Neighbor News
Yingling Introduces Legislation to Protect Consumers from Unregulated Utility Suppliers
Protects residents from being manipulated into paying frighteningly high utility bills.
For Immediate Release:
For More Information:
March 1, 2016
Find out what's happening in Grayslakefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
State Rep. Sam Yingling
(847) 231-6262
Find out what's happening in Grayslakefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
repsamyingling@gmail.com
Facebook/RepSamYingling
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – This month, state Rep. Sam Yingling, D- Grayslake, introduced legislation that would protect residents from being manipulated into paying frighteningly high utility bills.
“With skyrocketing property taxes continuing to burden middle-class families, the last thing Illinois residents need to worry about are high utility bills,” Yingling said. “Consumers shouldn’t feel confused about how their utility company operates or that they are being charged for something they don’t need.”
Currently, there is no law in Illinois preventing unregulated utility suppliers from using the name or logo of a regulated utility company in their marketing campaigns. This makes it very easy for suppliers to manipulate consumers into thinking they need to purchase additional utility packages or deals. Yingling’s initiative is meant to prevent this dishonest marketing. House Bill 6023 would prohibit alternative retail electric and gas suppliers from using the names or logos of regulated utility companies for their marketing purposes. This would make it harder to manipulate consumers into purchasing packages or plans they don’t need, and would lower utility bills for many.
Bryan McDaniel, the Director of Governmental Affairs at Citizens Utility Board has been working closely with Yingling on this initiative.
“We look at the utility bills of thousands of Illinois residents every year, and it’s clear that many of them are paying way more than they should be,” said McDaniel. “This legislation will protect consumers from being manipulated into paying more for their utilities, and in an economic time like the one we are in now, that can be very significant.”
For more information on this topic, please contact Yingling’s constituent service office at (847) 231- 6262.
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