This bill establishes a prohibition against electric, gas, or water public utilities from discontinuing service to residential customers for nonpayment during declared epidemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The only exception to this rule is if the utility faces a public utility emergency. Additionally, the bill mandates that utilities must resume service to any residential customer whose service was previously discontinued, as soon as practicable, during the epidemic, provided the customer remains at the same residence. The protections outlined in this bill will cease once the Governor rescinds the public health emergency and state of emergency related to the epidemic.

Furthermore, the bill clarifies that residential customers who fail to pay their utility bills in full by the due date during an epidemic will still be responsible for any outstanding balances once the epidemic is declared over by the Governor. The bill also includes definitions for key terms such as "epidemic," "public utility," and "public utility emergency" to ensure clarity in its application.