State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_HB6318

 
                                               LRB9218265JSpr

 1        AN ACT relating to public utilities.

 2        Be it enacted by the People of  the  State  of  Illinois,
 3    represented in the General Assembly:

 4        Section  5.   The  Public  Utilities  Act  is  amended by
 5    changing Section 8-206 as follows:

 6        (220 ILCS 5/8-206) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 8-206)
 7        Sec. 8-206. Winter termination for nonpayment.
 8        (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this  Act,  no
 9    electric  or  gas  public utility shall disconnect service to
10    any residential customer or mastermetered apartment  building
11    for  nonpayment of a bill or deposit where gas or electricity
12    is used as the primary source of space heating or is used  to
13    control  or  operate  the  primary  source  of  space heating
14    equipment at the premises during  the  period  of  time  from
15    December  1 through and including March 31 of the immediately
16    succeeding calendar year, unless:
17        (1)  The utility (i) has offered the customer a  deferred
18    payment  arrangement allowing for payment of past due amounts
19    over a period of not less than 4 months not to extend  beyond
20    the  following  November  and  the  option  to  enter  into a
21    levelized payment plan for the payment of future bills.   The
22    maximum down payment requirements shall not exceed 10% of the
23    amount  past  due  and owing at the time of entering into the
24    agreement; and (ii) has provided the customer with the names,
25    addresses and telephone numbers of governmental  and  private
26    agencies  which may provide assistance to customers of public
27    utilities in paying their utility bills;  the  utility  shall
28    obtain  the  approval of an agency before placing the name of
29    that agency on any list which will be used  to  provide  such
30    information to customers;
31        (2)  The  customer  has refused or failed to enter into a
 
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 1    deferred payment arrangement as described in paragraph (1) of
 2    this subsection (a); and
 3        (3)  All notice requirements as provided by law and rules
 4    or regulations of the Commission have been met.
 5        (b)  Prior to termination of service for any  residential
 6    customer  or  mastermetered  apartment  building  during  the
 7    period  from December 1 through and including March 31 of the
 8    immediately succeeding calendar year, all  electric  and  gas
 9    public utilities shall, in addition to all other notices:
10        (1)  Notify  the  customer  or  an  adult residing at the
11    customer's premises by telephone, a  personal  visit  to  the
12    customer's  premises  or  by  first class mail, informing the
13    customer that:
14        (i)  the  customer's  account  is  in  arrears  and   the
15    customer's  service  is subject to termination for nonpayment
16    of a bill;
17        (ii)  the customer can avoid disconnection of service  by
18    entering  into  a  deferred payment agreement to pay past due
19    amounts over a period not  to  extend  beyond  the  following
20    November  and  the  customer  has  the option to enter into a
21    levelized payment plan for the payment of future bills;
22        (iii)  the  customer  may   apply   for   any   available
23    assistance  to  aid  in the payment of utility bills from any
24    governmental or  private  agencies  from  the  list  of  such
25    agencies provided to the customer by the utility.
26        Provided,   however,  that  a  public  utility  shall  be
27    required to make only one  such  contact  with  the  customer
28    during  any such period from December 1 through and including
29    March 31 of the immediately succeeding calendar year.
30        (2)  Each public utility  shall  maintain  records  which
31    shall  include, but not necessarily be limited to, the manner
32    by which the customer was notified and  the  time,  date  and
33    manner  by  which  any  prior  but  unsuccessful  attempts to
34    contact were made.  These records  shall  also  describe  the
 
                            -3-                LRB9218265JSpr
 1    terms  of  the  deferred  payment arrangements offered to the
 2    customer and those entered into by the utility and customers.
 3    These records shall indicate the total amount past  due,  the
 4    down  payment, the amount remaining to be paid and the number
 5    of months allowed to pay the outstanding balance.  No  public
 6    utility  shall  be  required  to retain records pertaining to
 7    unsuccessful  attempts  to  contact   or   deferred   payment
 8    arrangements rejected by the customer after such customer has
 9    entered   into  a  deferred  payment  arrangement  with  such
10    utility.
11        (c)  No  public  utility  shall  disconnect  service  for
12    nonpayment of a bill until the lapse of 6 business days after
13    making  the  notification  required  by  paragraph   (1)   of
14    subsection (b) so as to allow the customer an opportunity to:
15        (1)  Enter  into  a  deferred payment arrangement and the
16    option to enter into a levelized payment plan for the payment
17    of future bills.
18        (2)  Contact a governmental or private  agency  that  may
19    provide  assistance  to  customers  for the payment of public
20    utility bills.
21        (d)  Any residential customer who enters into a  deferred
22    payment  arrangement  pursuant  to this Act, and subsequently
23    during that period  of  time  set  forth  in  subsection  (a)
24    becomes  subject  to  termination,  shall  be given notice as
25    required by law and any rule or regulation of the  Commission
26    prior to termination of service.
27        (e)  During that time period set forth in subsection (a),
28    a utility shall not require a down payment for a deposit from
29    a  residential customer in excess of 20% of the total deposit
30    requested.  An additional 4 months shall be  allowed  to  pay
31    the remainder of the deposit.  This provision shall not apply
32    to  mastermetered apartment buildings or other nonresidential
33    customers.
34        (f)  During that period of time set forth  in  subsection
 
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 1    (a),  no  utility  may  refuse  to  offer  a deferred payment
 2    agreement to a residential customer who has defaulted on such
 3    an agreement within the past 12 months.  However, no  utility
 4    shall  be  required  to  enter  into  more  than one deferred
 5    payment arrangement under this Section with  any  residential
 6    customer  or  mastermetered  apartment  building  during  the
 7    period  from December 1 through and including March 31 of the
 8    immediately succeeding calendar year.
 9        (g)  In order to enable customers to  take  advantage  of
10    energy  assistance  programs,  customers  who can demonstrate
11    that their applications for a local, state or federal  energy
12    assistance  program  have  been approved may request that the
13    amount they will be entitled to receive as a  regular  energy
14    assistance  payment be deducted and set aside from the amount
15    past due on which they make  deferred  payment  arrangements.
16    Payment  on  the  set-aside amount shall be credited when the
17    energy assistance voucher or check is received, according  to
18    the utility's common business practice.
19        (h)  In no event shall any utility send a final notice to
20    any  customer who has entered into a current deferred payment
21    agreement and has not  defaulted  on  that  deferred  payment
22    agreement,  unless  the  final  notice  pertains to a deposit
23    request.
24        (i)  Each utility shall include with  each  disconnection
25    notice  sent  during  the  period  for December 1 through and
26    including March 31 of  the  immediately  succeeding  calendar
27    year to a residential customer an insert explaining the above
28    provisions  and  providing  a telephone number of the utility
29    company which  the  consumer  may  call  to  receive  further
30    information.
31        (j)  Each utility shall file with the Commission prior to
32    December  1  of each year a plan detailing the implementation
33    of this Section.  This plan shall contain, but not be limited
34    to:
 
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 1        (1)  a description of the methods to be  used  to  notify
 2    residential  customers as required in this Section, including
 3    the forms of written and oral notices which shall be required
 4    to include all the information contained in subsection (b) of
 5    this Section.
 6        (2)  a listing of  the  names,  addresses  and  telephone
 7    numbers  of  governmental  and  private  agencies  which  may
 8    provide  assistance  to residential customers in paying their
 9    utility bills;
10        (3)  the program of employee  education  and  information
11    which  shall  be used by the company in the implementation of
12    this Section.
13        (4)  a description of methods to be  utilized  to  inform
14    residential  customers  of  those  governmental  and  private
15    agencies  and current and planned methods of cooperation with
16    those agencies to identify  the  customers  who  qualify  for
17    assistance in paying their utility bills.
18        A  utility  which  has a plan on file with the Commission
19    need not  resubmit  a  new  plan  each  year.   However,  any
20    alteration of the plan on file must be submitted and approved
21    prior to December 1 of any year.
22        All  plans  are  subject  to  review  and approval by the
23    Commission. The Commission may direct a utility to alter  its
24    plan to comply with the requirements of this Section.
25        (k)  Notwithstanding  any other provision of this Act, no
26    electric or gas public utility shall  disconnect  service  to
27    any residential customer who is eligible for assistance under
28    Section 6 of the Energy Assistance Act of 1989 for nonpayment
29    of  a bill or deposit where gas or electricity is used as the
30    primary source of space heating or  is  used  to  control  or
31    operate  the primary source of space heating equipment at the
32    premises during the period of time from  December  1  through
33    and including March 31 of the immediately succeeding calendar
34    year.
 
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 1    (Source: P.A. 84-617.)

 2        Section  99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect upon
 3    becoming law.

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