# 119-s-3222: Stop Shut-Offs During Shutdowns Act

119-s-3222, Stop Shut-Offs During Shutdowns Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (D-MA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3222
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-3222
- Congress: 119
- Title: Stop Shut-Offs During Shutdowns Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-11-19
- Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (D-MA)
- Cosponsors: 5
- Policy area: Energy
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Ban utility shut-offs during HHS funding lapses.** This bill would stop electric and natural gas service terminations when interim continuing appropriations or full-year appropriations for the Department of Health and Human Services are not in effect. - Households: Utilities must make reasonable efforts to safely reconnect customers who lose service. Customers could not be charged reconnection fees, late fees, or other penalties, and utilities may not increase the cost of service during the lapse. - Utilities: Costs a utility incurs to comply with the shutdown prohibition cannot be recovered retroactively from consumers. A State regulatory authority may approve an alternative recovery mechanism only if the costs are substantial, prudently incurred, and not reasonably recoverable by rates, market prices, or supplemental funding, and only after notice and an opportunity for comment. - State regulators and rules: The bill would amend the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to consolidate the termination prohibition and update the procedural framework governing service terminations.

## Cosponsors (5)

- Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] (D-NY), 2025-11-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT), 2025-11-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR), 2025-11-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL] (D-IL), 2025-11-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Alsobrooks, Angela D. [D-MD] (D-MD), 2026-04-16T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- No utility shutoffs during shutdowns: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would stop electric and natural gas companies from disconnecting household service when HHS has no interim or full-year appropriations. Utilities would have to make reasonable efforts to safely reconnect customers who lost service. Customers could not be charged reconnection fe…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-s-3222 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3222)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3869)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3222 (as of 2026-09-10).