House File 114 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 114 BY ABDUL-SAMAD A BILL FOR An Act prohibiting disconnection of utility service under 1 certain circumstances for a designated annual time period 2 for utility customers eligible to participate in specified 3 programs. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 5 TLSB 1968YH (2) 86 rn/nh

H.F. 114 Section 1. Section 476.20, subsection 2, Code 2015, is 1 amended to read as follows: 2 2. The board shall establish rules requiring a regulated 3 public utility furnishing gas or electricity to include in 4 the utility’s notice of pending disconnection of service a 5 written statement advising the customer that the customer 6 may be eligible to participate in the low income home energy 7 assistance program or weatherization assistance program 8 administered by the division of community action agencies of 9 the department of human rights. The written statement shall 10 list the address and telephone number of the local agency 11 which is administering the customer’s low income home energy 12 assistance program and the weatherization assistance program. 13 The written statement shall also state that the customer 14 is advised to contact the public utility to settle any of 15 the customer’s complaints with the public utility, but if a 16 complaint is not settled to the customer’s satisfaction, the 17 customer may file the complaint with the board. The written 18 statement shall include the address and phone number of the 19 board. If the notice of pending disconnection of service 20 applies to a residence, the written statement shall advise that 21 the disconnection does not apply from November 1 through April 22 1 , or from June 1 through September 1 during periods of extreme 23 heat, for a resident who is a “head of household”, as defined 24 by law, and who has been certified to the public utility by the 25 local agency which is administering the low income home energy 26 assistance program and weatherization assistance program as 27 being eligible for either the low income home energy assistance 28 program or weatherization assistance program, and that if such 29 a resident resides within the serviced residence, the customer 30 should promptly have the qualifying resident notify the local 31 agency which is administering the low income home energy 32 assistance program and weatherization assistance program. 33 The board shall establish rules requiring that the written 34 notice contain additional information as it deems necessary 35 -1- LSB 1968YH (2) 86 rn/nh 1/ 3

H.F. 114 and appropriate. The board shall also adopt rules determining 1 temperature ranges and durations which constitute “periods of 2 extreme heat” for purposes of this section. 3 Sec. 2. Section 476.20, subsection 3, paragraph b, Code 4 2015, is amended to read as follows: 5 b. A qualified applicant for the low income home energy 6 assistance program or the weatherization assistance program who 7 is also a “head of household”, as defined in section 422.4, 8 subsection 7 , shall be promptly certified by the local agency 9 administering the applicant’s program to the applicant’s 10 public utility that the resident is a “head of household” as 11 defined in section 422.4, subsection 7 , and is qualified for 12 the low income home energy assistance program or weatherization 13 assistance program. Notwithstanding subsection 1 , a public 14 utility furnishing gas or electricity shall not disconnect 15 service from November 1 through April 1 , or from June 1 through 16 September 1 during periods of extreme heat as provided in 17 subsection 2, to a residence which has a resident that has been 18 certified under this paragraph. 19 EXPLANATION 20 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 21 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 22 This bill prohibits a regulated public utility furnishing 23 gas or electricity from disconnecting utility service under 24 certain circumstances from June 1 through September 1 annually. 25 The bill provides that utility service may not be 26 disconnected during the June 1 through September 1 time 27 frame during periods of “extreme heat” for residential 28 customers eligible to participate in the low income home 29 energy assistance program or weatherization assistance program 30 administered by the division of community action agencies 31 of the department of human rights. Currently, a similar 32 prohibition against disconnection exists applicable to such 33 customers during the time frame of November 1 through April 1 34 annually, regardless of temperature requirements. The bill 35 -2- LSB 1968YH (2) 86 rn/nh 2/ 3

H.F. 114 requires the Iowa utilities board to adopt administrative rules 1 determining temperature ranges and durations constituting 2 “periods of extreme heat”. 3 -3- LSB 1968YH (2) 86 rn/nh 3/ 3