State representative Art Handy wrote about a bill he hopes to have passed during this session.  If passed, it would allow individuals who are behind on their utility bills to get out of debt.  It works like this: Individuals who are behind on their utility bills would pay around 6 or 8 percent of their income per year for 3 years.  The amount would be broken down into 12 monthly payments, and at the end of the 36 months, the remaining amount of their balance would be wiped out.  In addition to that, customers (individuals and businesses) would have to pay an additional monthly fee which works out to around $17 per year.

     To summarize, people who consume energy they know they can't afford will then pay off part of their debt and be subsidized by those who do pay their bills.  If you don't pay your bills, you get a reward.  If you do pay your bills, you get punished.  Does that sound fair or logical to you?

     This isn't going to be popular, but many people who "can't" pay their energy bills miraculously find ways to afford other things.  If this bill were to pass, I would be interested to know how many of the people in the program subscribe to digital cable, Fios, or satellite television.  How many people have difficulty finding the money to pay National Grid, but are able to scrape money together to pay DirecTV? 

     I have a great way to prevent utility shut-offs: Customers can pay their bills.  They might not have the money, but they can get it by spending their money wisely.  If they still don't have enough, perhaps they can get a second job.  The best part is that these steps don't require any legislation, only hard work and planning.  This might seem harsh, but energy customers should not be asked to shoulder any more costs.