
4933.124 and 4933.125 of the Revised Code and
division
(E) of section 5117.11 of the Revised Code, an electric light company
shall not, for any reason, unless requested by the consumer for
safety reasons, or unless tampering with utility company equipment or
theft of electricity or utility company equipment has occurred, cease
to provide electricity to any residential consumer for the period
beginning on the fifteenth day of November and ending on the
fifteenth day of the following April, unless both of the following
apply:
(1)
The account of the consumer is in arrears thirty days or more.
(2)
If the occupant of residential premises is a tenant whose landlord is
responsible for payment for the service provided by the company, the
company has, five days previously, notified the occupant of its
intent to discontinue service to the occupant.
(B)
The company shall not refuse to furnish electricity on account of
arrearages due it for electricity furnished to persons formerly
receiving services at the premises as customers of the company,
provided the former customers are not continuing to reside at the
premises.
(C)
No
Except
as provided in sections 4933.124 and 4933.125 of the Revised Code, no
company
shall cease to provide electricity to any residential premises
between the fifteenth day of November and the fifteenth day of April
because of a failure to pay the amount due for the electricity unless
the company, at the time it sends or delivers to the premises notices
of termination, informs the occupant of the premises where to obtain
state and federal aid for payment of utility bills and for home
weatherization and information on local government aid for payment of
utility bills and for home weatherization.
(D)
On or before the first day of November, a county human services
department may request a company to give prior notification of any
residential service terminations to occur during the period beginning
on the fifteenth day of November immediately following the
department's request and ending on the fifteenth day of the following
April. If a department makes such a written request, at least
twenty-four hours before the company terminates services to a
residential customer in the county during that period for failure to
pay the amount due for service, the company shall provide written
notice to the department of the residential customer whose service
the company so intends to terminate. No company that has received
such a request shall terminate such service during that period unless
it has provided the notice required under this division.
(E)
No company shall cease to provide electricity to the residential
premises of any residential consumer who is deployed on active duty
for nonpayment for electricity provided to the residential premises.
Upon
return of a residential consumer from active duty, the company shall
offer the residential consumer a period equal to at least the period
of deployment on active duty to pay any arrearages incurred during
the period of deployment. The company shall inform the residential
consumer that, if the period the company offers presents a hardship
to the consumer, the consumer may request a longer period to pay the
arrearages and, in the case of a company that is a public utility as
defined in section 4905.02 of the Revised Code, may request the
assistance of the public utilities commission to obtain a longer
period. No late payment fees or interest shall be charged to the
residential consumer during the period of deployment or the repayment
period.
If
a company that is a public utility determines that amounts owed by a
residential consumer who is deployed on active duty are
uncollectible, the company may file an application with the public
utilities commission for approval of authority to recover the
amounts. The recovery shall be through a rider on the base rates of
customers of the company or through other means as may be approved by
the commission, provided that any amount approved to be recovered
through a rider or other means shall not be considered by the
commission in any subsequent rate determination.
As
used in this division, "active duty" means active duty
pursuant to an executive order of the president of the United States,
an act of the congress of the United States, or section 5919.29 or
5923.21 of the Revised Code.
Sec.
4933.124.
(A)
As used in sections 4933.124 to 4933.128 of the Revised Code,
"utility company" means any company defined in section
4905.03 of the Revised Code that is also a "public utility"
under section 4905.02 of the Revised Code.
(B)
Notwithstanding any section in the Revised Code to the contrary, a
utility company shall not terminate utility service to a residential
customer due to nonpayment from the period beginning on the
twenty-second day of December and ending on the first day of January
the following year.
Sec.
4933.125.
Subject
to division (B) of section 4933.124 of the Revised Code, and
notwithstanding any other section of the Revised Code to the
contrary, other than that division, a utility company shall not
terminate any utility service used to heat or cool a residential
premises due to nonpayment in the following circumstances:
(A)
When the national weather service reports that the eight a.m.
temperature at a location in this state that is within fifty miles of
the residence that is subject to the termination is at or below
thirty degrees Fahrenheit;
(B)
When the eight a.m. national weather service forecast contains a
special weather statement or other information predicting that the
heat index measured at a location within fifty miles of the residence
subject to the termination may equal or exceed ninety degrees
Fahrenheit.
Sec.
4933.126.
(A)
If a utility company refrains from terminating utility service to a
residential premises because of the prohibitions in sections 4933.124
and 4933.125 of the Revised Code, the utility company shall leave
notice of the delayed termination at the premises on the date on
which the termination was scheduled.
(B)
The notice described in division (A) of this section shall inform the
resident that utility service will be terminated on a day where the
circumstances described in sections 4933.124 and 4933.125 of the
Revised Code do not apply and instructions for the resident regarding
how to prevent the utility service termination, including
instructions to make billing arrangements and where to apply for
state or federal utility service payment assistance.
Sec.
4933.127.
Sections
4933.124 and 4933.125 of the Revised Code do not apply in the
following circumstances:
(A)
The customer requested the utility service termination.
(B)
There exists a hazardous situation where continuing to provide
utility service would pose a threat to the safety of the customer or
the general public.
Sec.
4933.128.
Not
later than six months after the effective date of this section, the
public utilities commission shall adopt rules to administer and
enforce sections 4933.124 to 4933.127 of the Revised Code, including
assessing fines on the utility company for each instance of
noncompliance with those sections.
Section
2.
That
existing sections 4933.12 and 4933.121 of the Revised Code are hereby
repealed.