Illinois General Assembly - Bill Status for HB1438

Amends the Public Utilities Act. Provides that notwithstanding existing administrative rules, discontinuance of service to residential service is prohibited for up to 90 days when discontinuance of service will aggravate an existing serious illness of any person that is a permanent resident of the premise where service is rendered if the customer complies with specified criteria. Effective immediately.

Deletes everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the introduced bill with the following changes. Provides that if a customer applies to renew certification for an additional 30 days to prevent discontinuance of service, then he or she must apply to renew certification within the initial 60 days. Provides that a customer, or a person residing with that customer, who has a past due balance with the utility is not eligible for a medical certificate unless a one-third down payment is received on the past due balance and a deferred payment arrangement is made for the remaining outstanding balance to be paid within the following 12 months. Provides that customers that are not able to keep their account current after receiving the medical certification must apply for any available assistance to aid in the payment of the utility bills from any governmental or private agencies available and requires the customer to provide proof that they have applied for available assistance upon request of the utility or the customer will become ineligible for protection from discontinuance of service during the 60-day medical certification period. Provides that the failure to make required payments for arrearages renders an individual ineligible for renewal of the certificate and for an additional medical certificate in the future. Provides that if the customer remains current on the outstanding balance, they will be eligible to reapply for another medical certification after 12 months. Provides that no customer, or person residing with that customer, may file a certificate for protection from discontinuance of service unless that person has resided on the premises for at least 12 months. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

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