H-2197              _______________________________________________

                                          SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL NO. 1102

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1985 Regular Session

By House Committee on Energy & Utilities (originally sponsored by Representatives Long, D. Nelson, Sutherland and Miller)

Read first time 3/8/85 and passed to Committee on Rules.

AN ACT Relating to charges for utility services; adding a new section to chapter 54.16 RCW; and adding a new section to chapter 80.04 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 54.16 RCW to read as follows:

          A district shall, as a condition of providing service to a prospective customer, require either a deposit  from the prospective customer or make a determination that the prospective customer is a satisfactory financial risk.  The method used to make this determination and for providing deposit refund shall be established by the district.  The district, in making its financial risk determination, may contact any entity in this state which previously provided like utility service to the prospective customer.

          If the district determines that the prospective customer has an outstanding or past due bill owing to that district, the district may, as a condition of providing service, require an agreement for payment of the past due bill, and may terminate service for failure by the customer to honor the agreement.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 80.04 RCW to read as follows:

          The commission shall authorize public service companies, as a condition of providing service to prospective customers, to require either a deposit  from the prospective customer or make a determination that the prospective customer is a satisfactory financial risk.  The method used to make this determination and for providing deposit refund shall be established by the public service company subject to the concurrence of the commission.  The public service company, in making its financial risk determination, may contact any entity in this state which previously provided like utility service to the prospective customer.