Across the country, millions of families are facing utility debt and potential evictions, unable to pay the skyrocketing prices of water, electricity, and broadband Internet. This punitive, unaffordable system is disproportionately impacting families of color.

Now, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) has introduced the Maintaining Access to Essential Services Act to cancel household debt for water, electricity, and broadband and help struggling families get back on their feet.

The legislation provides nearly $40 billion in low-interest loans to utilities and requires the utilities that receive loans to suspend utility shutoffs, restore disconnected service, suspend late fees and charges, stop the sale of household debt to debt collectors, and stop filing adverse reports to credit agencies. The loans will be forgiven when the utilities forgive all outstanding household debt.

Water, power, and internet shutoffs leave our most vulnerable communities without vital life-sustaining services. Mounting debt means many families are on the brink of homelessness. And yet, as people fall further behind throughout the pandemic-driven economic crisis, investor-owned utilities continue to make record profits.

We must ensure that people can remain in their homes with their water running and their lights on.

Sign now to become a grassroots cosponsor of the Maintaining Access to Essential Services Act to guarantee water as a human right and ensure the continuation of other services essential to our survival.