From the Maryland Office of People’s Counsel

Because the current federal shutdown has lasted longer than 7 consecutive days, protections for certain residential utility customers are now in effect.

If you’re a government employee in Maryland who has been furloughed without pay because of the government shutdown, you may qualify for protection from having your gas and electric service shut off. This applies whether or not you’re still required to report to work during the shutdown.

Gas and electric utility companies cannot disconnect your service for nonpayment during the shutdown or for 7 days after it ends as long as you contact the company before the shutoff date to:

• Verify that you’re a government employee affected by the shutdown, and
• Set up a plan to pay your overdue balance once the shutdown is over.

Call your utility directly to talk about your options and how you can verify that you are a government employee who has been affected.

You can find information here on tenant protections for furloughed Federal employees.