Georgia's utility regulators are giving unpaid Transportation Security Administration workers a little breathing room on the home front, ordering a temporary halt to utility disconnections and late fees while the partial federal government shutdown drags on. The move is aimed squarely at screeners at Hartsfield-Jackson and other regional airports who have kept showing up to work despite missing paychecks. Commissioners say the protections will stay in place until the shutdown ends and back pay is restored.
What the order does
The final order, filed Monday after Commissioner Tricia Pridemore called for a pause on shutoffs and late fees for qualifying TSA employees, won unanimous approval at the Public Service Commission's administrative session, according to the Georgia Public Service Commission. It directs regulated utilities to stop disconnecting service for TSA workers who are not getting paid and to waive late fees during the shutdown. Once the federal government restarts full operations and workers receive their back pay, those past-due balances must be paid within 30 days. Commissioners framed the order as short-term relief for people who kept working through the funding lapse.
Federal context
The PSC's move lands in the middle of lingering pay uncertainty for TSA staff. An early April executive order guaranteed some back pay for agents, but unions and agency officials have warned that future paychecks are still shaky, as reported by Georgia Public Broadcasting. “I’m hoping this order will give them one less thing to worry about,” Commissioner Tricia Pridemore said, according to WSB-TV.
Who qualifies and what it covers
The protections are limited to utilities that fall under PSC regulation, which means investor-owned companies such as Georgia Power and Atlanta Gas Light. Municipal utilities and private landlords are not automatically covered, according to CBS Atlanta. To get the pause on shutoffs and fees, TSA agents must verify their employment status with the state. The commission has made clear that the protections last only while the shutdown continues, and that normal collections will resume once pay is restored.
Local reaction and politics
Commissioners Jason Shaw and Peter Hubbard backed the move as a practical way to support workers clocking in during the funding lapse. Hubbard said “they shouldn't have to worry about coming home to a dark house,” as reported by WSB-TV. Not everyone was impressed. Some advocates criticized the timing and scope, with Georgia WAND's executive director branding the proposal an "election-year gimmick" while Pridemore runs for Congress, according to FOX 5 Atlanta.
How to get the pause
Under the commission's order, TSA employees seeking relief must verify their employment with the agency to qualify for the temporary moratorium on shutoffs and late fees. Utilities that fall under PSC jurisdiction are required to hold off on disconnections and late charges for these customers while the shutdown remains in effect, according to the Georgia Public Service Commission. Once the shutdown ends and back pay is restored, customers will have 30 days to bring their accounts current before collections pick up again.
What to watch next
Advocacy groups are already pushing for the same protections to be extended beyond TSA workers, pointing to Georgians struggling with repeated rate hikes and high bills, a criticism raised during the proposal's rollout, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. Regulators, for now, describe the move as a targeted and temporary response tied directly to the federal shutdown. Whether similar pauses are broadened to other worker groups or types of utilities will depend on future PSC votes and whatever happens next in federal funding talks.
For now, the commission expects this pause to be short lived, lifting it once the federal government resumes full funding and back pay lands in workers' accounts. TSA employees and affected customers are being urged to watch for notices from their utility or the PSC that explain how to confirm eligibility and sign up for the temporary protections.
