SENATE DOCKET, NO. 885        FILED ON: 1/13/2009

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1476

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act relative to gas meter readings..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, Section 119A of Chapter 164 of the General Laws of Massachusetts as appearing in the 2004 Official Edition is hereby amended by adding, after the first sentence, the following:  “Billing of customers shall be based on actual readings.  An estimate may only be used in an extraordinary situation where gas meters are inaccessible or unable to be read.” 

SECTION 2. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the department shall have the right to promulgate rules regarding actual meter readings or clarifying instances in which estimates may be used.

SECTION. 3The department shall establish a suitable punishment for each violation.

SECTION 4.This section shall take effect on June 1, 2009 and shall have no effect on services provided or bills levied prior to June 1, 2009.