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Bill would bar utility shutoffs for customers who cannot pay due to financial hardship
Summary
A bill filed Jan. 17, 2025, would amend Section 124F of Chapter 164 to prohibit gas or electric companies from shutting off service to residential customers who cannot pay overdue charges because of financial hardship and allows the department to adopt implementing rules.
A bill filed Jan. 17, 2025, would amend Section 124F of Chapter 164 of the Massachusetts General Laws to prohibit gas and electric companies from shutting off service to residential customers who cannot pay an overdue charge because of financial hardship.
The filed text would replace the existing paragraph in Section 124F with language that states: no gas or electric company shall shut off gas or electric service to any residential customer who cannot pay an overdue charge because of financial hardship. The bill includes a provision that the department may promulgate rules and regulations consistent with the section as it deems reasonable and necessary to implement it.
The change appears alongside the proposed cooling assistance addition in House No. 3498 and would apply across the commonwealth to residential utility service. The bill was filed as part of a joint petition listed with the House and Senate and would require committee review, possible amendment, and legislative votes before becoming law.
