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Senate approves bill requiring utilities to put PUC contact info on customer bills
Summary
The Senate passed House Bill 31‑56‑A to require public utilities to include the Public Utility Commission’s consumer‑services phone number and a short web link to its complaint form at the bottom of every utility bill.
The Oregon State Senate on May 7 passed House Bill 31‑56‑A, directing the Public Utility Commission to require every utility bill to include contact information for the commission’s consumer services division and a shortened link to the PUC’s online complaint form.
Senator Pham, carrying the bill on the floor, said the measure is a "simple but meaningful step to support Oregon utility customers" who may not know where to turn when they encounter billing errors or safety and reliability concerns. "This bill responds to something I've heard in my own district: people struggling with confusing bills or service problems not knowing where to turn," she told colleagues.
Floor sponsors said the measure imposes no fiscal impact and merely standardizes visibility of existing PUC resources on both paper and digital bills. The bill passed unanimously on the floor after brief debate and will be sent along the enrollment process following passage.
Supporters said the change is intended to increase transparency and help ratepayers more easily access dispute and complaint processes overseen by the PUC. The statutory language read on the floor directs the PUC to adopt rules requiring the inclusion of a phone number and a shortened website address at the bottom of every utility bill.
