Bill

HB 382

86(R) - 2019
House State Affairs
House State Affairs

Vote Recommendation

No
  • Neutral
  • Neutral
  • Negative
  • Negative
  • Neutral

Author(s)

Evelina Ortega
Cesar Blanco
Art Fierro
Mary Gonzalez
Joe Moody

Bill Caption

Relating to the authority to establish a customer assistance program for certain municipally owned utilities.

Fiscal Notes

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.


Bill Analysis

HB 382 would allow bracketed municipal utilities to create a bill payment assistance program for utility customers who can not afford to pay for services. In order to be eligible for this assistance, the customer must have exhausted all non-profit and private sources of assistance. This program would pertain to customers who received a notice for disconnection or qualify as a low-income customer. This bill would only apply to a municipality that has a population of at least 800,000 and is located on an international border.

Vote Recommendation Notes

Although local in nature, this bill creates a new subsidy and places government in the role of private charity. This effectively forces other ratepayers to not only pay their own utility bill but also pay the bill for others. For these reasons, we oppose HB 382.