(a) The Office of People's Counsel ("OPC"), established by § 34-804, may:

(1) Represent District of Columbia ratepayers at administrative hearings when these hearings involve the interests of users of the products of or services furnished by the Authority;

(2) Represent the interests of and advocate for District of Columbia ratepayers at public hearings held by the Authority, pursuant to section 216(b), to establish and adjust water and sewer rates;

(3) Represent and advocate for District of Columbia ratepayers at proceedings before local and federal regulatory agencies and courts when those proceedings involve the interests of users of the products of or services furnished by the Authority;

(4) Investigate the services given by, and the rates charged by, the Authority, in response to complaints received by the OPC, including complaints regarding:

(A) Billing practices and payment plans;

(B) Service connection and disconnection;

(C) Customer service; and

(D) Notice of construction schedules; and

(5) Advise and educate Authority customers about their legal rights and responsibilities pursuant to the rules governing service by the Authority.

(b) Within one year after April 11, 2019, the OPC, or a contractor selected by the OPC, shall prepare and submit to the Mayor and Council a study of, and recommendations on how to improve, the Authority's billing activities, meter reading accuracy, and customer service operations.

(c)(1) The Authority shall provide the OPC, or, for the purposes of subsection (b) of this section, a contractor selected by the OPC, access to any accounts, books, papers, and documents considered necessary to carry out the functions described in subsections (a) and (b) of this section.

(2) Before requesting access to a customer account from the Authority, OPC shall obtain permission from the customer holding the account to request such access.

(d) The Authority shall, within 14 business days after receipt of an inquiry related to the functions described in subsection (a) or (b) of this section, from OPC or, for the purposes of subsection (b) of this section, a contractor selected by the OPC, respond on the merits to the inquiry; provided, that if the inquiry is made in the course of a formal proceeding before a court or agency, this subsection shall not apply and the Authority shall respond within the period of time required by the rules governing the proceeding.

(e) Within 3 months after October 1, 2019, a working group comprised of representatives from the Authority, the OPC, and the Department of Energy and Environment shall develop a Consumer Bill of Rights that delineates the rights and responsibilities of the Authority and its customers for consideration and enactment by the Authority.

(Apr. 18, 1996, D.C. Law 11-111, § 205a; as added Apr. 11, 2019, D.C. Law 22-299, § 2(b), 66 DCR 2020.)

Applicability of D.C. Law 22-299: § 7174 of D.C. Law 23-16 repealed § 4 of D.C. Law 22-299. Therefore the creation of this section by D.C. Law 22-299 has been implemented.

Applicability of D.C. Law 22-299: § 4 of D.C. Law 22-299 provided that the creation of this section by § 2(b) of D.C. Law 22-299 is subject to the inclusion of the law’s fiscal effect in an approved budget and financial plan. Therefore that amendment has not been implemented.