LANSING, MI — Will 2023 be the year in which Michigan stops allowing utilities to cut off water to a household which can’t afford the bill and develops a framework for charging based on a customer’s ability to pay?

Advocates think it could be.

On Tuesday, Jan. 31, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a $1.1 billion supplemental spending bill which, along with being the earliest piece of legislation signed into law since 1947, contained $25 million to develop a water shutoff prevention fund at the state treasury department.

The money is not enough to solve the thorny issue of unpaid water bills, but affordability advocates say it’s still a big step toward helping Michiganders remain connected to the tap with the expiration of moratoriums on service shutoffs.