The Illinois House voted Wednesday to put new restrictions on how Ameren is allowed to collect delinquent electric bills — part of an ongoing effort to keep pressure on the utility as lawmakers continue seeking rate relief.
As rate-relief talks continue, some lawmakers say they are worried that Ameren and other utilities, including ComEd, will begin leaning on customers who are behind on their electric bills. Some of those bills tripled this year under new rate structures.
The legislation, which now moves to the Senate, would make the state’s current restrictions on collection agencies apply to utilities as well. Those include prohibitions on late-night phone calls, calling debtors’ employers and falsely threatening legal action.
“I want to ensure … that those types of collection techniques, which are not permitted for collection agencies, will also not be permitted for public utilities,” said Rep. George Scully, D-Flossmoor, sponsor of the legislation.
When pressed by opponents, Scully acknowledged that he didn’t know of any instances in which the utilities were engaging in those activities. He said the legislation was meant to ensure that such tactics weren’t used on consumers as the Legislature continued threatening to freeze and roll back Ameren’s rates.
An Ameren spokesman said Wednesday that he wasn’t aware of the legislation, but added: “We don’t call people in the middle of the night (about late electric bills), and we don’t call people at work and embarrass them.”
Ameren and ComEd, Illinois’ two major electricity providers, both raised their rates sharply on Jan. 2, after the state lifted almost a decade of rate controls. The utilities say the increases were necessary to cover their costs after years of artificially low rates, but critics say those rates jumped more than was justifiable.
The increases were especially stark for some downstate and Metro East area customers served by Ameren, because the utility ended a special cut-rate program for electrically heated homes at the same time it raised its regular rates. Some of those customers have reported monthly electric bills that doubled or even tripled this year.
Legislation to roll back and freeze rates has passed both chambers of the Legislature, but in different forms. Lawmakers and the utilities are negotiating, trying to come to agreement on a relief package. Both utilities have offered to provide cash give-backs to their hardest-hit customers, but many lawmakers are insisting on a rate freeze, which both utilities have vehemently opposed.
The rate issue could come to a head in the next few weeks, when the Legislature is supposed to approve a new state budget — something that many downstate lawmakers say they won’t do until the utility issue is settled.
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