House Bill 1879 amends the Tennessee Code Annotated to establish new regulations regarding the termination of utility services. It introduces a new part under Title 65, Chapter 32, which defines "utility" to include entities regulated by the Tennessee board of utility regulation, cooperatives, and county or municipality-owned utilities that provide essential services such as electricity, natural gas, and water. The bill mandates that utilities must provide written notice of service termination to both the customer on record and the property owner, if they are different.

Additionally, the bill outlines the consequences for utilities that fail to comply with the notice requirement. For regulated entities and cooperatives, violations will be referred to the Tennessee board of utility regulation for sanctions, while county or municipality-owned utilities will face direct sanctions imposed by the comptroller of the treasury or their designee. The bill also makes a minor amendment to existing law by clarifying that "Part 1 of this chapter applies only" to certain provisions. The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2024.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 65-32-102