As Introduced

136th General Assembly

Regular Session S. B. No. 246

2025-2026

To amend sections 4933.12, 4933.121, and 4933.123 and to enact sections 4933.125, 4933.126, 4933.127, 4933.128, 4933.129, 4933.1210, and 4933.1211 of the Revised Code to prohibit terminating electric or gas service to certain households and establish a payment plan for these services.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section 1. That sections 4933.12, 4933.121, and 4933.123 be amended and sections 4933.125, 4933.126, 4933.127, 4933.128, 4933.129, 4933.1210, and 4933.1211 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

Sec. 4933.12. (A) Except as provided in division (C) of this section ~~and~~ , division (E) of section 5117.11 of the Revised Code, and section 4933.125 of the Revised Code, if any person supplied with gas neglects or refuses to pay the amount due for the gas or for rent of articles hired by the person from a natural gas company or a gas company, the company may stop the gas from entering the premises of the person. In such cases, after twenty-four hours' notice, the officers, servants, or workers of the company may enter the premises of such persons, between eight a.m. and four p.m., take away such property of the company, and disconnect any meter from the mains or pipes of the company.

(B) The company shall not refuse to furnish gas on account of arrearages due it for gas furnished to persons formerly receiving services at the premises as customers of the company, provided the former customers are not continuing to reside at the premises.

(C) ~~The~~ Except as provided in section 4933.125 of the Revised Code, the company shall not, for any reason, unless required by the consumer for safety reasons, or unless tampering with utility company equipment or theft of gas or utility company equipment has occurred, stop gas from entering the premises of any residential consumer for the period beginning on the fifteenth day of November and ending on the fifteenth day of the following April, unless both of the following apply:

(1) The account of the consumer is in arrears thirty days or more.

(2) If the occupant of residential premises is a tenant whose landlord is responsible for payment for the service provided by the company, the company has, five days previously, notified the occupant of its intent to discontinue service to the occupant.

(D) No company shall stop the gas from entering any residential premises between the fifteenth day of November and the fifteenth day of April because of a failure to pay the amount due for the gas unless the company, at the time it sends or delivers to the premises notices of termination, informs the occupant of the premises where to obtain state and federal aid for payment of utility bills and for home weatherization and information on local government aid for payment of utility bills and for home weatherization.

(E) On or before the first day of November, a county human services department may request a company to give prior notification of any residential service terminations to occur during the period beginning on the fifteenth day of November immediately following the department's request and ending on the fifteenth day of the following April. If a department makes such a written request, at least twenty-four hours before the company terminates services to a residential customer in the county during that period for failure to pay the amount due for service, the company shall provide written notice to the department of the residential customer whose service the company so intends to terminate. No company that has received such a request shall terminate such service during that period unless it has provided the notice required under this division.

(F) No company shall stop gas from entering the residential premises of any residential consumer who is deployed on active duty for nonpayment for gas supplied to the residential premises.

Upon return of a residential consumer from active duty, the company shall offer the residential consumer a period equal to at least the period of deployment on active duty to pay any arrearages incurred during the period of deployment. The company shall inform the residential consumer that, if the period the company offers presents a hardship to the consumer, the consumer may request a longer period to pay the arrearages and, in the case of a company that is a public utility as defined in section 4905.02 of the Revised Code, may request the assistance of the public utilities commission to obtain a longer period. No late payment fees or interest shall be charged to the residential consumer during the period of deployment or the repayment period.

If a company that is a public utility determines that amounts owed by a residential consumer who is deployed on active duty are uncollectible, the company may file an application with the public utilities commission for approval of authority to recover the amounts. The recovery shall be through a rider on the base rates of customers of the company or through other means as may be approved by the commission, provided that any amount approved to be recovered through a rider or other means shall not be considered by the commission in any subsequent rate determination.

As used in this division, "active duty" means active duty pursuant to an executive order of the president of the United States, an act of the congress of the United States, or section 5919.29 or 5923.21 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 4933.121. (A) Except as provided in division (E) of section 5117.11 of the Revised Code and section 4933.125 of the Revised Code, an electric light company shall not, for any reason, unless requested by the consumer for safety reasons, or unless tampering with utility company equipment or theft of electricity or utility company equipment has occurred, cease to provide electricity to any residential consumer for the period beginning on the fifteenth day of November and ending on the fifteenth day of the following April, unless both of the following apply:

(1) The account of the consumer is in arrears thirty days or more.

(B) The company shall not refuse to furnish electricity on account of arrearages due it for electricity furnished to persons formerly receiving services at the premises as customers of the company, provided the former customers are not continuing to reside at the premises.

(C) No company shall cease to provide electricity to any residential premises between the fifteenth day of November and the fifteenth day of April because of a failure to pay the amount due for the electricity unless the company, at the time it sends or delivers to the premises notices of termination, informs the occupant of the premises where to obtain state and federal aid for payment of utility bills and for home weatherization and information on local government aid for payment of utility bills and for home weatherization.

(D) On or before the first day of November, a county human services department may request a company to give prior notification of any residential service terminations to occur during the period beginning on the fifteenth day of November immediately following the department's request and ending on the fifteenth day of the following April. If a department makes such a written request, at least twenty-four hours before the company terminates services to a residential customer in the county during that period for failure to pay the amount due for service, the company shall provide written notice to the department of the residential customer whose service the company so intends to terminate. No company that has received such a request shall terminate such service during that period unless it has provided the notice required under this division.

(E) No company shall cease to provide electricity to the residential premises of any residential consumer who is deployed on active duty for nonpayment for electricity provided to the residential premises.

Sec. 4933.123. (A) For the purpose of this section:

(1) "Energy company" shall have the meaning assigned in division ~~(A)(4)~~ (D) of section 5117.01 of the Revised Code.

(2) "Service disconnection for nonpayment" means the intentional discontinuation of gas or electric services to a residential customer by an energy company due to the failure of the customer to pay for such services.

(3) "Service reconnections" means the reconnection of gas or electric services by an energy company to a residential customer whose service was discontinued by such company for nonpayment.

(B) ~~Annually, on or before the thirtieth day of June, each~~ Each energy company shall file a quarterly written report on service disconnections for nonpayment with the public utilities commission and the consumers' counsel. A report shall be issued on or before the thirty-first day of March, the thirtieth day of June, the thirtieth day of September, and the thirty-first day of December each year. The report shall include the following information by zip code for the ~~twelve-month~~ preceding quarterly period ~~ending on the preceding thirty-first day of May, by month~~ending on the date that the previous report was required to be issued:

(1) Total number of service disconnections for nonpayment and the total dollar amount of unpaid bills represented by such disconnections;

(2) Total number of final notices of actual disconnection issued for service disconnections for nonpayment and the total dollar amount of unpaid bills represented by such notices;

(3) Total number of residential customer accounts in arrears by more than sixty days and the total dollar amount of such arrearages;

(4) Total number of security deposits received from residential customers and the total dollar amount of such deposits;

(5) Total number of service reconnections;

(6) Total number of residential customers.

Sec. 4933.125. (A) As used in sections 4933.125 to 4933.1211:

(1) "Certified nurse-midwife" has the same meaning as in section 4723.01 of the Revised Code;

(2) "Electric light company" means an electric light company defined in section 4905.03 of the Revised Code that is a public utility under section 4905.02 of the Revised Code;

(3) "Gas company" means a gas company defined in section 4905.03 of the Revised Code that is a public utility under section 4905.02 of the Revised Code;

(4) "Medical professional" means any of the following:

(a) An individual authorized under Chapter 4731. of the Revised Code to practice medicine and surgery, osteopathic medicine and surgery, or podiatric medicine and surgery;

(b) An individual licensed under Chapter 4730. of the Revised Code to practice as a physician assistant;

(d) A physician appointed by a board of health as described in sections 3709.13 and 3709.14 of the Revised Code.

(5) "Natural gas company" means a natural gas company under section 4905.03 of the Revised Code that is a public utility under section 4905.02 of the Revised Code.

(B) No electric light company, gas company, or natural gas company, except for safety reasons, shall cease to provide electricity to any residential customer or stop gas from entering the premises of any residential customer if any of the following are satisfied:

(1) The customer's household is the residence of a child who is the age of five years or younger, regardless of the child's relationship with the customer;

(2) The customer's household is the residence of a person who is the age of sixty-five years or older;

(3) The customer's household is the residence of a person with a disability, provided that a medical professional has submitted confirmation of the disability pursuant to section 4933.126 of the Revised Code;

(4) The customer's household is the residence of a person with an illness, provided that a medical professional has submitted confirmation of the illness pursuant to section 4933.126 of the Revised Code;

(5) The customer's household is the residence of a person who is currently pregnant, provided that a medical professional or certified nurse-midwife has submitted confirmation of the pregnancy pursuant to section 4933.126 of the Revised Code;

(6) Both of the following apply:

(a) The customer's household income is at or below two hundred per cent of the federal poverty level;

(b) The customer submits proof of income not more than sixty days after asserting the customer's household income using either a copy of the customer's internal revenue system form 1040 or a benefit award letter from one of the following:

(i) Ohio works first;

(ii) Supplemental security income;

(iii) Percentage of income payment plan program;

(iv) Home energy assistance program;

(v) Supplemental nutrition assistance program;

(vi) Publicly funded child care.

Sec. 4933.126. (A) Confirmation of a disability, illness, or current pregnancy required by section 4933.125 of the Revised Code shall be submitted to the electric light company, gas company, or natural gas company and include all of the following:

(1) The name of the person to be certified as being a person with a disability, illness, or current pregnancy;

(2) A statement that the person with a disability, illness, or current pregnancy is a resident of the customer's household;

(3) The name, business address, and telephone number of the person providing the confirmation;

(4) A statement that the person in the customer's household is a person with a disability, illness, or current pregnancy.

(B) Confirmation of a disability, illness, or current pregnancy required by this section shall be provided in writing. Initial confirmation may be provided by telephone, if written confirmation is submitted to the company not later than thirty days after the telephone confirmation is provided.

Sec. 4933.127. A residential customer who meets the requirements of division (B) of section 4933.125 of the Revised Code shall be entered into a payment plan for the customer's electric and gas usage that is provided by an electric light company, gas company, or natural gas company in either of the following amounts, whichever is lower:

(A) Seven and one-half per cent of the customer's monthly net income;

(B) One-twelfth of the combined amount of the customer's electric and gas bills immediately prior to the customer's enrollment in the payment plan created by this section.

Sec. 4933.128. A residential customer subject to the payment plan under section 4933.127 of the Revised Code shall not be financially responsible for any costs of providing electric service or gas service exceeding the customer's payment plan amount.

Sec. 4933.129. An electric light company, gas company, or natural gas company subject to the prohibition under section 4933.125 of the Revised Code shall comply with both of the following:

(A) The company shall be financially responsible for all costs of providing service to a residential customer described in division (B) of section 4933.125 of the Revised Code, except for amounts owed by the customer under a payment plan imposed under section 4933.127 of the Revised Code.

(B) The company shall not collect costs it is financially responsible for under division (A) of this section from any customer through rates, fares, tolls, rentals, charges, fees, rate mechanisms, or riders.

Sec. 4933.1210. The public utilities commission shall adopt rules to implement sections 4933.125 to 4933.129 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 4933.1211. Notwithstanding any provision of section 121.95 of the Revised Code to the contrary, a regulatory restriction contained in a rule adopted under section 4933.1210 of the Revised Code is not subject to sections 121.95 to 121.953 of the Revised Code.

Section 2. That existing sections 4933.12, 4933.121, and 4933.123 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.