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Senate committee advances bill to allow three-month utility payment deferments for customers facing sudden hardship
Summary
A Senate committee voted to advance SB 636, which would require the California Public Utilities Commission to create an application and verification process allowing eligible utility customers to defer payments for up to three months after certain sudden hardships, and bar utility shutoffs during that period.
The Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications advanced SB 636 as amended, a bill to let residential customers request up to three months of payment deferment from investor‑owned utilities after specified hardships, with verification set by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).
Sponsor and author Senator Menjivar told the committee she would accept committee amendments and emphasized the bill is intended as a temporary safety net: it would allow deferments for customers impacted by death in the household, loss of full‑time employment within 60 days of the hardship, medical care for a household member, or the customer’s residence, employment or education being…
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