Michigan Votes Forum

Introduced in the Senate on July 15, 2003, to waive certain “code of conduct” restrictions on utilities (gas and electric companies) which offer appliance and heating/cooling system repair and service in competition with non-utility service providers, if the utility controls less than 30 percent of the repair and servicing market in the area. Utilities would still be prohibited from inserting ads for the service in customer utility bills, or cross-subsidizing the service with regulated utility service revenues. Without this bill, recent Michigan Public Service Commission regulations could force utilities, specifically Consumers Energy, to stop offering this service

The vote was 33 in favor, 4 opposed and 1 not voting

(Senate Roll Call 521 at Senate Journal 92)

Click here to view bill details.

I have this service and I would like to see it continue.

This protects those of us may not be able to afford the price of a late night, holiday, or 5 below zero emergency call. This way we know what we can expect. This bill is necessary.

This allows countless senior citizens - including my parents - to sleep at night knowing that repair help if just a phone call away. Taking this away from our Seniors would be a severe hardship for many to have relied on it for so long.

The passage of this bill would negate the order of the Michigan Public Service Commission to restrict activities of utilities that are in competion with private enterprise companies. It would enable utilities to use monies from utility customers for advertising and equipment to compete for service work against small buisinesses that do not have access to that kind of capital and therefore could not compete against the big utilities. The order of the MPSC reguires that those competitive activities be funded out of earnings and debt by the utility's service unit the same as any business would have to by standing on its own "two feet".

The legislature should reject this bill and support Michigan's small businesses!

SB612 will not hurt the small heating and cooling businesses, they hurt themselves with the high service and repair fees. In 1999 and 2000, repairs woulde've cost me over $650 for repairs from a heating and cooling establishment. So please, don't say the gas company is hurting the small businesses. In fact, in the year 2000, I couldn't even get a repairman out to my house when my furnace went out. Then my wife reminded me tHAT we had the plan with Consumers. A repairman was at my side door in 30 minutes and it only took the repairman 25 minutes to replace (2) parts. I signed a repair form and he was on his way. Why can't the small businesses have a program like Consumers? The plan with Comsumers works, don't change or eliminate a good thing for all the residents of Mi.

One recent frigid morning, while my husband and I were at work, my 18 year old daughter discovered our furnace was not working. Within 45 minutes MichCon had fixed it. One simple call and lots of security.

Senator Garcia asked and was granted unanimous consent to make a statement and moved that the statement be printed in the Journal. The motion prevailed. Senator Garcia's statement is as follows: I want to thank the bill sponsor for concurring with what the House did. I think it is a much better bill than when it left the Senate. It does provide good service. What this bill does is allows good service to be provided to our constituents. I realize it does help employ some small business owners, but I have had some real difficulty with this bill because it pits, really, my senior citizens against many of my small business owners. Because of that, I have had some real struggles with this, but I will vote for this bill because my senior citizens and others tell me it is a good program it's a good bill. But I just feel compelled to say that I am afraid we have these issues that pit good, hardworking people like small business owners against senior citizens. It makes it difficult.

The next thing you know all of us in the HVAC Buisness will be working for Consumers or Michcon. Then there will be no competition.Hang on to your checkbook then!