Bill Text: TX SB1500 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to an electric utility surcharge to assist owners of certain historic structures with electric bill payments and to promote energy conservation and efficiency.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-03-19 - Referred to Natural Resources & Economic Development [SB1500 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-SB1500-Introduced.html
| 84R12520 DDT-D | ||
| By: Lucio | S.B. No. 1500 | |
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| relating to an electric utility surcharge to assist owners of | ||
| certain historic structures with electric bill payments and to | ||
| promote energy conservation and efficiency. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subtitle B, Title 2, Utilities Code, is amended | ||
| by adding Chapter 44 to read as follows: | ||
| CHAPTER 44. ENERGY ASSISTANCE FOR HISTORIC STRUCTURES | ||
| Sec. 44.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: | ||
| (1) "Fund" means the historic structure energy | ||
| assistance fund. | ||
| (2) "Historic structure" has the meaning assigned by | ||
| Section 442.001, Government Code. | ||
| Sec. 44.002. APPLICABILITY. This chapter applies only to a | ||
| county that: | ||
| (1) has a population of 400,000 or more; | ||
| (2) is adjacent to an international border; | ||
| (3) borders the Gulf of Mexico; and | ||
| (4) is in an area where customer choice has not been | ||
| adopted. | ||
| Sec. 44.003. HISTORIC STRUCTURE ENERGY ASSISTANCE. (a) | ||
| The historic structure energy assistance fund is an account in the | ||
| general revenue fund administered by the commission. Money in the | ||
| account may be appropriated only for the purposes of a program | ||
| created under Subsection (c). Interest earned on the fund shall be | ||
| credited to the fund notwithstanding Section 404.071, Government | ||
| Code. | ||
| (b) The commission shall adopt and enforce rules requiring | ||
| electric utilities, municipally owned utilities, and electric | ||
| cooperatives to: | ||
| (1) establish a monthly surcharge in an amount of 50 | ||
| cents per customer to finance the fund; and | ||
| (2) remit the collected surcharges to the comptroller | ||
| for deposit to the credit of the fund. | ||
| (c) The commission shall establish a grant or loan or other | ||
| assistance program designed to: | ||
| (1) increase energy efficiency in historic | ||
| structures; | ||
| (2) promote energy conservation in historic | ||
| structures; and | ||
| (3) assist owners of historic structures with electric | ||
| bill payments. | ||
| (d) The commission by rule shall establish application | ||
| procedures and eligibility criteria for an owner of a historic | ||
| structure in need of assistance with payment of electric bills or | ||
| with energy conservation or energy efficiency measures. | ||
| (e) The commission may use money from the fund to pay the | ||
| commission's costs associated with: | ||
| (1) establishing the program under Subsection (c), | ||
| including costs of rulemaking; and | ||
| (2) administering the program and fund. | ||
| SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
| a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
| provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
| Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
| Act takes effect September 1, 2015. | ||
