Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE
                             [Second Reprint]
                                SENATE, No. 3152
                             STATE OF NEW JERSEY
                               221st LEGISLATURE
                                         DATED: DECEMBER 26, 2024
                                                  SUMMARY
    Synopsis:                   Concerns notification requirements for certain utility assistance
                                programs; repeals law establishing notification requirements for
                                public and local utilities during coronavirus 2019 pandemic.
    Type of Impact:             Annual State and local expenditure increases.
    Agencies Affected:          Department of Community Affairs; local authorities; and municipal
                                utilities.
                                       Office of Legislative Services Estimate
    Fiscal Impact                                                    Annual
    State Expenditure Increase                                    Indeterminate
    Local Expenditure Increase                                    Indeterminate
    The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) estimates that the bill will result in increased annual
     expenses for the Department of Community Affairs associated with maintaining an Internet
     website with information on certain public assistance programs available to customers in the
     State.
    The OLS estimates that the bill will result in increased annual expenses for local authorities
     and municipal utilities associated with providing customers the required public assistance
     information as outlined in the bill.
    These requirements would apply to certain local authorities, municipal utilities, public utilities,
     or rural electric cooperatives that provide electric, sewer, water, and wastewater services as
     defined in the bill.
                                            BILL DESCRIPTION
   This bill amends existing notification requirements for certain utility assistance programs.
Under current law, the Department of Community Affairs, the Department of Human Services, the
      Office of Legislative Services                                    Legislative Budget and Finance Office
           State House Annex                                                    Phone (609) 847-3105
              P.O. Box 068                                                       Fax (609) 777-2442
      Trenton, New Jersey 08625                                                  www.njleg.state.nj.us
                                          FE to S3152 [2R]
                                                  2
Board of Public Utilities, and any other State agency that administers a utility assistance program
is required to update all public information, including written materials, advertisements, and
websites, regarding the availability of any utility assistance programs administered by the State.
The public information is to prominently include a statement of the consumer protections
residential customers are required to receive if the customer has submitted an application for a
utility assistance program or completed an application for a utility assistance program. Each local
authority, municipal utility, public utility, or rural electric cooperative is required under current
law to provide the same public information in any communication to a residential customer in
connection with an overdue utility bill.
     The bill adds a requirement that the Department of Community Affairs, the Department of
Human Services, the Board of Public Utilities, and any other State agency that administers a utility
assistance program maintain the current required public information and that they provide a phone
number for customers to call for more information. The required public information is to
prominently include, for as long as a utility assistance program is accepting applications and has
available funding, a statement of the consumer protections a residential customer is entitled to
receive if the customer has submitted an application for a utility assistance program or completed
an application for a utility assistance program. The bill also requires the Department of
Community Affairs to maintain at least one Internet website that provides information on all the
utility assistance programs administered by the State.
     This bill requires each local authority, municipal utility, public utility, or rural electric
cooperative to provide certain public assistance information to customers: (1) on or with each bill
sent to a residential customer if one or more utility assistance programs relevant to the service
being billed are available to residential customers; (2) in any written or non-written communication
to a residential customer in connection with an overdue utility bill if one or more utility assistance
programs relevant to the overdue utility bill are available to residential customers; and (3) on its
Internet website, in a location most likely to be seen by residential customers seeking information
about paying their bills. Additionally, a local authority, municipal utility, public utility, or rural
electric cooperative is required to prominently include, in the public information, information on
any other State or federal utility assistance program that it knows is available to its customers and
any other utility assistance program funded or administered by the local authority, municipal
utility, public utility, or rural electric cooperative.
     Each local authority, municipal utility, public utility, or rural electric cooperative is required
under current law to provide the same public information in any communication to a residential
customer in connection with an overdue utility bill.
     Finally, the bill also repeals P.L.2021, c.97, a law requiring public utilities and local utilities
to provide certain notifications to residential customers of information and resources available to
residential customers concerning public utility and local utility service and bill payment assistance
during the coronavirus 2019 pandemic.
                                      FISCAL ANALYSIS
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
   None received.
OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES
    The OLS estimates that the bill will result in increased annual expenses for the Department of
Community Affairs associated with maintaining an Internet website with information on certain
public assistance programs available to customers in the State. Additionally the OLS estimates
that this bill will result in increased annual expenses for local authorities and municipal utilities
                                             FE to S3152 [2R]
                                                     3
associated with providing customers the required public assistance information as outlined in the
bill.
     These requirements would apply to certain local authorities, municipal utilities, public utilities,
or rural electric cooperatives that provide electric, sewer, water, and wastewater services as defined
in the bill.
  Section:      Authorities, Utilities, Transportation and Communications
  Analyst:      Amanda DeMarco
                Associate Research Analyst
  Approved:     Thomas Koenig
                Legislative Budget and Finance Officer
This legislative fiscal estimate has been produced by the Office of Legislative Services due to the
failure of the Executive Branch to respond to our request for a fiscal note.
This fiscal estimate has been prepared pursuant to P.L.1980, c.67 (C.52:13B-6 et seq.).
Statutes affected: 
Introduced: 48:2-29.60