Delaware · House Bill 62 · 153rd General Assembly

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 22 AND 26 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE TERMINATION OF UTILITY SERVICES.

HB 62 Sponsored by Melanie Ross Levin Withdrawn

  1. Introduced Mar 6, 2025
  2. In committee Mar 6, 2025
  3. Withdrawn  
  4. Passed the Senate  
  5. To the governor  
  6. Became law  

What it does

The legislature's own summary of the bill, or its official long title.

This Act updates the law relating to the termination of utility services by largely adopting and expanding state regulations concerning the termination of heating and cooling services. Among other things this Act does the following: 1. Prohibits a utility company from terminating any services outside the hours of 8 AM to 4 PM, Monday through Thursday. 2. Prohibits a utility company from terminating heating services…

Read the full title (318 words)

This Act updates the law relating to the termination of utility services by largely adopting and expanding state regulations concerning the termination of heating and cooling services. Among other things this Act does the following: 1. Prohibits a utility company from terminating any services outside the hours of 8 AM to 4 PM, Monday through Thursday. 2. Prohibits a utility company from terminating heating services for nonpayment to a dwelling unit when the temperature is at or below 35 degrees Fahrenheit. 3. Prohibits a utility company from terminating cooling services when the Heat Index is equal to or exceeds 95 degrees Fahrenheit. 4. Prohibits a utility company from terminating heating services to a dwelling for nonpayment during the winter if the occupant is a recipient of LIHEAP, SSI, POC, OR TANF. 5. Requires 14 days written notice be given to a dwelling unit prior to termination of services for nonpayment of bills during the heating or cooling season. 6. Requires the utility company to make at least 3 attempts to contact the occupant of a dwelling unit by telephone, or another preferred method, prior to termination of services for nonpayment during the heating season, including one attempt that must be after 5 PM. 7. Requires the utility to make at least 1 attempt to contact the occupant of a dwelling unit by telephone, or another preferred method, prior to termination of services for nonpayment during the cooling season. 8. Requires that the 14 days written notice include information about payment plans, government assistance programs, and other ways termination of services may be deferred. 9. Imposes a civil penalty of up to $1,000 in lieu of a misdemeanor. This Act also expands the scope of utility termination laws to include the termination of utilities run by municipal electric companies. Municipalities that use municipal electric companies will be responsible for adopting ordinances to enforce utility termination laws within the municipality.

Every action

11 steps, oldest first, as the legislature records them.

  1. CommitteeIntroduced and Assigned to Transportation Committee in House · House Transportation
  2. CommitteeRe-Assigned to Natural Resources & Energy Committee in House · House Natural Resources & Energy
  3. HouseSubstituted in House by HS 1 for HB 62
  4. HouseHS 1 for HB 62 - Reported Out of Committee (Natural Resources & Energy) in House with 10 On Its Merits
  5. HouseSubstituted in House by HS 1 for HB 62
  6. HouseHS 1 for HB 62 - - Passed In House by Voice Vote
  7. HouseHS 1 for HB 62 - Passed By House. Votes: 28 YES 12 NO 1 ABSENT
  8. SenateHS 1 for HB 62 - Assigned to Environment, Energy & Transportation Committee in Senate
  9. SenateHS 1 for HB 62 - Reported Out of Committee (Environment, Energy & Transportation) in Senate with 4 Favorable, 4 On Its Merits
  10. SenateHS 1 for HB 62 - Passed By Senate. Votes: 20 YES 1 ABSENT
  11. HS 1 for HB 62 - Signed by Governor

Roll calls

No recorded votes on this bill yet.

Sponsors

The member who introduced it, joined by 15 cosponsors: 15 Democrats.

All 15 cosponsors

From Delaware's official records (legis.delaware.gov), checked Nov 1, 2026. Text links go to the official versions; LegiList does not copy bill text.