State House Passes Bill to Help Consumers Struggling With High Summer Electric Bills

State House Passes Bill to Help Consumers Struggling With High Summer Electric
Bills

Legislation would protect Illinois consumers against air conditioning
disconnection when temperatures may reach 95 degrees or above

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., May 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AARP today commended the
Illinois House of Representatives for its unanimous passage of House Bill
5086, which will increase protections for consumers by preventing utility
companies from shutting off cooling service if the temperature is forecasted
to reach 95 degrees or above.

HB 5086, sponsored by State Representative Bob Flider (D-Decatur), passed the
House unanimously on Thursday. It will now move to the State Senate under the
sponsorship of Sen. Mike Jacobs (D-Moline).

The legislation provides cooling disconnection protection to residential
customers, for non payment of bills, if the temperature is forecasted to reach
95 degrees or above, on any day when the National Weather Service has
predicted that temperature for the following 24 hours; it also prevents
disconnection on any day preceding a holiday or weekend when the forecast
indicates that a temperature of 95 degrees or above will be reached during the
holiday or weekend.

"Consumers need protections from having their electricity shut off during
extreme summer weather - for older people to be without air-conditioning in
the heat can be fatal," said Bob Gallo, AARP Illinois State Director. "AARP
commends Rep. Flider and the House for their commitment to protecting Illinois
consumers who might be facing hard times, and we urge the Senate to pass this
legislation."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention excessive heat
exposure caused 8,015 deaths in the United States from 1979-2003. These were
more deaths than those caused by hurricanes, lighting, tornadoes, floods and
earthquakes combined.

Current state law provides protections for customers from having their
electric or natural gas service disconnected for non payment during the winter
months. However, there were no similar utility termination protections for
customers cooling their homes during the summer months. AARP is urging the
Senate to pass this legislation that will especially help protect older
Illinoisans and other vulnerable residents from having their air conditioning
shut off during high temperatures.

SOURCE AARP Illinois

David Irwin, +1-312-458-3623, or Gerardo Cardenas, +1-312-458-3609, both of
AARP Illinois