Contact: Regina Davis, 202-898-9382, rdavis@naruc.org

NARUC and State Utility Commissioners Remind Americans to ‘Take a Day On, Not a Day Off’ on MLK Day 2020

WASHINGTON (January 15, 2020)—The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners join U.S. public utility commissions in the annual observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on January 20, 2020. To underscore the call to action for public service on this day, the NARUC Board of Directors passed a resolution in 2008 designating the holiday as a Day of Utility Service.

As noted on the National & Community Service website, “The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Jan. 20, 2020, marks the 25th anniversary of the day of service that celebrates the Civil Rights leader’s life and legacy. Observed each year on the third Monday in January as ‘a day on, not a day off,’ MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities.”

NARUC supports this message and recommends utility-related community service projects:

“Dr. King was a great example of public service and community engagement. To help keep his legacy of public service alive, we enthusiastically encourage everyone across the country to celebrate the day with simple acts of utility service. NARUC began its ‘Anybody Can Serve, So Let’s Conserve’ campaign to demonstrate the many ways that we can positively benefit our communities and our future through acts of conservation and basic lifestyle changes. Helping a neighbor—particularly the elderly—adjust thermostats, weatherize homes, and install energy-efficient lightbulbs and water-saving devices truly helps live out the spirit of Dr. King’s commitment to serve.” 

NARUC President Brandon Presley
Chairman, Mississippi Public Service Commission

NARUC adopted the resolution designating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a Utility Day of Service at the Winter Committee Meetings in Washington, D.C., on February 20, 2008. The resolution can be viewed on NARUC's website by clicking here.

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About NARUC

NARUC is a non-profit organization founded in 1889 whose members include the governmental agencies that are engaged in the regulation of utilities and carriers in the fifty States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. NARUC's member agencies regulate telecommunications, energy, and water utilities. NARUC represents the interests of State public utility commissions before the three branches of the Federal government.