Senate File 2197 - Introduced



                                       SENATE FILE       
                                       BY  KREIMAN


    Passed Senate, Date               Passed House,  Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act to prohibit certain alternate billing services by gas
  2    public utilities and making penalties applicable.
  3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  4 TLSB 5998XS 81
  5 kk/je/5

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  476.58  ALTERNATE BILLING == GAS
  1  2 UTILITIES.
  1  3    A gas public utility providing natural gas service in this
  1  4 state shall not offer or provide any alternate billing service
  1  5 to allow a customer to pay a locked=in or guaranteed payment
  1  6 for natural gas service to the gas public utility if the
  1  7 alternate billing service does not provide for the refund of
  1  8 overpayments in the event the alternate billing service
  1  9 results in the customer paying more for natural gas service
  1 10 than under traditional or budget billing.
  1 11                           EXPLANATION
  1 12    This bill prohibits a gas public utility from offering or
  1 13 providing certain alternate billing services.  The bill
  1 14 prohibits an alternate billing service that allows a customer
  1 15 to pay a locked=in or guaranteed payment for natural gas
  1 16 service but does not provide for the refund of any
  1 17 overpayments to the customer where the alternate billing
  1 18 service results in the customer paying more for receiving gas
  1 19 service from the utility than the customer would have paid if
  1 20 the customer had chosen traditional or budget billing.
  1 21    Pursuant to Code section 476.51, the Iowa utilities board
  1 22 may assess a civil penalty in an amount not less than $100 or
  1 23 more than $2,500 for a violation of any provision of Code
  1 24 chapter 476.  The board may assess a civil penalty for a
  1 25 willful violation of any provision of Code chapter 476 in an
  1 26 amount of not less than $1,000 or more than $10,000.
  1 27 LSB 5998XS 81
  1 28 kk:rj/je/5