The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Vermont Requires Public Utility Commission to Adopt Enhanced Disconnection Protections and Heat Moratoriums
Last action · March 18, 2026: Read 1st time & referred to Committee on FinanceSponsors: Dara Torre and 1 other
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Would Do
The Vermont Energy Equity Law requires the Public Utility Commission to adopt enhanced residential ratepayer protections, including prohibiting utility disconnections during periods of extreme heat and preventing shutoffs when a health hazard is certified. The bill takes effect on July 1, 2026.
Residential customers of gas, electric, and water utilities gain explicit protection against service shutoffs during medical emergencies and extreme heat events, altering how utilities manage involuntary disconnections.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
residential ratepayers
Residential customers receive new protections preventing utility disconnections during extreme heat or certified medical emergencies.
gas, electric, and water utilities
Utilities must comply with new disconnection restrictions, amend Rule 3.300 compliance procedures, and submit disconnection reduction plans.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What stops a utility from disconnecting service during a health emergency?
Can utilities disconnect service during extreme heat?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently passed chamber. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.
Procedural history
10 actions- Mar 18, 2026SenateIntroducedRead 1st time & referred to Committee on Finance
- Mar 13, 2026HouseFloorRead third time and passed
- Mar 13, 2026HouseAction Calendar: Third Reading
- Mar 12, 2026HouseThird Reading ordered
- Mar 12, 2026HouseReport of Committee on Energy and Digital Infrastructure agreed to
- Mar 12, 2026HouseRep. Torre of Moretown reported for the Committee on Energy and Digital Infrastructure
Show 4 earlier actions
- Mar 12, 2026HouseRead second time
- Mar 12, 2026HouseAction Calendar: Favorable with Amendment
- Mar 11, 2026HouseNotice Calendar: Favorable with Amendment
- Jan 22, 2026HouseIntroducedRead first time and referred to the Committee on Energy and Digital Infrastructure
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Mandatory Disconnection Moratoriums
Shifts regulatory policy from voluntary utility disconnection guidelines to mandatory prohibitions during extreme heat and medical emergencies.
Connected Entities
Sources
legislature.vermont.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools