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A 5938

Establishes a no fare program for transportation on the NYCTA, LIRR and MNCRC for duly enrolled members of the auxiliary police

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Danny Norber

Prohibits charges during service outages and fixes, requires proportional reduction of fixed charges for outage duration, and mandates street light repairs within 10 business days

REFERRED TO CORPORATIONS, AUTHORITIES AND COMMISSIONS
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Bill Summary · A 5938

Summary of New Jersey Bill A 5938 (Introduced Version)

Note: The bill text provided appears to be an introduction in New Jersey concerning electric public utilities, not a transit fare program. This summary reflects the introduced version and its substantive provisions as filed.

Overview

  • Title: An Act concerning electric public utilities and supplementing Title 48 of the Revised Statutes.
  • Purpose: To regulate charges during service interruptions and to ensure timely repair of street lights maintained by electric public utilities.
  • Effective date: Immediate upon enactment.
  • Status: Referred to the Corporations, Authorities and Commissions; later introduced in the Assembly and referred to the Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee.
  • Related bills: S 4697 (companion); A 6223 (prior-session).

Key Provisions

  1. Definitions

    • Board: New Jersey Board of Public Utilities or a 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 customer.

  2. Rates and Charges During Service Interruptions

    • Prohibition on charges: 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 one or more service interruptions occur, the utility must reduce the amount of any fixed charges (charges not tied to a customer's electricity usage) on the customer's monthly bill. The reduction must be proportionate to the length of time the customer was without electric service due to the interruption.

  3. Street Light Repairs

    • Repair timeline: Electric public utilities must repair any damaged or defective street lights under their jurisdiction within 10 business days after receiving notice.
    • Charging during repairs: Until the street light is repaired, the utility may not charge the customer for the electricity used by that street light or for any fixed charges associated with the street light.

Affected Parties

  • Primary: Electric public utilities operating in New Jersey (as defined by the bill).
  • Consumers of electricity served by these utilities.
  • Street light customers served by utility-maintained street lighting.

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

  • Introduction and referrals:
    • February 25, 2025: Referred to the Corporations, Authorities and Commissions committee.
    • July 24, 2025: Introduced in the Assembly; referred to the Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee.
  • Legislative track: Companion bill S 4697 (senate) and prior-session A 6223 noted for related consideration.
  • Implementation: The act states it shall take effect immediately upon enactment.

Potential Impact

  • Consumer protections: Customers would benefit from not being charged for electricity during outages and from automatic reductions of fixed charges proportional to outage duration.
  • Utility operations: Utilities would need to track outage durations accurately to apply proportional fixed-charge reductions and would be obligated to repair street lights promptly, potentially affecting operational workflows and customer service timelines.
  • Street lighting: Clear accountability for street-light repairs with a defined 10-business-day repair window and temporary suspension of charges for affected lighting during repairs.

If you want, I can compare this bill to the companion S 4697 and prior-session A 6223 or provide a short plain-language FAQ based on the provisions.

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

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