Senate Resolution 128 - Introduced PAG LIN S.R. ________ H.R. ________ 1 1 SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 1 2 BY HORN, RAGAN, HATCH, BLACK, McCOY, 1 3 CONNOLLY, STEWART, BEALL, DANIELSON, 1 4 DOTZLER, DVORSKY, WARNSTADT, SENG, RIELLY, 1 5 OLIVE, HANCOCK, HOGG, DEARDEN, FRAISE, 1 6 APPEL, SCHOENJAHN, QUIRMBACH, BOLKCOM, 1 7 GRONSTAL, KIBBIE, HECKROTH, SCHMITZ, 1 8 KREIMAN, and WOOD 1 9 A Resolution requesting the Iowa utilities board and 1 10 Iowa's energy utilities to voluntarily extend the 1 11 moratorium on utility disconnection through April 1 12 14, 2008. 1 13 WHEREAS, Iowa's rate=regulated utilities reported 1 14 for February 2008 218,360 accounts that were past due 1 15 and owing $36.5 million, which is the second=highest 1 16 monthly total reported owing since 2000; and 1 17 WHEREAS, in 2007, these utilities disconnected 1 18 6,742 households in April, 8,119 in May, and 8,080 in 1 19 June, and these statistics lead to an expectation that 1 20 a record or near=record number of disconnections will 1 21 occur in 2008; and 1 22 WHEREAS, in 2007, Iowa's low=income home energy 1 23 assistance program (LIHEAP) served 85,692 households 1 24 and is projected to serve between 85,000 and 90,000 1 25 households in 2008 through April 15, 2008, with an 1 26 average assistance payment of approximately $400; and 1 27 WHEREAS, the extended forecast for early April is 1 28 for continued cold weather, placing at risk the health 1 29 and safety of low=income families whose home energy 1 30 utilities are disconnected; NOW THEREFORE, 2 1 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, That the Senate 2 2 requests the Iowa utilities board and Iowa's energy 2 3 utilities to voluntarily extend the utility 2 4 disconnection moratorium, which would otherwise end 2 5 after April 1, 2008, through April 14, 2008. 2 6 LSB 6647XS 82 2 7 jp/rj/5