SENATE ECONOMIC GROWTH COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

[First Reprint]

ASSEMBLY, No. 4569

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  DECEMBER 9, 2021

      The Senate Economic Growth Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Assembly Bill No. 4569 (1R).

      As amended and reported, this bill requires electric power suppliers and gas suppliers (energy suppliers) to provide, in addition to all other requirements under current law, the phone number and website for filing complaints with the Board of Public Utilities, Division of Customer Assistance (BPU), and an explanation of the practice known as “slamming,” which is the unauthorized change of a customer's electric power supplier or gas supplier, with customer contract summaries.  The bill also requires energy suppliers, electric power utilities, and gas utilities to provide, in addition to all other requirements under current law, the phone number and website for filing complaints with the BPU on customer bills. 

      The bill also requires the BPU to publish on its website, on a quarterly basis, a detailed report regarding customer complaints that does not include the names or other personal information of the customers who complained, but includes the names of the electric and gas public utilities, energy suppliers, private aggregators, and energy agents against which the complaints were filed.

      The committee amended the bill to retain an audio recording of a telephone call initiated by the person; an independent, third-party verification of a telephone call initiated by an energy supplier; or any alternative forms of verification as a method of approval to provide electric generation service or gas supply service.  The amendments also require energy suppliers to provide the phone number and website for filing complaints with the BPU on customer contract summaries and customer bills.  Additionally, the amendments require the BPU to quarterly publish information on its website regarding customer complaints.  The amendments also change the bill’s effective date from taking effect immediately to 30 days after enactment. Finally, the synopsis was amended to reflect the requirements concerning the publishing of certain information related to the filing of customer complaints. 

      As amended and reported, Assembly Bill No. 4569(1R) is identical to Senate Bill No. 3535, which was also amended and reported by the committee on this date.