Bill Text: NJ A5875 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires certain public utilities to publicize information concerning bill payment assistance programs.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-2)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-06-14 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Commerce and Economic Development Committee [A5875 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-A5875-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman HERB CONAWAY, JR.
District 7 (Burlington)
Assemblyman JOHN ARMATO
District 2 (Atlantic)
Assemblyman ANTHONY S. VERRELLI
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
SYNOPSIS
Requires certain public utilities to publicize information concerning bill payment assistance programs.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act requiring electric, gas, sewer, and water public utilities to establish public information campaigns concerning available bill payment assistance programs.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. Within 30 days of the effective date of this act, every electric, gas, sewer, and water public utility, as defined in R.S.48:2-13, shall establish a public awareness campaign to inform its customers about the availability of bill payment assistance programs for the service provided by that public utility. The public awareness campaign shall include, at a minimum, a list of bill payment assistance programs that may be available to its customers, information concerning the general application process and who may qualify for assistance under each program, and information on the entity a potentially qualified customer can contact to receive further information on an assistance program.
b. Every electric, gas, sewer, and water public utility shall, at a minimum:
(1) provide for the development of printed educational materials and public service announcements in English and Spanish; and
(2) disseminate information for distribution to its customers through a variety of entities located within the service territory of the public utility, including, but not limited to, county offices, public libraries, senior citizen centers, community-based outreach organizations, and local electronic media, including public service announcements broadcast by local electronic media, notices on any social media of the utilities, and on the official Internet websites of the Board of Public Utilities and each electric, gas, sewer, and water public utility.
2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire 180 days following the expiration of Executive Order No. 229 of 2021.
STATEMENT
This bill requires every electric, gas, sewer, and water public utility (utility) to establish a public awareness campaign to inform its customers about the availability of bill payment assistance programs for service provided by that utility. The public awareness campaign is to include, at a minimum, a list of bill payment assistance programs that may be available to its customers, information concerning the general application process and who may qualify for assistance under each program, and information on the entity a potentially qualified customer can contact to receive further information on an assistance program.
As part of the campaign, a utility is required to provide for the development of printed educational materials and public service announcements in both English and Spanish, and to disseminate information for distribution to its customers, through a variety of entities and mediums as provided in the bill.
