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HB 5047

Relating to state financial administration; and declaring an emergency.

2025 Regular Session

HB 5047 requires electric and natural-gas utilities to automatically enroll seniors (65+) and households with children (16 or younger) in winter protection programs, with notices a

Chapter 16, (2025 Laws): Effective date April 23, 2025.
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Bill Summary · HB 5047

Summary — HB 5047 (House Introduced Bill)

Status: Introduced 2025; bill electronically reproduced 09/24/2025. Referred to the House Committee on Energy (introduced by Rep. Tonya Myers-Phillips). Filed March 13, 2025; additional readings and committee referrals noted April–September 2025.

Purpose

HB 5047 requires electric and natural‑gas utility providers to proactively identify and automatically enroll certain vulnerable customers in winter protection programs that limit or prevent winter shutoffs. It also adds parallel identification/enrollment requirements for households with young children, expands required customer notices, and imposes regular reporting obligations on providers.

Key provisions

  • Automatic enrollment of senior citizens:

    • If a provider offers a winter protection program, beginning November 1, 2025, the provider must automatically enroll all senior‑citizen customers (defined below) in that program.
    • Providers must review enrollment monthly and may use specified identification methods (see below).
    • Providers must deliver a bill insert to affected seniors at least two months before automatic enrollment begins explaining the winter protection program, affordability programs, critical‑care/medical emergency shutoff protection, and in‑person assistance services.
    • Seniors may not be disenrolled except on account of death or moving outside the service area.

  • New section 9x — households with children:

    • Providers must make best efforts to identify and enroll “eligible customers” (households with children age 16 or younger) into winter protection programs beginning November 1, 2025, or 60 days after the bill’s effective date, whichever is later.
    • Providers must send a bill insert to all customers containing the same informational items (winter protection, affordability programs, critical‑care protections, in‑person assistance) beginning September 1, 2025, or 60 days after the bill’s effective date.

  • Identification methods (for seniors and eligible customers):

    • At least one of: customer interviews; consumer reporting agency data; personal/automated phone contact (message acceptable); first‑class mail; personal visit; written notice left at the door; bill insert; or any other commission‑approved method.

  • Application options and access:

    • Customers may enroll by submitting a provider‑prescribed application; providers must accept applications online, by mail, or by telephone and post instructions on their website.

  • Reporting:

    • Providers must report annually (by April 28 each year, starting April 28, 2026) to their governing body the total number of seniors/eligible customers enrolled in winter protection.

  • Definitions:

    • “Provider” = cooperative electric utility, municipally owned, or privately owned electric or natural‑gas utility.
    • “Senior citizen” = customer age 65 or older; also includes customers who were age 62 or older on or before Oct 31, 2023.
    • “Eligible customer” (9x) = customer with children 16 or younger in the household.

  • Amendment to Sec. 10t:

    • The bill also amends MCL 460.10t, a provision that (in part) prevents shutoff during the heating season for eligible senior citizen customers or where a customer pays a monthly amount equal to 7% of the estimated annual bill and meets documentation requirements. (The bill text provided is truncated for this section.)

Who is affected

  • Utility providers regulated under the Michigan Public Service Commission: electric cooperatives, municipal utilities, and private electric and natural‑gas utilities.
  • Consumers: senior citizens (65+, plus some earlier cohorts) and households with children age 16 or younger. Other customers may be affected indirectly through provider administrative changes.

Implementation timeline & administrative requirements

  • Senior automatic enrollment effective: November 1, 2025.
  • Enrollment of households with children effective: November 1, 2025 or 60 days after the bill’s effective date, whichever is later.
  • Bill‑insert requirement for all customers: beginning September 1, 2025 or 60 days after the bill’s effective date.
  • Annual reporting to governing body: first due April 28, 2026, then yearly.

Potential impacts to note

  • Utilities will need systems/processes to identify eligible customers, perform automatic enrollments, manage monthly reviews, send required notices, and file annual reports—potential administrative costs.
  • Increased enrollment in winter protection programs could reduce winter shutoffs for seniors and households with young children; exact operational and fiscal effects would depend on program design and provider operations.
  • The bill expands outreach and formalizes enrollment pathways (online, mail, phone) to increase access to affordability and critical‑care protections.

(Analysis is based on the bill text provided; Section 10t excerpts were truncated in the supplied material.)

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

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