A proposed bill seeks to remove the $15 disconnection fee that the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. charges customers.<\/p>\n
Aside from removing the disconnection notice fee, Rep. Francis Taimanao (Ind-Saipan) said House Bill 19-51 also seeks to extend the grace period of 21 days to 30 days for CUC customers to pay their outstanding balances.<\/p>\n
Taimanao said his proposed bill seeks to help CNMI residents who are dependent on government welfare and assistance programs.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany residents are dependent on benefits. And if their checks are not received on time, they are often disconnected,\u201d Taimanao said.<\/p>\n
He wondered why CUC still charges a disconnection notice when some residents are already struggling financially.<\/p>\n
Taimanao said has personally consulted with residents who are having a difficult time reconciling their finances.<\/p>\n
The lawmaker said H.B 19-51 also seeks to help those who are members of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, headed by the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs.<\/p>\n
LIHEAP is a program involving the CUC and DCCA, Taimanao said, where the DCCA shoulders part of the electricity bill of the members of the program.<\/p>\n
Taimanao said LIHEAP clients, who are obligated to pay only a certain portion of their electricity bill, are still being burdened by the CUC to pay the full amount because LIHEAP is sometimes unable to remit on time.<\/p>\n
\u201cChanges must be implemented in order to protect the LIHEAP clients from any disconnection that is not their fault,\u201d the proposed bill noted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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