H. B. 2877
(By Delegates Perdue, R. Thompson,
Carmichael and Kominar)
[Introduced February 5, 2003; referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary then Finance.]
A BILL to amend article three, chapter twenty-four of the code of
West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as
amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated section
nine, relating to prohibiting termination or refusal of
reinstatement of electric or gas service during certain
months.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That article three, chapter twenty-four of the code of West
Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be
amended by adding thereto a new section, designated section nine,
to read as follows:
ARTICLE 3. DUTIES AND PRIVILEGES OF PUBLIC UTILITIES SUBJECT TO
REGULATIONS OF COMMISSION.
§24-3-9. Seasonal termination protection.
(a) From the first day of November through the fifteenth day of April, no electric company, electric distribution company,
electric supplier or municipal utility furnishing electricity may
terminate or refuse to reinstate residential electric service in
hardship cases where the customer lacks the financial resources to
pay his or her entire account.
(b) From the first day of November through the fifteenth day
of April, no gas company and no municipal utility furnishing gas
may terminate or refuse to reinstate residential gas service in
hardship cases where the customer uses such gas for heat and lacks
the financial resources to pay his or her entire account.
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the
contrary, no electric company, electric distribution company, gas
company, electric supplier or municipal utility furnishing
electricity or gas may terminate or refuse to reinstate residential
electric or gas service where the customer lacks the financial
resources to pay his or her entire account and for which customer
or a member of the customer's household the termination or failure
to reinstate such service would create a life-threatening
situation.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to prohibit shutting off
electric or gas service from November 1st through April 15th.
This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and
underscoring have been omitted.