1. For the purposes of protecting the health of residential customers who receive gas, water or electricity from public utilities, the Commission shall adopt or amend regulations that:
(a) Establish the criteria that will be used to determine when a public utility is required to postpone its termination of utility service to the residence of a residential customer who has failed to pay for such service. Such criteria may be based in part upon the residential customer’s ability to pay.
(b) Require a public utility to postpone its termination of utility service to the residence of a residential customer who has failed to pay for such service if the residential customer satisfies the criteria established by the Commission and termination of the utility service is reasonably likely to threaten the health of an occupant of the residence of the residential customer.
2. In addition to the regulations adopted pursuant to subsection 1, for the purposes of regulating public utilities that provide gas, water or electricity to landlords who pay for the utility service and who distribute or resell the gas, water or electricity to one or more residential tenants, the Commission shall adopt or amend regulations to require a public utility to use its best efforts to post, in a conspicuous location, notice of the intent of the public utility to terminate utility service because the landlord has failed to pay for such service. Such notice must provide sufficient information to allow residential tenants or their occupants to contact the public utility if termination of the utility service is reasonably likely to threaten the health of an occupant of the residence of a residential tenant.
3. A public utility shall not terminate utility service for gas, water or electricity without complying with the regulations adopted by the Commission pursuant to this section.
4. As used in this section:
(a) "Gas" includes, without limitation, liquefied petroleum gas and natural gas.
(b) "Landlord" means a landlord who is subject, in whole or in part, to the provisions of chapter 118A or 118B of NRS.
(Added to NRS by 2001, 3242)