2021 -- H 5773

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LC001493

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2021

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- DUTIES OF UTILITIES AND

CARRIERS

     Introduced By: Representatives Potter, Cassar, Carson, Morales, Baginski, Cortvriend,
Tanzi, Henries, Batista, and Felix

     Date Introduced: February 24, 2021

     Referred To: House Corporations

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Chapter 39-2-26 of the General Laws entitled "Duties of Utilities and

Carriers" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:

     39-2-26. Creation and maintenance of registry of life sustaining medical equipment.

     All public utilities shall for all connections to residential properties, maintain a registry of

customers who utilize life-sustaining medical devices and equipment at their home and, in the case

of power outages, prioritize the restoration of service to those homes in concentrated areas.

     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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LC001493

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- DUTIES OF UTILITIES AND

CARRIERS

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     This act would require public utilities to maintain a registry of customers utilizing life-

sustaining medical devices and to prioritize restoration of power to said customers during power

outages.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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LC001493

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