Bill
S 4697
Protect New Jersey electric customers by banning charges during service outages and reducing fixed charges in proportion to outage length.
Title: Creates the Checkout NY pass (note: bill text relates to electric public utilities in New Jersey)
Status and Sponsorship
- Status: Referred to Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation (current committee assignment as listed)
- Introduced: October 20, 2025
- Sponsor: Senator Cordell Cleare (primary)
Committee history
- Legislative actions show the bill being introduced in the Senate on October 20, 2025 and referred to the Senate Economic Growth Committee, with additional references to the Culture/Arts-related committee in later records. The current status indicates referral to Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation.
Core purpose and intent
- The bill aims to protect customers of electric public utilities in New Jersey during service interruptions and to improve the reliability and accountability of street lighting managed by electric utilities.
Key provisions
1) Definitions (as used in the act)
- Board: New Jersey Board of Public Utilities or successor agency.
- Electric public utility: A public utility that transmits and distributes electricity to end users within New Jersey.
- Service interruption: The cessation of electric service to a utility customer.
2) Charges during service interruptions
- Prohibition: An electric public utility may not charge a customer for the usage or provision of electricity during a service interruption.
- Fixed charges adjustment: For each billing cycle in which a service interruption occurs, the utility must reduce non-usage-based fixed charges on the customer’s monthly bill by an amount proportionate to the length of the outage.
3) Street light repair obligations
- Repair timeline: Electric utilities must repair any damaged or defective street lights under their jurisdiction within 10 business days after notice of the issue.
- Billing suspension during repair: Until the street light is repaired, the utility may not charge the customer for electricity used by that street light or for any fixed charges associated with the street light.
4) Effective date
- The act is stated to take effect immediately.
Affected parties
- Electric public utilities operating in New Jersey.
- Residential and business customers receiving electricity from these utilities.
- Customers relying on street lights maintained by electric utilities.
Implementation and timeline considerations
- Immediate effect upon enactment (no phased timeline specified).
- Street light repairs must occur within 10 business days of notice, with billing protections during the repair period.
Related bills and notes
- Related/companion measures: Assembly A 5938; Assembly A 4909; Senate S 5956 (prior-session); other cross-references indicate ongoing interest in consumer protections and utility reliability.
- This summary reflects the introduced text and current listed status; actual committee actions may adjust provisions or timelines as the bill moves through the legislature.
Impact overview
- Financial: Customers would not be charged for electricity during outages and would see reductions in fixed, non-usage charges proportionate to outage duration, potentially lowering monthly bills during interruptions.
- Infrastructure: Accelerated street light repair could improve nighttime safety and reliability, with a billing hold during repair.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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