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Bill

S 4361

Amends rent receivership statute to provide that court shall appoint receiver under certain conditions; establishes mandatory appointment requirement.

2026-2027 Regular Session Introduced by Angela McKnight

Creates a Summer Termination Program to prevent disconnection of essential utilities during extreme heat for eligible residential customers, with self-certification.

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee
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Bill Summary · S 4361

Summary of Bill S.4361 (Session 222, New Jersey)

Main purpose

Establishes a Summer Termination Program to prevent disconnection of electric, sewer, or water service for certain residential customers during extreme heat, and requires the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) and the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to implement eligibility rules and self-certification processes.

Key provisions and changes

  • Creation of Summer Termination Program

    • Two parallel programs are created:
    • One administered by the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) for local authorities, municipal utilities, and rural electric cooperatives.
    • One administered by the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) for public utilities.
    • Both programs prohibit discontinuation of essential utility services to eligible residential customers when heat conditions are extreme.

  • Heat-triggered protection

    • Disconnections are prohibited if the 3-day wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) forecast within the relevant jurisdiction is expected to be 85°F or higher for 24 hours or more within any 72-hour period.

  • Eligibility criteria for program participants

    • A residential customer is eligible if:
    • They receive assistance under programs specified in the eligibility criteria for the board’s Winter Termination Program (the exact programs are defined by the board’s rules and published in the NJ Administrative Code), or
    • They are unable to pay their bill due to hardship circumstances (examples include unemployment, illness, medically-related expenses, recent death of an immediate family member, and other hardship factors as determined by the department or board).

  • Self-certification process

    • Both the DCA and the BPU must establish a process allowing residential customers to self-certify their inability to pay their bill.

  • Regulatory framework and implementation

    • The DCA and the BPU are tasked with promulgating rules and regulations under the Administrative Procedure Act to implement the Summer Termination Program.
    • Timing: The bill requires the relevant agency to establish the program within 120 days after the bill’s effective date.

  • Effective date

    • The act takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Who is affected

  • Residential customers of local authorities, municipal utilities, rural electric cooperatives, and public utilities who meet the eligibility criteria (as described above) may be protected from service disconnection during hot weather periods.
  • Local authorities, municipal utilities, rural electric cooperatives, and public utilities are required to comply with the program restrictions and the self-certification process.
  • Administrative bodies: DCA and BPU will develop the eligibility rules, procedures, and regulatory frameworks.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Implementation deadline: 120 days from the bill’s effective date to establish the Summer Termination Program.
  • Regulatory action: DCA and BPU must promulgate rules and regulations under the Administrative Procedure Act to effectuate the program.
  • Effective date: Immediate upon enactment (the act’s provisions take effect right away).

Context and intent

  • The bill aims to protect vulnerable residential customers during extreme heat by preventing disconnections when heat risks pose a health and safety concern, leveraging existing winter termination program frameworks for eligibility and self-certification, and creating parallel protections across both local authorities/utilities and public utilities.

If you’d like, I can compare this proposal to New Jersey’s existing Winter Termination Program and highlight similarities or differences in eligibility criteria and administrative processes.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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