HB641: HB641 Public utilities; require electric supplier to hold the proposed discontinuation of electrical service to a residential customer who suffers from a serious illness in abeyance for a certain period of time

Current Georgia law (O.C.G.A. Chapter 3 of Title 46) sets rules for electric suppliers but does not specifically address how they must handle service shutoffs for residential customers with serious health conditions. This substitute version of House Bill 641 adds a new requirement to that law. Starting January 1, 2027, any electric supplier that serves homes must have a written policy covering discontinuation of electric service to residential customers who have a serious, life-threatening condition. To use the policy, a customer must give the supplier a written statement from a physician, county board of health, hospital, or clinic that identifies the condition, says how long it is expected to last, and certifies that losing electric service would make the condition worse. The supplier must also give a copy of this written policy to any consumer or potential consumer who asks for it. The bill repeals any conflicting laws.

• Adds a new subsection to Georgia's electric service law (O.C.G.A. § 46-3-11) requiring residential electric suppliers to maintain a written policy on service discontinuation for seriously ill customers.
• Requires the customer's medical documentation to come from a physician, county board of health, hospital, or clinic and to state the condition, its expected duration, and that losing power would make it worse.
• Requires electric suppliers to hand over a copy of the written policy to any consumer or potential consumer who asks for it.
• Sets January 1, 2027 as the date the new requirement takes effect.
• Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with this new requirement.

Electric suppliers that serve residential customers in Georgia, residential customers with serious, life-threatening medical conditions, and the physicians, county boards of health, hospitals, or clinics that would provide the required written medical documentation.

Seriously ill Georgians facing a possible power shutoff would gain a documented process for their electric supplier to consider before cutting off service, and suppliers would have to publish and share that process on request, though the bill does not itself set a mandatory waiting period.

• Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 46-3-11 by adding subsection (c), requiring a written discontinuation policy for seriously ill residential customers beginning January 1, 2027.
• The medical documentation must come from a physician, county board of health, hospital, or clinic and must identify the condition, its expected duration, and certify that a service cutoff would aggravate it.
• Suppliers must furnish the written policy upon request by a consumer or potential consumer, not only to those already facing disconnection.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting state laws.

1. 2026-03-23Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
2. 2026-03-20Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
3. 2026-03-09Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
4. 2026-03-06House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
5. 2026-03-06House Third Readers (House)
6. 2026-02-18House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
7. 2025-02-28House Second Readers (House)
8. 2025-02-27House First Readers (House)

• Marvin Lim (D, HD-098)Primary sponsor
• Karen Mathiak (R, HD-082)
• William Werkheiser (R, HD-157)
• Karla Drenner (D, HD-085)
• Karen Lupton (D, HD-083)
• Kasey Carpenter (R, HD-004)
• Frank Ginn (R, SD-047)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 6, 2026

   134 yea, 28 nay (2 not voting, 13 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #672

• electric utilities
• power shutoffs
• medical documentation
• consumer protection
• public utilities regulation