STATE OF NEW JERSEY
217th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2016 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman CHRIS A. BROWN
District 2 (Atlantic)
Assemblywoman AMY H. HANDLIN
District 13 (Monmouth)
SYNOPSIS
Imposes a two-year moratorium on increases in public utility rates.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning public utility rate increases and supplementing Title 48 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Notwithstanding any law, rule, regulation, or order to the contrary, the board shall not approve any adjustment to the rates charged to ratepayers of a public utility for a period of two years following the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) unless the adjustment reduces the utility's rates or unless the board determines that an adjustment to the rates charged to ratepayers is necessary under the terms or conditions of the utility's contractual obligations and that the failure to approve such an adjustment would result in the impairment of those contractual obligations.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill imposes a two-year moratorium on the approval by the Board of Public Utilities ("BPU") of any increases in rates charged by public utilities to utility ratepayers unless the BPU determines that the approval of a rate increase is necessary to fulfill contractual obligations of the public utility.
This bill is intended by the sponsor to address continuously increasing public utility rates.