,,ii  #aaith ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #cbbb  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,november #ai1 
#bjbe,mr4 ,markey 7for himself1 ,mrs4   
,gillibrand1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,mr4     
,wyden1 and ,ms4 ,duckworth7 introduced 
the following bill2 which was read twice
 and referred to the ,committee on      
,energy and ,natural ,resources  ,a     
,,bill  ,to express the sense of        
,congress regarding the need for a      
nationwide moratorium on electric and   
natural gas utility disconnections      
during a ,government shutdown1 to ensure
 that electric service is not           
disconnected for electric consumers     
during certain lapses in appropriations1
 and for other purposes4  #a4 ,short    
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,stop ,shut-,offs ,during ,shutdowns    
,act4  #b4 ,sense of ,congress regarding
 the need for a nationwide moratorium on
 electric and natural gas utility       
disconnections during a ,government     
shutdown ,it is the sense of ,congress  

that1 for the duration of any lapse in  
interim continuing appropriations or    
full-year appropriations for the        
,department of ,health and ,human       
,services1 each relevant ,state         
regulatory authority and each electric  
or natural gas utility that sells       
electric energy or natural gas to a     
consumer should ensure that-- 7#a7 no   
electric or natural gas service to a    
consumer is terminated based on         
inability to pay2  7#b7 reasonable      
efforts are made to safely reconnect    
electric and natural gas consumers that 
have lost service2  7#c7 no electric or 
natural gas consumer is charged for     
reconnection services2  7#d7 late fees  
and other penalties are waived for      
electric and natural gas consumers2 and 
7#e7 there are no increases in          
cost-of-service to electric and natural 
gas consumers4  #c4 ,procedures for     
termination of electric service ,section
 #aae7;g7 of the ,public ,utility       
,regulatory ,policies ,act of #aigh 7#af

 ,u4,s4,c4 #bfbe7;g77 is amended-- 7#a7 
in paragraph 7#b7-- 7,a7 by striking    
such service may not be terminated4 in  
the undesignated matter following       
subparagraph 7,b72  7,b7 in subparagraph
 7,b7-- 7i7 by striking the comma at the
 end and inserting 2 and2 and  7ii7 by  
striking 7,b7 he is and inserting the   
following3  7ii7 is  2  7,c7 in         
subparagraph 7,a7-- 7i7 by striking 1 or
 at the end and inserting 2 or2 and     
7ii7 by striking 7,a7 he is and         
inserting the following3  7i7 is  2 and 
7,d7 in the matter preceding clause 7i7 
7as so redesignated7-- 7i7 by striking  
and such consumer establishes that and  
inserting if the consumer establishes   
that the consumer2 and  7ii7 by striking
 7#b7 during any period when termination
 of service to an electric consumer and 
inserting the following3  7,b7 no       
electric service to an electric consumer
 may be terminated during any period in 
which such termination  2  7#b7 in      
paragraph 7#a7-- 7,a7 by striking 1 and 

at the end and inserting a semicolon2   
and  7,b7 by striking 7#a7 no and       
inserting the following3  7,a7 no  2    
7#c7 in the matter preceding            
subparagraph 7,a7 7as so redesignated71 
by striking ,the procedures and         
inserting the following3  7#a7          
,procedures ,the procedures  2  7#d7 in 
the undesignated matter following       
paragraph 7#a77;,b77ii7 7as so          
redesignated71 by striking ,such        
procedures and inserting the following3 
7#b7 ,requirement ,the procedures under 
paragraph 7#a7  2  7#e7 in paragraph    
7#a7 7as so redesignated71 by adding at 
the end the following3  7,c7 no electric
 service to an electric consumer may be 
terminated during any period in which   
interim continuing appropriations or    
full-year appropriations are not in     
effect for the ,department of ,health   
and ,human ,services4  2 and  7#f7 by   
adding at the end the following3  7#c7  
,recovery of certain costs ,costs       
incurred by an electric utility to      

comply with paragraph 7#a77;,c7 may not 
be retroactively assessed on electric   
consumers for whom electric service     
would have been terminated if not for   
the requirements of that paragraph1 but 
a ,state regulatory authority1 after    
notice and an opportunity for comment1  
may establish an alternative mechanism  
that permits an electric utility to     
recover those costs if the ,state       
regulatory authority determines that the
 costs-- 7,a7 are substantial2  7,b7    
were prudently incurred2 and  7,c7      
cannot reasonably be recovered through--
 7i7 regulated rates or market prices   
for the electric energy or any services 
sold by the electric utility2 or  7ii7  
any supplemental funding received by the
 ,state or electric utility for the     
purpose of responding to the applicable 
lapse in appropriations4  4