Republican Senator Kevin Bacon Introduces Bill Targeting Submetering

The Ohio Statehouse will see a new bill introduced by Republican Senator Kevin Bacon; the bill seeks to make companies that resell utility services more accountability and have more oversight. His goal is to prevent consumers from being duped into paying more for unregulated utilities.

“This practice has become very profitable to some companies in recent years, often at the expense of low-income consumers,” Senator Kevin Bacon said told FOx28. “Some utility providers are able to get away with deceptive billing practices and unjustified price hikes largely because the law doesn’t prohibit it. It’s time to fix that.”

Kevin Bacon’s bill will include provisions to charges at the same rate or lower as regulated utilities, stop property owners from charging more than one admin fee each month for all utility service and protect consumers from being liable for any costs related to the routine operation, repair or maintenance of service lines.

What happens if Bacon’s bill becomes Bacon’s law? The Ohio Attorney General could enforce these requirements.

ABC 6 On Your Side did a piece of investigative journalism, that discovered the gap in regulation — allowing these submetering companies to overcharge customers via additional community charges; ultimately pushing out tenants.

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