S. 3222 — Stop Shut-Offs During Shutdowns Act

This section expresses the sense of Congress that, during any lapse in appropriations for the Department of Health and Human Services, state regulatory authorities and electric and natural gas utilities should (1) not terminate consumer service based on inability to pay; (2) make reasonable efforts to safely reconnect consumers who lost service; (3) not charge consumers for reconnection services; (4) waive late fees and other penalties for consumers; and (5) impose no increases in cost-of-service for consumers.

This section amends procedures for termination of residential electric service under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA; 16 U.S.C. 2625(g))—which require state regulatory authorities (for regulated utilities) or utilities (for nonregulated utilities) to protect qualifying consumers (i.e., those unable to pay due to illness, age, or disability)—to (1) prohibit termination during any period without interim continuing appropriations or full-year appropriations for the Department of Health and Human Services; and (2) bar electric utilities from retroactively assessing compliance costs on consumers who would otherwise have had service terminated, while authorizing a state regulatory authority, after notice and opportunity for comment, to establish an alternative recovery mechanism if such costs are substantial, prudently incurred, and cannot reasonably be recovered through regulated rates, market prices, or supplemental funding.