Sponsored by:
Senator PARKER SPACE
District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)
SYNOPSIS
Prohibits public utilities from imposing surcharge on certain payment transactions.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning public utility payment transactions and supplementing Title 48 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. As used in this section:
“Public utility” means the same as that term is defined in R.S.48:2-13.
“Surcharge” means an additional amount imposed by a public utility at the time of a payment transaction that increases a charge to a public utility customer to recover the cost of the public utility’s use of third-party payment processing services.
b. A public utility shall not impose a surcharge on any public utility customer who has not enrolled in automatic payments through the public utility and, instead, has elected to make an alternative form of payment to the public utility for services rendered to that customer by the public utility. Alternative forms of payment shall include one-time payments made by a public utility customer via:
(1) an online credit card transaction;
(2) an online debit card transaction;
(3) an automated telephone system; or
(4) a direct withdrawal from the customer’s bank account.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill prohibits a public utility from imposing a surcharge on any public utility customer who has not enrolled in automatic payments through the public utility and, instead, has elected to make an alternative form of payment to the public utility for services rendered to that customer by the public utility. Alternative forms of payment are to include one-time payments made by a public utility customer via: (1) an online credit card transaction; (2) an online debit card transaction; (3) an automated telephone system; or (4) a direct withdrawal from the customer’s bank account. Under the bill, “surcharge” means an additional amount imposed by a public utility at the time of a payment transaction that increases a charge to a public utility customer to recover the cost of the public utility’s use of third-party payment processing services.