Bill Text: PA SB156 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Providing for home energy assistance to certain persons through payment of matching funds to the hardship funds of certain home energy providers and for powers and duties of the Department of Public Welfare.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2009-02-11 - Re-referred to APPROPRIATIONS [SB156 Detail]

Download: Pennsylvania-2009-SB156-Introduced.html

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PRINTER'S NO. 126
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No. 156 Session of2009
INTRODUCED BY TOMLINSON, GREENLEAF, BOSCOLA, TARTAGLIONE, ORIE, ERICKSON, WONDERLING, PIPPY, BROWNE, RAFFERTY, FONTANA, FERLO, COSTA, STACK, LOGAN, MUSTO, WILLIAMS AND FARNESE, JANUARY 30, 2009
REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, JANUARY 30, 2009
AN ACT
Providing for home energy assistance to certain persons through
payment of matching funds to the hardship funds of certain
home energy providers and for powers and duties of the
Department of Public Welfare.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Home Energy
Assistance Act.
Section 2. Declaration of policy.
The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
(1) The Federal Government recognized the importance of
aiding low-income families with heating their homes when it
created the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program in
1981.
(2) Other states have recognized the need to supplement
these Federal funds for home energy assistance with state
funds.
(3) The Commonwealth recognizes the importance of
allocating State funds to aid families struggling with
heating costs that do not fall within the guidelines of the
Federal program.
(4) Heating oil and propane gas companies and public
utilities that provide electricity and natural gas also
recognize the need to contribute funds for home energy
assistance by their establishment of hardship funds.
Section 3. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Average monthly degree day." The average daily temperature
for a given month.
"Department." The Department of Public Welfare of the
Commonwealth.
"Eligible ratepayer." A ratepayer whose payment to a home
energy provider for service is delinquent or has otherwise
extenuating circumstances and whose income falls between 151%
and 200% of the Federal poverty guidelines as reported by the
United States Department of Health and Human Services.
"Hardship fund." Funds established by a home energy provider
to provide cash assistance to those ratepayers who have
exhausted all other resources for payment of electricity,
heating oil, natural gas or propane gas bills.
"Heating season." The months of November, December, January,
February and March, consecutively.
"Home energy provider." A heating oil or propane gas company
or a public utility that provides electricity or natural gas to
ratepayers in this Commonwealth.
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"Ratepayer." A person in whose name a residential service
account is listed with a home energy provider and who is
primarily responsible for payment of a bill rendered for
service.
Section 4. Matching funds.
(a) Commonwealth share.--The department shall provide
matching funds based upon the amount contributed by the
stockholders, employees and ratepayers of home energy providers
to their hardship funds as contained in the most recent data
reported to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission or
obtained otherwise.
(b) Distribution.--The department shall only distribute
matching funds when the Statewide average monthly degree days in
a heating season are 10% colder than the Statewide average
monthly degree days for a heating season for the previous ten
years as reported by the National Weather Service or obtained
otherwise.
Section 5. Application procedure.
(a) Time for filing.--A home energy provider may apply for
matching funds and must notify the department of its intent to
do so during the period of January 1 to February 1.
(b) Contents of application.--The application shall be in
such form as prescribed by the department and shall contain:
(1) The amount to be credited to the home energy
provider into its hardship fund.
(2) Identification of a nonprofit entity that has agreed
to evaluate the financial condition of ratepayers, with their
consent, in order to assist the home energy provider with its
determination of whether the ratepayers should receive credit
through the hardship fund.
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(3) Such other information as required by the
department.
Section 6. Distribution.
Moneys appropriated to the department for purposes of section
4 shall, upon certification by the department of qualified funds
in a home energy provider's hardship fund, remit the matching
funds to the home energy provider no later than April 1.
Section 7. Rules and regulations.
The department may promulgate any rules and regulations it
determines necessary for the administration of this act.
Section 20. Effective date.
This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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