LOW-INCOME UTILITY USERS

SB 156 adds a definition for "low-income customer" to New Mexico's Public Utility Act and exempts these customers from additional fees ("rate riders") imposed when new customers connect to utility systems. It directly affects low-income households using electricity, gas, or water services who qualify under the new definition. The bill's key mechanism is creating a formal definition for "low-income customer" and mandating that utilities exclude these households from certain cost-sharing fees. This change aims to reduce financial burdens on eligible low-income utility users by preventing them from paying extra costs tied to new infrastructure connections.