Maryland HB 1019: Public Service Commission - Electric Companies and Electric Cooperatives - Customer Identification

Bill Text

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb1019*

HOUSE BILL 1019
C5 0lr2832
CF SB 529
By: Delegate D.E. Davis
Introduced and read first time: February 5, 2020
Assigned to: Economic Matters

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

Public Service Commission – Electric Companies and Electric Cooperatives – 2
Customer Identification 3

FOR the purpose of requiring the Public Service Commission to adopt regulations requiring 4
electric companies and electric cooperatives to adopt a method for an electricity 5
supplier enrolling a certain customer to provide certain information to adequately 6
identify the customer without using the customer’s account number; requiring the 7
regulations to require that a certain customer enrolling with an electricity supplier 8
may offer certain information as proof of identity under certain circumstances; 9
defining a certain term; and generally relating to methods to identify a customer to 10
an electric company or electric cooperative when enrolling a customer for competitive 11
electricity supply. 12

BY adding to 13
Article – Public Utilities 14
Section 7–311 15
Annotated Code of Maryland 16
(2010 Replacement Volume and 2019 Supplement) 17

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 18
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 19

Article – Public Utilities 20

7–311. 21

(A) IN THIS SECTION, “ACCOUNT” MEANS A CUSTOMER’S ACCOUNT WITH AN 22
ELECTRIC COMPANY OR ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE. 23

(B) THE COMMISSION SHALL ADOPT REGULATIONS THAT REQUIRE EACH 24

2 HOUSE BILL 1019

ELECTRIC COMPANY AND ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE TO ADOPT A METHOD FOR AN 1
ELECTRICITY SUPPLIER ENROLLING A CUSTOMER FOR THE PROVISION OF 2
COMPETITIVE ELECTRICITY SUPPLY TO PROVIDE TO THE ELECTRIC COMPANY OR 3
ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE THE PROOF OF IDENTITY SET FORTH IN SUBSECTION (C) 4
OF THIS SECTION TO ADEQUATELY IDENTIFY THE CUSTOMER WITHOUT USING THE 5
CUSTOMER’S ACCOUNT NUMBER. 6

(C) THE REGULATIONS SHALL REQUIRE THAT A CUSTOMER ENROLLING 7
WITH AN ELECTRICITY SUPPLIER FOR THE PROVISION OF COMPETITIVE 8
ELECTRICITY SUPPLY WHO CHOOSES NOT TO PROVIDE THE ASSOCIATED ACCOUNT 9
NUMBER MAY PROVIDE TO THE ELECTRICITY SUPPLIER PROOF OF IDENTITY AS 10
FOLLOWS: 11

(1) A GOVERNMENT–ISSUED IDENTIFICATION CARD; AND 12

(2) AT LEAST TWO OF THE FOLLOWING: 13

(I) THE PHONE NUMBER ASSOCIATED WITH THE CUSTOMER’S 14
ACCOUNT; 15

(II) THE LAST FOUR DIGITS OF THE SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER 16
OF THE ACCOUNT HOLDER; 17

(III) THE ACCOUNT HOLDER’S DATE OF BIRTH; OR 18

(IV) THE AMOUNT DUE ON THE ACCOUNT LISTED ON ONE OF THE 19
THREE ELECTRIC BILLS IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE DATE OF ENROLLMENT 20
WITH THE ELECTRICITY SUPPLIER. 21

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 22
October 1, 2020. 23