By Ellis S.B. No. 1008 75R3240 JJT-F A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to limitations on long distance service charges and 1-3 related disconnections of service. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. Subtitle G, Title III, Public Utility Regulatory 1-6 Act of 1995 (Article 1446c-0, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is 1-7 amended by adding Section 3.312 to read as follows: 1-8 Sec. 3.312. LONG DISTANCE SERVICE DISCONNECTIONS AND 1-9 BLOCKING. (a) A telecommunications utility may not disconnect a 1-10 customer's local telephone service for nonpayment of long distance 1-11 service costs. 1-12 (b) A telecommunications utility, at no charge, shall allow: 1-13 (1) a customer to block long distance service; or 1-14 (2) a residential customer to set a voluntary 1-15 limitation on the amount of the customer's monthly long distance 1-16 telephone costs. 1-17 (c) A telecommunications utility shall block all long 1-18 distance service to a residential customer who has chosen to place 1-19 a limitation on long distance costs when the total of the unpaid 1-20 long distance telephone costs attributable to the customer reaches 1-21 the amount of the voluntary limitation set by the customer. 1-22 (d) A telecommunications utility shall remove the block 1-23 placed on a customer under Subsection (c) of this section when the 1-24 customer has paid a portion of the customer's total unpaid long 2-1 distance telephone cost so that the amount of the unpaid cost is 2-2 less than the voluntary limitation set by the customer. 2-3 (e) A telecommunications utility shall remove, at no charge, 2-4 a voluntary long distance limitation set by the customer under 2-5 Subsection (b) of this section not later than the 30th day after 2-6 the customer makes a request. 2-7 (f) In this section: 2-8 (1) "Long distance" includes any interLATA or 2-9 intraLATA telephone call that terminates outside the calling 2-10 customer's local calling area. 2-11 (2) "Telecommunications utility" includes a person who 2-12 holds a service provider certificate of operating authority under 2-13 Section 3.2532 of this Act. 2-14 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the 2-15 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-16 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-17 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-18 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 2-19 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 2-20 passage, and it is so enacted.