HB4595 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 16771 AAS 30180 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB4595

Introduced 2/3/2026, by Rep. Dave Vella

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

See Index

Amends the Public Utilities Act. Provides that the Illinois Commerce Commission shall monitor the impact of each public utility in the State on overall consumer savings and on the electrical grid of the State. Requires the Commission to submit an annual report to the Governor, the Attorney General, and the General Assembly that summarizes the results of the Commission's efforts no later than one year after the effective date of the amendatory Act and annually thereafter. Provides that a utility shall cap residential rates for qualifying households at a set monthly maximum during a city, county, or State declaration of a winter weather emergency or an extreme heat warning that covers the area of the utility in which the qualifying household is located. Provides that each utility in the State shall file with the Commission prior to December 1 of each year a plan detailing the implementation of a residential rate cap. Provides that all plans are subject to review and approval by the Commission and that the Commission may direct a utility to modify its plan to comply with the requirements of the amendatory provisions. In provisions concerning Disconnection Protection Programs, provides that a customer who submits documentation that shows that the customer is enrolled in the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), the Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP), or Medicaid shall be granted protection under a utility's Disconnection Protection Program upon the receipt of the customer's documentation. Provides that, if the utility, upon reviewing the customer's documentation, determines that the documentation does not provide sufficient proof that the customer is enrolled in LIHEAP, PIPP, or Medicaid, the utility may remove the customer from the utility's Disconnection Protection Program. Provides that an electric utility that offers at least one market-based rate option, including, but not limited to, net electricity metering, for retail customers who choose to take power and energy supply service from the utility shall limit peak hour rates under the market-based rate option to no more than 150% of the rate that the customer would otherwise pay if the customer was not using the market-based rate option. Makes other changes.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning regulation.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Public Utilities Act is amended by changing Sections 8-206.5 and by adding Sections 4-616, 8-205.5, and 16-107.10 as follows:

(220 ILCS 5/4-616 new)

Sec. 4-616. Commission reporting.

(a) The Commission shall monitor the impact of each public utility in this State on overall consumer savings and on the electrical grid of this State.

(b) The Commission shall submit an annual report to the Governor, the Attorney General, and the General Assembly that summarizes the results of the Commission's efforts under subsection (a) no later than one year after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly and annually thereafter.

(220 ILCS 5/8-205.5 new)

Sec. 8-205.5. Bill cap for extreme weather conditions.

(a) A utility shall cap residential rates for qualifying households at a set monthly maximum during a city, county, or State declaration of a winter weather emergency or an extreme heat warning that covers the area of the utility in which the qualifying household is located.

For the purpose of this subsection (a), "qualifying household" means a household where:

(i) a person using the household as that person's principal place of residence is 65 years of age or older;

(ii) a person using the household as that person's principal place of residence qualifies as a person with a disability, as defined under the federal Supplemental Security Income program, and is medically fragile and technology dependent; or

(iii) the household meets the definition of "low-income household" under the Illinois Affordable Housing Act.

(b) Each utility in this State shall file with the Commission prior to December 1 of each year a plan detailing the implementation of this Section. All plans are subject to review and approval by the Commission. The Commission may direct a utility to modify its plan to comply with the requirements of this Section.

(c) A utility that has a plan on file with the Commission shall not be required to resubmit a new plan each year. However, any alteration of the plan on file must be submitted to and approved by the Commission prior to December 1 of that year.

(220 ILCS 5/8-206.5)

Sec. 8-206.5. Disconnection Protection Program.

(a) No later than June 1, 2025, each electric and gas utility serving more than 500,000 customers in this State shall implement a Disconnection Protection Program, whereby customers who have applied for assistance through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) or Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) shall be temporarily protected from disconnection for 30 days after the utility receives notice from a local administrative agency that the customer has submitted an application to LIHEAP or PIPP and, in cases where LIHEAP or PIPP assistance is received, for another 45 days after receiving the notice. Any customer who applies for, but does not receive, LIHEAP or PIPP assistance shall, by operation of this Section, only be temporarily protected from disconnection once in any program year.

(b) Each electric and gas utility may recover costs for implementation, administration, and ongoing operation of its Disconnection Protection Program through the utility's revenue requirement, subject to a review for prudence and reasonableness by the Commission.

(c) A customer who submits to an electric or gas utility documentation that shows that the customer is enrolled in the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), the Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP), or a medical assistance program established under Article V of the Illinois Public Aid Code shall be granted protection under the utility's Disconnection Protection Program upon the receipt of the customer's documentation by the utility. If the utility, upon reviewing the customer's documentation, determines that the documentation does not provide sufficient proof that the customer is enrolled in LIHEAP, PIPP, or a medical assistance program established under Article V of the Illinois Public Aid Code, the utility may remove the customer from the utility's Disconnection Protection Program. A utility shall provide notice to a customer when the customer is granted protection under a Disconnection Protection Program pursuant to this subsection (c) and when the customer has been removed from the utility's Disconnection Protection Program.

(Source: P.A. 103-661, eff. 1-1-25.)

(220 ILCS 5/16-107.10 new)

Sec. 16-107.10. Market-based rate option cap. An electric utility that offers at least one market-based rate option, including, but not limited to, net electricity metering under the terms of Section 16-107.5, for retail customers who choose to take power and energy supply service from the utility shall limit peak hour rates under the market-based rate option to no more than 150% of the rate that the customer would otherwise pay if the customer was not using the market-based rate option.