MichiganVotes Monday: Bill would ban water shutoffs for nonpayment
Water suppliers would be forced to restore any prior shutoff, unless it would harm public health to do so.
In January, Democrats will run Lansing.
One of the bills they might reintroduce after taking control is House Bill 4652 of 2021. Introduced by Rep. Abraham Aiyash, D-Hamtramck, and signed on to by seemingly every Democrat in Lansing at the time, the bill would ban water shutoffs for nonpayment.
Not only that, the bill would require that people whose water had been shut off for nonpayment have service restored.
“To facilitate the restoration of water& service, a public water supply must immediately make best efforts to determine those occupied residences within their service areas that do not have water service,” reads a portion of the three-page bill.
It doesn’t end there. Water suppliers would be required to reconnect any water user whose connection was cut off for any reason, unless “that reconnection would create a risk to public health due to improper cross connection.”
And if that happens, the water company must “make best effort to remedy” the situation.
The bill includes no remedy for water companies to receive payment.
Michigan Capitol Confidential is the news source produced by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Michigan Capitol Confidential reports with a free-market news perspective.