For Pennsylvanians who rely on electrically powered medical equipment, even a brief outage can quickly become a life-threatening emergency. A new proposal in the state House aims to give those residents more protection before the power goes out.
If advanced, the measure would pair outage planning with backup-power support and stricter limits on when utilities can disconnect service.
Here's what to know
Three Pennsylvania House Democrats are circulating a proposal that would mandate utilities keep an opt-in registry for customers who depend on life-sustaining medical devices. According to WTAJ, the registry would be updated every quarter and include backup-power needs, emergency contacts, and outage-priority information.
State Rep. Jim Prokopiak of Bucks County is leading the effort with co-sponsors state Rep. Lisa Borowski of Delaware County and state Rep. Melissa Cerrato of Montgomery County. They said the idea is to help utilities prepare for outages affecting people whose equipment supports organ function, sustains life, or helps with mobility.
The bill would also stop utilities from cutting off service for non-payment for up to a year and set up a grant program to help residents cover the cost of generators and battery packs.
Although the bill has not been formally introduced yet, lawmakers are now trying to build support before filing it. The three lawmakers leading the charge for this legislation have released a memo providing more information on the proposal.
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In the memo, the lawmakers wrote, "This registry would provide residents with the option to voluntarily be added… so that they could receive notifications about an outage. Additionally, this legislation would create a grant program for generators and battery packs for residents with life-sustaining equipment and prohibit utilities from cutting off their service for nonpayment for up to a year."
Where can I learn more?
Pennsylvania's proposal is part of a push to limit dangerous shutoffs and improve backup power during outages.
• In Kentucky, lawmakers advanced a bipartisan ban on shutoffs.
• Across more than 30 states, utilities can still impose shutoffs during deadly heatwaves.
• In Rhode Island, officials backed energy storage for resilience as outages strain the grid.
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