HP1324
LD 1853
Session - 129th Maine Legislature
 
LR 2827
Item 1
Bill Tracking, Additional Documents Chamber Status

An Act To Prohibit Door-to-door Marketing of Retail Energy Supply

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:

Sec. 1. 35-A MRSA §3203, sub-§4-B,  as enacted by PL 2017, c. 74, §1, is amended to read:

4-B. Residential consumer protections.  As a condition of licensing, a competitive electricity provider that provides or proposes to provide generation service to a residential consumer:
A. Shall disclose, before entering into an agreement to provide service to a residential consumer, to the residential consumer where the residential consumer can obtain information with which to compare the service provided by the competitive electricity provider and the standard-offer service;
B. May not renew a contract for generation service without providing a residential consumer with notice of renewal in advance by mail;
C. May not renew a contract for generation service at a fixed rate that is 20% or more above the contract rate in the expiring contract without the express consent of the residential consumer;
D. May not renew a contract for generation service for a term that is longer than the term of the expiring contract or 12 months, whichever is shorter, without the express consent of the residential consumer; and
E. May not impose an early termination fee for any contract for generation service that was renewed without express consent from the residential consumer . ; and
F May not solicit residential consumers using door-to-door sales practices.

If a residential consumer does not provide the express consent required by paragraphs C and D, the residential consumer must be transferred to standard-offer service. If a competitive electricity provider violates paragraph F, in addition to any other remedies that the commission may impose, the commission shall suspend the competitive electricity provider's license to operate for a period of no less than one year and the competitive electricity provider shall refund to all residential consumers contracted with that competitive electricity provider any amount paid for retail energy service in excess of the price of standard-offer service since the competitive electricity provider's commencement of door-to-door sales practices.

summary

This bill prohibits door-to-door sales practices directed at residential consumers by competitive electricity providers.


Top of Page