Bill Text: NJ S3601 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires allocation of federal funds for certain essential service customer bill payment assistance; makes an appropriation.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-04-19 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Economic Growth Committee [S3601 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-S3601-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator JOSEPH P. CRYAN
District 20 (Union)
SYNOPSIS
Requires allocation of federal funds for certain essential service customer bill payment assistance; makes an appropriation.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the allocation of federal funding from the "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021" and other federal statutes authorizing funding for coronavirus relief and making an appropriation.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. There is appropriated from the funds provided to the State by the federal government under the "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021," Pub. L. 117-2, to the Department of Community Affairs in a sum to be determined by the department, for use by the department to provide, consistent with federal law, bill payment assistance to qualifying residential electric, heating, water, wastewater, Internet, and voice telecommunications service customers throughout the State who, due to the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, have accrued overdue bills for these services. If the sum determined by the department is not available through the "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021," Pub. L. 117-2, then the remainder of this amount shall be appropriated from other sources of federal funding authorized for coronavirus relief for this purpose as federal funding becomes available. If federal funding is not available to satisfy the full amount of this appropriation, then the Commissioner of Community Affairs may notify the State Treasurer and the Joint Budget Oversight Committee of the Legislature of this deficiency and may request that the Legislature appropriate a portion of the remainder from the General Fund, or other available State funding sources, for the purposes of providing electric, heating, water, wastewater, Internet, and voice telecommunications service bill payment assistance to qualifying residential customers throughout the State who, due to the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, have accrued overdue bills for payment of these services.
b. The department shall adopt rules and regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), to effectuate the purposes of this act and shall promulgate rules and regulations establishing terms and conditions concerning which residential customers qualify for bill payment assistance and how much assistance each qualifying residential customer may receive under this section.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
The bill appropriates an amount to be determined by the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) from the funds provided to the State by the federal government under the "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021," (the act) to provide bill payment assistance to certain residential electric, heating, water, wastewater, Internet, and voice telecommunications customers throughout the State due to the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the event that the determined amount is not available through the bill, then the remainder would be appropriated from other federal funding available for coronavirus relief as that funding becomes available. If federal funding is not available to satisfy the full amount of this appropriation, then the bill would authorize DCA to request that a portion of the remainder be appropriated from State funding sources.
