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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | April 17, 2023 03:08 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Kyle J. Mullins |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Protecting Consumers: Training and Bonding for Retail Energy Suppliers |
| In most places throughout Pennsylvania, residents can either rely on their default electric or gas provider, or shop around for their household energy services. Most utility companies – default or retail energy suppliers – provide outstanding service and engage consumers in good faith. Unfortunately, as with any industry, there are also "fly-by-night" companies which contract with salespersons who prey on unsuspecting customers, often the elderly. I’ve heard from a number of constituents – which includes some family members – whose elderly relatives answered a call or a knock on the door and agreed to a costly change of providers. I’ve learned that undoing this sort of bad deal with one of these unscrupulous actors can involve a significant amount of both money and hassle. That's why I’ll be introducing legislation to protect Pennsylvanians who choose to shop for their energy needs. Specifically, my bill would require retail electric and natural gas suppliers and their representatives to be certified through a training and education course on "the rules of the road" in marketing electric and natural gas products to consumers. My legislation will require all retail electric and natural gas suppliers and their representatives marketing their products in Pennsylvania to pass a required online training and education exam and be certified by the Public Utility Commission. The costs for implementation and administration of this enhancement would be borne by the suppliers through fees assessed by the PUC with enactment of this legislation. Pennsylvania would join Maryland and the District of Columbia in enacting this measure to provide enhanced accountability to retail energy markets. Additionally, this legislation will also include a requirement for increased bonding or financial guarantee to help ensure that the actions of a few suppliers don’t sabotage the good intentions of all stakeholders that have endorsed a customer’s right to shop for their energy supplier over the past two decades. This is an attempt to further exclude those "fly-by-night" companies from doing business in the Commonwealth. Please join me in this effort to protect consumers and promote upstanding utility companies providing electric and gas service in Pennsylvania. |
Introduced as HB1578
Memo Updated: April 17, 2023 03:09 PM