House Bill No. 6330
               House Bill No. 6330

               PUBLIC ACT NO. 97-11


AN ACT CONCERNING NOTICE OF TERMINATION OF UTILITY
SERVICE.


    Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and House of
Representatives in General Assembly convened:
    Subsection  (a)  of  section  16-262d  of  the
general statutes is repealed and the following  is
substituted in lieu thereof:
    (a)  No  electric,  gas,  telephone  or  water
public service company,  and  no municipal utility
furnishing  electric, gas  or  water  service  may
terminate such service  to  a residential dwelling
on account of  nonpayment  of a delinquent account
unless such company  or  municipal  utility  first
gives notice of  such  delinquency  and  impending
termination by first  class  mail addressed to the
customer to which such service is billed, at least
thirteen  calendar  days  prior  to  the  proposed
termination, except that  if  an  electric  or gas
public  service  company   or   municipal  utility
furnishing electric or  gas  service  has issued a
notice  under  this   subsection   but   has   not
terminated service prior  to issuing a new bill to
the customer, such  company  or  municipal utility
may terminate such  service ONLY after mailing the
customer an additional  notice  of  the  impending
termination, ADDRESSED TO  THE  CUSTOMER  TO WHICH
SUCH SERVICE IS  BILLED  EITHER (1) BY FIRST CLASS
MAIL AT LEAST  THIRTEEN CALENDAR DAYS PRIOR TO THE
PROPOSED TERMINATION OR  (2) by certified mail, at
least seven calendar  days  prior  to the PROPOSED
termination. [In no  event  shall  such company or
municipal utility terminate  service  prior to the
date of the  proposed  termination  in the initial
termination notice.] IN  THE  EVENT  THAT MULTIPLE
DATES OF PROPOSED  TERMINATION  ARE  PROVIDED TO A
CUSTOMER, NO SUCH  COMPANY  OR  MUNICIPAL  UTILITY
SHALL TERMINATE SERVICE  PRIOR  TO  THE  LATEST OF
SUCH DATES. For  purposes  of this subsection, the
thirteen-day [period] PERIODS and seven-day period
shall commence on  the date such notice is mailed.
If such company  or  municipal  utility  does  not
terminate service within  one  hundred twenty days
after mailing the  initial  notice of termination,
such company or  municipal  utility shall give the
customer a new notice at least thirteen days prior
to termination. Every termination notice issued by
a  public service  company  or  municipal  utility
shall contain or  be accompanied by an explanation
of  the  rights   of   the  customer  provided  in
subsection (c) of this section.

Approved April 18, 1997