LANSING – State Representative Jeff Mayes (D-Bay City) today announced the creation of a special subcommittee of the House Energy and Technology Committee that will develop legislation to protect the most vulnerable residents of the state from having their utilities shut off during the winter months.
"We need to act now to ensure that utility companies aren't cutting off the power of our most vulnerable residents," said Mayes, Chair of the House Energy and Technology Committee. "As we've tragically learned, having your heat shut off can literally be the difference between life and death. With Michigan facing tough economic times and many of our residents having to deal with rising utility costs on a fixed income, a few missed payments shouldn't force them and their family out into the cold."
The Consumer Safety Subcommittee will be chaired by Mayes, who has made it a priority to make common-sense reforms to the state's utility laws. The bipartisan panel will be moving quickly to take action in order to prevent future utility shut-offs for at-risk residents.
During her State of the State address, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm called on the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) to ban utility shutoffs during the winter months for seniors, people with disabilities and low-income residents. However, some municipal utilities are not subject to the direction of the MPSC. Granholm's directive would not have affected Bay City Electric Light and Power, for example – which was involved in the tragic death of 93-year-old World War II veteran Marvin Schur in January. Schur was found dead in his freezing Bay City home on Jan. 17, days after his electricity was shut off.
"No one should have to go through what Marvin Schur was forced to," Mayes said. "This is a sad reminder of what can happen when we forget that utility shutoffs affect real people. I look forward to working with my colleagues in a bipartisan way to address the needs of working families struggling with utility bills."