Bill Text: NJ A493 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires certain public utilities to notify an appropriate law enforcement officer of service shutoffs to residential customers under certain circumstances.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-01-16 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee [A493 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-A493-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
216th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2014 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman HOLLY SCHEPISI
District 39 (Bergen and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Requires certain public utilities to notify an appropriate law enforcement officer of service shutoffs to residential customers under certain circumstances.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Act concerning notice of certain public utility shutoffs and amending P.L.2002, c.107.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 1 of P.L.2002, c.107 (C.48:2-24.2) is amended to read as follows:
1. a. Any public utility as defined in R.S.48:2-13, which discontinues gas, electric or water service to a multifamily housing unit customer or any other residential customer for safety related purposes, shall provide written or verbal notice of the discontinuance to the chief law enforcement officer of the municipality in which the customer's premises are located or the Superintendent of the State Police, as appropriate, within 12 hours after the utility discontinues service to the customer, except that if service has been fully restored to the customer prior to the expiration of the 12 hours, the utility shall not be required to provide notice pursuant to this subsection.
For the purposes of this section, "multifamily housing unit customer" means a customer who resides in housing in which three or more units of dwelling space are occupied, or are intended to be occupied, by three or more persons who live independently of one another.
b. The notice required by subsection a. of this section shall include the name of the customer and the address of the premises where service was discontinued provided that such information is available to the public utility.
(cf: P.L.2002, c.107, s.1)
2. This act shall take effect on the 90th day following enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill broadens the class of residential utility customers for whom notification to law enforcement agencies must be given of any safety-related service discontinuance.
Current law requires a gas,
electric or water public utility to give written or verbal notice to the chief law
enforcement officer or Superintendent of Police serving the municipality in
which the premises of a multi-family housing unit customer are located within
12 hours after the utility discontinues gas, electric or water service to the
premises for safety related purposes. The requirement for
such notice is waived if the utility fully restores service to the customer
within 12 hours after the discontinuance. The notice required shall include
the name of the customer and the address of the premises where service was
discontinued, provided that such information is available to the utility.
Under this bill, the notification requirement would apply to the discontinuance of service to any residential customer, and not just to those in multi-family housing units.
